HomeMy WebLinkAboutDTS-08-047 - Addendum - Alder Strasburg Creek Watershed Study & Upper Strasburg Creek Watershed Plan Update1
K KR
Development&
Technical Services
REPORT
Report To: Development & Technical Services Committee
Date of Meeting: May12, 2008
Submitted By: K. Grant Murphy, P.Eng., Director of Engineering
Prepared By: Binu J. Korah, P.Eng., Manager of Development Engineering
Wards} Involved: 4 -South Ward
Date of Report: April 25, 2008
Report No.: DTS 08-047
Subject: Addendum -Alder Strasburg Creek Watershed Study and
Upper Strasburg Creek Watershed Plan Update
RECOMMENDATION:
That the Alder Creek Watershed Study and Upper Strasburg Creek Watershed Plan
Update, prepared By CH2MHill and North-South Environmental Inc., dated January, 2008
be received and further;
That the Alder Creek Strasburg Watershed Study and Upper Strasburg Creek Watershed
Plan Update be adopted and approved in its entirety including the proposed clarification
with regards to the form of gravel pits and chloride application rates as set out in Report
DTS 08-047.
BACKGROUND:
The City staff submitted a report to DTS committee on March 3, 2008 (see attached report,
DTS-08-032) for the approval of the Alder Creek Watershed Study and Upper Strasburg Creek
Watershed Plan Update, prepared By CH2MHill and North-South Environmental Inc., dated
January, 2008. During the Council meeting it was decided that this report be deferred to allow
an opportunity for staff and the study consultant, CH2MHill, to meet with the representatives of
the affected property owners who raised concerns with respect to the above noted study.
PROPOSED CLARIFICATION
A meeting was held between City staff, the consultant CH2MHill, Ministry of Natural Resources
(MNR), Grand River Conservation Authority (GRCA), Region of Waterloo and Mr. Paul Britton,
MHBC and Mr. Jeff Martens, MTE representing the Area 2 land owners, to discuss the concerns
raised at the March 3, 2008 DTS meeting. The concerns as per Mr. Britton, memo dated March
3, 2008 and its clarifications are as given below:
a) That the recommendations of the Alder Strasburg Creek Watershed Plan Update that
relate to maintaining the form of the gravel pits be received for information at this time,
pending consideration of comprehensive grading, rehabilitationlremediation and
servicinglstormwaterrnanagement:
The agencies and the landowners' consultants agreed to the clarification below.
~.
Recommendation 44 of the study states that "The form and function of the gravel
pits areas shall be maintained in accordance with the recharge rates presented in
Tables 4.1 and 4.2, and the location of the key recharge areas as illustrated earlier
in Figure 10-2"(page 12-7}.
In regard to the issue of form in Recommendation 44, it is not the intent of the
Steering Committee to require through that recommendation that any areas within
the gravel pits be maintained in their current state in relation to depth and grade.
The requirement of the recommendation of form relates to maintaining the location
and to some extent the depth of key recharge areas, shown as blue areas in
Figure 10-2 in the report. As stated in Section 10.5.5 of the report, "specifically,
form in this context would refer primarily to location, and to a lesser extent size and
depth". These recharge areas are topographically low areas that generally coincide
with the bottom of the gravel pits. Although some grading/filling is anticipated
across the gravel pits, including the pit bottoms, what is vital to the Regional
water supply and natural resources in the area is that the recharge rates to
the groundwater and the supply wells K25/K29, the location of where the bulk of
the recharge is occurring, and that the water travel times to the aquifer through
the unsaturated soils is maintained in future urban scenario.
It is envisioned that an overall plan for the gravel pit lands will be comprehensively
developed through a revised rehabilitation plan andlor Plans} of Subdivision for
the pits, an Official Plan Amendment, Community Plan, comprehensive stormwater
management plan and grading and servicing plans. For clarity, Recommendation
44 is not intended to prevent grading and servicing of the lands for urban purposes
but to ensure that an overall plan including grading and servicing plan is prepared
and approved for the gravel pit lands in accordance with the infiltration rates
presented in Tables 4.1 and 4.2 and good engineering practices including
approved City of Kitchener engineering design guidelines.
b) That the Alder Strasburg Creek Watershed Study be clarified such that required chloride
impact studies distinguish chloride application rates as between arterial, collector and
local roads:
The agencies and the landowner's consultants agreed to the clarification below.
~.
With respect to Recommendations 42a and 42b of the study, the required
assessments of the impact of added chlorides may utilize different chloride rates
for arterial (primary), collector (secondary) and local roads.
Mr. P. Smith, Bousfield Inc., was in attendance on behalf of Cook Homes, who own land in Area
3, in support of the staff recommendations. He noted the March 3, 2008 staff report states that
comprehensive stormwater management plans are required for each sub-area. He requested
confirmation that each land owner would be permitted to prepare a stormwater management
plan for their own lands.
The City staff clarified at the March 3 DTS meeting that this was the intent of the
study as outlined in Recommendation 36 which states that:
" It is recommended that Areas 1,2,3, and Area 4 each develop a comprehensive
storm water management plan that addresses the individual requirements and
targets as set out in this report to guide future development proposals. The
comprehensive SWM plan should be developed concurrently with Municipal Plan
amendment and either a new Community Plan, an amendment to an existing
Community Plan or a Master Planljoint subdivision application, and should involve
significant participation by affected land owners.
Notwithstanding the recommendation above, if all efforts to develop a
comprehensive SWM plan for an Area fail, each landowner within that area can
prepare their own SWM plan that meets the individual requirements and targets as
set out in this report.
CONCLUSION:
The City of Kitchener, Regional Municipality of Waterloo and the GRCA have completed the
Alder Creek Watershed Study and Upper Strasburg Creek Subwatershed Plan Update (see
attached Executive Summary of the report). The study develops management strategies that
will support the long-term preservation and protection of the existing natural features within the
study area, while permitting development to proceed on lands where deemed appropriate. The
Staff recommend that Council adopt and approve the Alder Creek Watershed Study and Upper
Strasburg Creek Watershed Plan Update in its entirety including the proposed clarification with
regards to the form of gravel pits and chloride application rates as set out in Report DTS 08-
047.
Binu J. Korah, P. Eng.,
Manager, Development Engineering
K. Grant Murphy, P. Eng.,
Director, Engineering Services