Drawings

Overview

Whilst we consider preparing our own set of STEP LID drawings, we are providing a quick reference list to drawing files from other Ontario and/or Canada-based sources.

If you want help in finding example details for an LID design, please email the Wiki Guide email account or use the comment box below.

You know that typical drawings are no substitute for properly configured design!

Ontario Municipal References

• The City of Toronto Green Streets program included production of many drawn 'typicals'. See example of curb extensions to the right.
• The City of Kitchener has standard details for pervious concrete pavement, precast permeable interlocking pavement and permeable pipe exfiltration systems, a note - you will have to send them an email requesting access to their development manual.
• The City of Barrie has a draft standard detail for an exfiltration trench and soakaway pit in Appendix A - Figures of the linked website. Note that the 'within-WHPA' detail is not supported by STEP.

Exfiltration Systems

Please see below a Profile view of an exfiltration system (or perforated pipe system) designed for use in the city of Barrie and used in conjunction with a typical storm sewer system. Note: This cross section installment is 'not located within a WHPA', although the source document for this drawing showcases a similar design configuration, that is 'located within a WHPA', which is not supported by STEP.

Drawings are from the City of Barrie's, Drainage Master Plan document. For further details about these cross section drawings please visit the link.

Infiltration Trenches/Chambers & Soakaways

Please see below a profile and plan view of an infiltration trench designed to treat and temporarily store stormwater for use in the City of Toronto located within the laneway between the road and sidewalk in a heavily urbanized location. This drawing depicts partial exfiltration where remaining stormwater runoff is directed to the nearby storm sewer system.

Drawings are from the City of Toronto's, Design Criteria for Green Infrastructure in the Right-of-Way document. For further details about these cross section drawings please visit the link.

Bioretention

Please see below a profile and plan view (along with a larger scale intersection plan view) of a bioretention facility designed in an urban curb extension/"bump-out" designed to both calm traffic, enhance green space in an urban setting and treat overflow/runoff from the nearby street. Given that the bioretention is bound entirely with impermeable hardscape there is limited options for pretreatment. In the cross-sections shown below the pretreatments included in the installation are the inclusion of sediment traps sediment traps - a type of forebay, which dissipates incoming flow into the feature and causes suspended sediment to settle out of the water. This allows for accumulated sediment to be cleaned out during general maintenance of the bioretention feature.

An excellent opportunity for integrating more bioretention into the street is through careful design of curb extensions for traffic control . See Roadside safety for design advice specific to this application. This drawing also depicts partial exfiltration with an installed underdrain as soils in this feature possess infiltration rates lower than 15mm/hr, and possesses several plantings. Remaining stormwater runoff is directed to the nearby storm sewer system.

Drawings are from the City of Toronto's, Design Criteria for Green Infrastructure in the Right-of-Way document. For further details about these cross section drawings please visit the link.

Green Roof

Please see below a profile view of a standard extensive green roof with a stone buffer layer, growing medium, filter layer, drainage layer, root barrier/protection layer, waterproof membrane and vapour barrier. What makes the following drawing an extensive green roof is that it consists of a thinner planting medium layer ( ≤15 cm deep) with herbaceous vegetative cover that possess shallower root systems and is designed for SWM purposes, and generally don't provide public access.

Drawing is from Metro Vancouver's, Stormwater Source Control Design Guidelines document document. For further details about these cross section drawings please visit the link.

Permeable Pavements

Please see below a profile and plan view of a drawing of a standard permeable pavement composed of interlocking pavers located in a parking lot/laneway, location independent upon estimated traffic and vehicular loading. The installation is designed with an underdrain in this drawing as the site has low permeability (< 15mm/hr), allowing for partial infiltration in the system. The permeable paver installation also includes a cleanout for said underdrain in case of clogging, and is comprised of a crushed aggregate bedding layer, clean washed stone base, and subbase (more about these layers can be found under here OPSS aggregates & Choker layer). The entire facility and these layers are surrounded by a geotextile to retain these layers and separate them from the underlying soil subgrade, allowing the system to infiltrate water into the surrounding soil and prevent migration amongst layers.

Drawings are from the City of Toronto's, Design Criteria for Green Infrastructure in the Right-of-Way document. For further details about these cross section drawings please visit the link.

Stormwater Tree Trenches

Please see below a Plan and Profile view of one of several variations of a stormwater planter (soil cell) along a roadway. This type of cross section installment showcases a tree trench in a continuous growing medium located under a hard boulevard/concrete surface that can withstand constant and heavy vehicular loads. Drawings are from the City of Toronto's Green Streets Technical Guidelines Appendices document. For further details about these cross section drawings please visit the link.

External Drawing Cross Sections

• Oregon State University LID typicals by GreenGirl
• Plan drawings by Low Impact Development Center, Inc.
• Bioretention detail by Philly Water
• Permeable paving by Philly Water
• Pipe-in-stone infiltration by Philly Water

Proprietary

In our effort to make this guide as functional as possible, we have decided to include proprietary systems and links to manufacturers websites.
Inclusion of such links does not constitute endorsement by the Sustainable Technologies Evaluation Program.
Lists are ordered alphabetically; link updates are welcomed using the form below.

• ADS pipe
• Soil cells by Silvacell
• pretreatment by Hydro International

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Sustainable Technologies Evaluation Program

Low Impact Development. A stormwater management strategy that seeks to mitigate the impacts of increased urban runoff and stormwater pollution by managing it as close to its source as possible. It comprises a set of site design approaches and small scale stormwater management practices that promote the use of natural systems for infiltration and evapotranspiration, and rainwater harvesting.

The downward movement of water through the soil, the downward flow of runoff from the bottom of an infiltration BMP into the soil.

Loss of water from a drainage system as a result of percolation or absorption into the surrounding medium (e.g., the infiltration of water into the native soil through a perforated pipe wall as it is conveyed).

The downward movement of water through the soil, the downward flow of runoff from the bottom of an infiltration BMP into the soil.

Loss of water from a drainage system as a result of percolation or absorption into the surrounding medium (e.g., the infiltration of water into the native soil through a perforated pipe wall as it is conveyed).

The portion of water precipitated onto a catchment area, which then flows as surface discharge from the catchment area past a specified point.

Water from rain, snow melt, or irrigation that flows over the land surface.

A shallow excavated surface depression containing prepared filter media, mulch, and planted with selected vegetation.

A shallow excavated surface depression containing prepared filter media, mulch, and planted with selected vegetation.

Initial capturing and removal of unwanted contaminants, such as debris, sediment, leaves and pollutants, from stormwater before reaching a best management practice; Examples include, settling forebays, vegetated filter strips and gravel diaphragms.

Soil, sand and minerals washed from land into water, usually after rain. They pile up in reservoirs, rivers and harbors, destroying fish-nesting areas and holes of water animals and cloud the water so that needed sunlight might not reach aquatic plans. Careless farming, mining and building activities will expose sediment materials, allowing them to be washed off the land after rainfalls.

A perforated pipe used to assist the draining of soils.

A thin layer of vegetation and growing medium installed on top of a conventional flat or sloped roof, also referred to as living roofs or rooftop gardens.

Stormwater Management

An alternative practice to traditional impervious pavement, prevents the generation of runoff by allowing precipitation falling on the surface to infiltrate through the surface course into an underlying stone reservoir and, where suitable conditions exist, into the native soil.

The total mass of a pollutant entering a waterbody over a defined time period.

The net amount of something (e.g. chemical, such as phosphorus), calculated as the product of concentration and volume in a given time. Some BMPs significantly reduce loading of pollutants to the environment by reducing volume more so than concentration.

Cleanouts are "a fitting access in a drainage system or venting system that is installed to provide access for cleaning and inspection and that is provided with a readily replaceable air tight cover" (O.Reg 332/12: Building Code, 2022).

A broad category of particulate material used in construction, including sand, gravel, crushed stone, slag, recycled concrete and geosynthetic aggregates, and available in various particulate size gradations.

Filter fabric that is installed to separate dissimilar soils and provide runoff filtration and contaminant removal benefits while maintaining a suitable rate of flow; may be used to prevent fine-textured soil from entering a coarse granular bed, or to prevent coarse granular from being compressed into underlying finer-textured soils.

A shallow constructed channel, often grass-lined, which is used as an alternative to curb and channel, or as a pretreatment to other measures. Swales are generally characterized by a broad top width to depth ratio and gentle grades.

Linear bioretention cell designed to convey, treat and attenuate stormwater runoff. The engineered filter media soil mixture and vegetation slows the runoff water to allow sedimentation, filtration through the root zone, evapotranspiration, and infiltration into the underlying native soil.

A vegetated practice that collects and treats stormwater through sedimentation and filtration. Contributions to water cycle/water balance are through evapotranspiration only; no infiltration.

Low impact development is a stormwater management and land development strategy applied at the parcel and subdivision scale that emphasizes conservation and use of on-site natural features integrated with engineered, small scale hydrologic controls to more closely mimic pre-development hydrologic functions.

A stormwater management strategy that seeks to mitigate the impacts of increased urban runoff and stormwater pollution by managing it as close to its source as possible. It comprises a set of site design approaches and small scale stormwater management practices that promote the use of natural systems for infiltration and evapotranspiration, and rainwater harvesting.