HomeMy WebLinkAboutINS-12-006 - Showcasing Water Innovations - Grant AwardsREPORT TO:Finance and Corporate Services Committee
DATE OF MEETING:
January 30, 2012
SUBMITTED BY:
Grant Murphy, Director of Engineering, 741-2410
PREPARED BY:
Nick Gollan, Manager, Stormwater Utility, 741-2422
WARD(S) INVOLVED:
All
DATE OF REPORT:
January 20, 2012
REPORT NO.:
INS-12-006
SUBJECT:
SHOWCASING WATER INNOVATIONS GRANT AWARD
RECOMMENDATION:
That the Deputy CAO of Finance and Corporate Services be authorized to execute the
two (2) Funding Agreements with the Ministry of the Environment to the satisfaction of
the City Solicitor for the following two (2) projects:
1. RAIN: An Ecological Approach to Stormwater Management in Kitchener and Waterloo
2. Beyond the Landfill: Finding Better Uses for Stormwater Pond Sediments; and,
That a Deputy CAO be authorized to sign any other requisite agreements with project
partners to the satisfaction of the City Solicitor.
BACKGROUND:
The Ministry of the Environment (MOE) announced a new funding program called Showcasing
Water Innovation on April 29, 2011. Showcasing Water Innovation is the province’s program to
fund leading edge, innovative and cost-effective solutions for managing drinking water,
wastewater and stormwater systems in Ontario communities. The program complements
Ontario’s water strategy and the Water Opportunities Act by fostering innovation, creating
opportunities for economic development and protecting water resources for present and future
generations.
Under the Showcasing Water Innovation program, the province will fund projects that:
take an integrated and sustainable approach to solve water management challenges;
use new and innovative approaches and technologies;
produce results that can be easily used by other communities; and,
create partnerships that highlight the benefits of collaboration.
Communities are eligible to receive up to 50 per cent of their project costs to a maximum of
$1,000,000. The program is open to Ontario municipalities, municipal corporations, local
services boards, Aboriginal communities, public institutions, conservation authorities and non-
ì ó ï
profit organizations. A total of $17 million is available over three years and is part of the $30
million announcement in Ontario’s budget for community demonstration programs, municipal
water sustainability planning, and education and public awareness of water conservation.
Two (2) applications were submitted by the City of Kitchener to the Showcasing Water
Innovation program in June, 2011:
1. RAIN: An Ecological Approach to Stormwater Management in Kitchener and Waterloo
2.Beyond the Landfill: Finding Better Uses for Stormwater Pond Sediments
On January 12, 2012, the Honorable John Milloy MPP announced that the City of Kitchener was
selected as a recipient of grants from the Showcasing Water Innovation Program, totalling close
to $2M.
REPORT:
RAIN: An Ecological Approach to Stormwater Management in Kitchener and Waterloo
th
On June 14, 2010 City of Kitchener Council approved the implementation of a stormwater rate
and directed staff to review options for the implementation of a stormwater credit policy for
residential and non-residential properties to be implemented in 2011. On January 9, 2012,
Council received report INS-12-001 which presented the recommended stormwater credit
policy. RAIN is a comprehensive outreach and action project designed to motivate property
owners to reduce stormwater quantity and improve stormwater quality before it flows into our
streams and the Grand River. Hands-on workshops, expert seminars, best practices tours, and
special events motivate action by city residents through the RAIN program, supported by a
growing web resource from REEP. Follow-up with REEP House visitors and program
participants documents the quantities of water diverted from storm sewers as a result of
participation in the program.
This program will focus on community outreach and providing residential property owners an
opportunity to increase their efficient use of our water resources and subsequently the amount
of credit they receive. At the same time this will grant staff an opportunity to evaluate the
effectiveness of the program and report back to council on an annual basis as part of the annual
stormwater management audit.
The City of Kitchener, in partnership with Waterloo Region Green Solutions (REEP), Green
Communities Canada, and Waterloo, has been awarded approximately $1M in funding. This
grant application has the objective of augmenting the existing RAIN program currently funded by
other sources and is proposed as a three year project (2012-2014) that will demonstrate a
community based alternative approach to emphasizing source reduction of stormwater
pollutants and volume.
This innovative project will engage property owners in lot level action. It is directly related to our
efforts to implement stormwater credits for residential properties and provides education to all
sectors about practical action they can take to best manage the water that falls on their
property, and to receive credit for their actions on their utility bill. This collaborative approach will
ì ó î
enable our community to develop educational material for non-residential, multi-residential and
residential sectors.
The City of Kitchener has identified $1.8M of matching funding for stormwater credit payments
during the period from January 2011 to December 2013, at which point the funding agreement
with the MOE comes to an end.
Beyond the Landfill: Finding Better Uses for Stormwater Pond Sediments
On November 1, 2011, Council awarded the tender for the Victoria Park Lake Improvements
and work cleaning the 30,000 cubic metres of accumulated sediment in the lake has begun.
A three year co-operative trial is proposed to be carried out to convert the excavated sediment
from the Victoria Park Lake Improvements into a topsoil product. It is believed that with sufficient
dewatering and mixing, the material could serve as planting media at landfill sites.
This would be a co-operative arrangement between the City of Kitchener and the Region of
Waterloo. At the end of the three-year trial program, considerable knowledge will be gained as
to whether stormwater management pond sediments, like those found in Victoria Park Lake,
should be considered as a sustainable source of topsoil for the landfill over the next 30 years.
The city has over 100 stormwater management ponds that will require maintenance and
cleanout and it is estimated that further 200,000 cubic metres of sediment will need to be
disposed of in this fashion.
If this and other similar projects are forced to landfill stormwater management pond sediments,
many millions of dollars will be spent on hauling and disposal costs, most likely outside of the
region. Disposing of moderately impacted soil and sediment in a landfill is a poor use of local
resources and is in contradiction to local initiatives to improve sustainability. This trial project
may have many positive and substantial effects for other municipalities within the Region of
Waterloo as well as across Ontario. The outcome of this project may significantly reduce the
long term costs of cleaning stormwater management facilities.
The City of Kitchener has identified $4.4M of funding from the current Victoria Park Lake
Improvements project as matching funding for the Beyond the Landfill project.
ì ó í
ALIGNMENT WITH CITY OF KITCHENER STRATEGIC PLAN:
Community Priority - Environment
“Continue to show leadership in the development of an environmentally sustainable community.”
The City continues to ensure effective implementation of the stormwater management facilities
in a sustainable and optimized manner in order to protect the environment and source water.
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS:
Two grant awards have been received from the Showcasing Water Innovation Program:
1. RAIN - $999,542.00
2. Beyond the Landfill - $1,000,000.00
The funding that has been awarded to the City of Kitchener and our project partners is
earmarked for specific project related tasks.
In order to receive the grant funding the City must approve the matching funding component.
In the case of the RAIN project, credit payments are identified in the amount of $1.8M to the end
of December 2013. In order to be in a position to issue the credit payments and meet the
matching funding criteria, a stormwater credit policy is required.
In the case of the Beyond the Landfill project, the tender has been awarded and construction is
under way. The portion of the Victoria Park Lake Improvements budget identified as the
matching contribution for this project is $4.4M.
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT:
Not applicable.
CONCLUSION:
As a recipient of grants from the Showcasing Water Innovation Program, the City of Kitchener is
being recognized for its innovative and cost effective ways to deliver stormwater management
programming.
ACKNOWLEDGED BY:
Pauline Houston, Deputy CAO
Infrastructure Services Department
ì ó ì