Rural Stormwater project installs new water monitoring stations

Rural Stormwater project installs five new water monitoring stations in priority local areas as part of water-quality work in year one

Five new or upgraded water monitoring stations are now in place in rural Lake Huron communities as part of a project to limit stormwater impact from heavy rainfall. The monitoring stations are part of the Rural Stormwater Management Model project. The monitoring stations are located in five priority areas: Garvey Creek and Glenn Drain Watershed, north of Port Albert; the Bayfield North (North Gullies) Watershed; the Main Bayfield Watershed; the Lambton Shores Watershed; and the Pine River Watershed.

The Rural Stormwater Management Model (RSMM) project is entering its second year. When the model is complete in 2014, people doing stewardship projects will better understand how drainage works in a rural context. People will then be able to better reduce and manage that run-off from storms.

Other work this past year includes draft terms of reference, a communications plan, and forming a project team with expertise in stormwater management and advanced software development. Ausable Bayfield Conservation is working with Emmons & Olivier Resources, Inc., an engineering and environmental consulting firm that specialize in water resources, watershed planning, and modeling; and Computational Hydraulics International (CHI), consultant in stormwater management, wastewater and watershed modeling software.

“This project is creating new tools that give us more precise and detailed information to better manage stormwater impact in rural areas,” said Alec Scott, RSMM Project Manager. “The new monitoring stations are already providing better data. This is important as we go forward with best management practices and work to control runoff and erosion. We will have a better idea of which projects work best, the best places to locate those projects, and what size the projects should be.”

Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority (ABCA) is leading the RSMM water-quality project in partnership with Maitland Valley, St. Clair Region, Saugeen Valley, and Grey Sauble Conservation Authorities and other partners of the Healthy Lake Huron: Clean Water, Clean Beaches initiative. Project partners include provincial and federal ministries, county departments, environmental and public health agencies, and participating landowners.

The Rural Stormwater Management Model Project is taking place in five priority watersheds along Lake Huron’s southeast shores in a rural part of Ontario stretching from Sarnia to Tobermory. For more information on the five priority watersheds visit: http://www.healthylakehuron.ca

The Rural Stormwater Management Model project is funded by a $700,000 grant from the Ontario Ministry of the Environment’s Showcasing Water Innovation Program and in-kind contributions from other partners. Investment will total more than $900,000. The Rural Stormwater Management Model will benefit water quality in the five priority watersheds and help create a rural focus for stormwater management that can be applied across the province and beyond.

For more information on the Rural Stormwater Management Model Project visit ruralstormwater.com or http://www.healthylakehuron.ca/ruralstormwater