Photographs

This is a copy of all of the photographs we've gathered on the site, illustrating structural BMPs or specific features.

BMPs

Bioretention cells

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  Parking lot bioretention with surface ponding well in foreground, Kortright Centre, Vaughan, ON. Read about the performance of this practice in the technical brief.

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  Parking lot bioretention sharing underground reservoir with adjacent permeable paving, Edwards Gardens, Toronto, ON. Read a case study about it here.

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  Parking lot bioretention with decorative stone for erosion control, and perforated pipe access standpipe in foreground, Earth Rangers Centre, Vaughan, ON. Read about the performance of this practice in the technical brief.

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  The sunken curb holds the edge of the asphalt pavement and lets water freely flow to the bioretention cell beside the 7sigma parking lot in Minneapolis, MN (USA)
  Photo credit:Brian Ash

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  Bioretention cells on Elm Drive, Mississauga, ON, with vertical sides and hardscape perimeter receive road runoff via leader pipes from road catch basin inlets. Read about the stormwater system at this site in the performance assessment report.

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  The grade and lack of curb allow for sheet-flow runoff into this bioretention facility. Lakeside Park, Mississauga, ON

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  Bioretention cell receiving road and walkway runoff in a high density development setting.

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  Bioretention bump out in a dense urban setting receiving runoff via side inlet catch basin and curb openings on the walkway side of the installation.

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  Fairford Parkette featuring a bioretention cell retrofitted into a roadway in downtown Toronto, ON. Read a case study about it here.

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  Bioretention cell located in Waterfront Park in Ajax, ON.

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  Parking lot bioretention cell at IMAX corporate headquarters in Mississauga, ON. Read about the IMAX stormwater system in the performance assessment report

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  A curb extension bioretention cell in action during a major rain event.

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  Bioretention cell receiving road runoff in the Wychwood neighbourhood of Brampton, ON. The nearby catch basin conveys overflows during major rain events. Read about the stormwater system in this community in the performance assessment report.

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  Kortright Centre parking lot bioretention cell in action during a rain event, Vaughan, ON.

Bioswales

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  Note the use of stone in the centre of the channel, with mulch cover on the side slopes. Mississauga Road, ON

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  Bioswale in High Point neighborhood, Seattle, WA
  Photo credit: USEPA

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  Streetside swale in Seattle

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  This feature is a bioswale in that the underlying soil has been replaced with engineered filter media. The turf finish simplifies landscape maintenance. Brampton, ON

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  A bioswale located on Country Court Blvd., located in Brampton, ON> Read more about the performance of this feature and associated rpoject, by reading the following Grey to Green Conference Presentation, 2018. Dean Young - STEP, 2018

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  Bioswale located in Downsview Park, Toronto ON. with Check dams.

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  Grassed bioswale with Vegetated filter strips

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  Bioswale located in a parking lot with a 'beehive-styled' overflow, with Curb cuts Inlets at the back of the feature, located in the Burlington ON.

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  Stone-lined bioswale with rock check dams located to helps slow the flow of water as it enter the system from the nearby roads. [[ STEP, 2017

Dry ponds

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  Wishing well park is a baseball field with flood warning signs, Scarborough ON

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  Avondale Park, designed for flood storage, but not optimized for infiltration, North York ON

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  A multi-functional dry basin, still due to be fitted with playground equipment. Cambridge, UK. Photo credit: Simon Bunn

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  This dry pond features a concrete lined low-flow channel. Photo credit: US EPA

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  Stormwater lagoon, Wilmhurst Road, Warwick. UK. Photo credit: Robin Stott

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  Dry polder northwest of Vincencov, Prostějov. Czech Republic. Photo credit: Jiří Komárek

Extended tree pits

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  Rainwater harvesting cistern, which discharges to tree pits during dry conditions. Image credit Mississippi WMO

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  Extended tree pit planting in USA
  Photo credit: USEPA

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  A right of way bioswale installed by the New York City Department of Environmental Protection on Dean Street, Brooklyn

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  Birch trees in parking lot bioretention 'IMAX site' Mississauga, ON

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  Trees in parking lot bioretention 'IMAX site' Mississauga, ON

Grass Swales

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  Grass swale in CVC headquarters parking lot, Mississauga ON

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  Water distributed into a wide grass swale with a rock level spreader

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  Flow in this wide swale is being reduced by taller vegetation on some sections (See Manning's n)

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Infiltration chambers

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  Infiltration chambers being installed.

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  Chamber systems can be very large, both in terms of depth and footprint...

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  ...or very small as this residential soakaway/dry well.

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  Parking lot stormwater detention system, partially installed. Photo credit: Arbitrarily0

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  Contractors construct an underground soakaway on the runway extension of Taxiway Alpha as shown here Oct. 5, 2012, at RAF Mildenhall, England. Photo credit: Karen Abeyasekere

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  Infiltration chambers being installed.

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  Example of "crate style" Infiltration chambers being installed in East Gwillimbury. Photo credit: Make-Way Environmental Technologies Inc.

Infiltration trenches

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  Trench laid in advance of the surrounding catchment being finished. This system would benefit from some geotextile on the surface to prevent sediment from accumulating before the asphalt is laid.

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  Good use of geotextile, being limited to preventing fines from entering the trench from above.

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  View of infiltration trench in U.S. Photo credit: Moreau1

Permeable Pavement

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  Porous asphalt, Coultice Park, Whitchurch-Stoufville, ON

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  Laneways retrofit program, Toronto ON

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  Permeable concrete at Lakeside Park, Mississauga ON

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  Permeable pavers on residential driveways, Brampton ON

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  Permeable pavers on a shared street, Georgetown ON

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  Permeable pavers in parking bays, Mississauga ON (note inspection of bioretention occurring in the background)

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  Although this permeable pavement at Belfountain Conservation Area was not maintained, it remains structurally sound after over 30 years of constant use.

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  Pre-cast pervious concrete slab.

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  Permeable Interlocking Concrete Pavement (PICP) on a narrow road between buildings in Chicago (Source: ICPI)

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  Different colours of permeable pavers in parking lot, CVC headquarters, Mississauga ON

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  Crews pour pervious concrete into a parking lot (Source: Washington State Dept of Transportation on Flickr)

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  Inspection wells should be located at the edges or even off the side of permeable pavement areas

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  Water quality sampling in permeable pavement study, Mississauga ON

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  Porous asphalt parking lot (Source: Villanova Urban Stormwater Partnership)

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  Placement of permeable pavers during construction.

Soil cells

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  Soil cells under construction.

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  Soil cell installation on Central Parkway in Mississauga.

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  Built in 2014, this stormwater planter on Central Parkway in Mississauga uses supported soil cells and is functioning well.

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  Soil Cell installation along the Moynes and Berl Avenues on north side of The Queensway in Toronto. The picture depicts stormwater distribution pipes through the system, used to help provide water to the trees that will be later planted in the BMP feature.
  Photo credit: City of Toronto
  

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  Silva Cell “top” deck prior to organic layer and screenings for pavers. Photo credit: City of Toronto

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  Soil Cells being installed along Edgewater Drive for Waterfront Toronto.
  Photo credit: DeepRoot
  

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  Stormwater Tree Trenches at East Bayfront Promenade, Toronto.
  Photo credit: DeepRoot
  

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  Seawall Soil Cells (Tree Trenches) located in Vancouver.
  Photo credit:City of Vancouver
  

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  Stormwater tree trenches designed with a structural concrete pad over top of the installation.
  Photo credit:DeepRoot
  

Stormwater planters

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  Stormwater planters are ideal for situating alongside buildings to capture rainwater from roof runoff. LSRCA headquarters, 2017.

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  Stormwater planter, treating downspout runoff, at Waterview Rec Center, Philidelphia
  Photo credit: PWD

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  Rain garden, Illick Hall, SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Syracuse, NY
  Photo credit: DASonnenfeld

Details

Check dams

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  Enhanced swale with rocky check dams and a metal overflow grate in Northgate Mall parking lot, Seattle. Photo credit: MLSmith

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  Bioswale with rock check dams to slow down the water, encouraging infiltration. Note the biodegradable erosion control blanket still in place. LSRCA headquarters, 2017

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  Concrete check dam with armourstone to protect against erosion. Concrete colour blends well with surrounding stone. This dam extends to the full depth of the swale and has 25 mm ø weep holes below grade.

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  A check dam in action, effectively pooling water.

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  A swale during a rain event, with concrete check dams, armourstone, mulch and Tall grasses to slow down moving water (as shown in the .gif file) to promote infiltration in the feature.

Also see Jen's Pinterest board of check dams

Curb cuts

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  OPSD 605.040 Asphalt Spillway inlet to biofilter swale and road catch basin overflow outlet. County Court Blvd., Brampton, ON.

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  This curb cut has been sawn into existing concrete as part of a retrofit. Note the temporary (erosion log) and permanent stone erosion control measures in place. Mississauga Road, ON.

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  Curb cut used as a controlled overflow route from permeable pavements to a bioretention facility with monitoring well, Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority, Newmarket, ON.

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  Curb cut into a bioretention facility in Hinsdale, IL. Stone in the center of the facility reduces erosion and dissipates power inflow around the inlet area. A monitoring/maintenance well can be seen in the foreground. Photo credit: CNT

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  Curb cut into a bioretention facility in Brown Deer, WI. Stone is used to reduce erosion around the inlet area. Photo credit: Aaron Volkening

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  Curb cut into a bioretention facility in Ajax, ON.

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  Stone lined inlet at IMAX site in Mississauga

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  The grading around this inlet prevents flow in the correct direction. i.e. from the pavement onto the grass. Not too critical in this example, as the surface is permeable pavements.

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  Curb cut into a rain garden on a green street in Newmarket, ON.

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  Curb cut leading into a small bioretention cell in Brampton, ON.

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  Curb cut leading to a bioswale in Brampton, ON.

Curb extensions

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  Curb extension in Victoria. Image credit Dylan Passmore

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  'Offline' streetscape bioretention with trees, King Street, Kitchener

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  Bioretention on residential street, with covered drain inlet (grate in the gutter) and iron grate covered overflow in the centre of the cell, Hinsdale, IL Photo credit: CNT

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  Curb extension in downtown Indianapolis, IN

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  Curb extension on Queen Lane, in Philidelphia
  Photo credit: PWD

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  Curb extension with Urban Tree in a tree grate, in city showcased by the U.S Department of Transportation's, Federal Highway Administration.
  Photo credit: Jennifer Rosales

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  Boulevard with Urban Trees along the boulevard in tree grates, in Orlando, FL.
  Photo credit: Design by: GAI Consultants/Kevin Aust & Contractor: UCC Group.

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  Schematic of Urban Trees in tree grates in a proposed traffic-calming bump-out as part of the on Columbus Av. New York City, NY. The red arrow depicts the flow of water to the stormwater tree trench system.
  Photo credit: Jonathan Toner

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  Curb extension with planted tree in open tree pit, part of a finished soil cell system - a tree grate for safety reasons and increased aesthetic should be added. Located on Main St. Markham, ON.
  Photo credit: GreenBlue Urban Inc.

Forebays

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  Solid splash pad preventing erosion from the flow from the inlet. Image credit Dylan Passmore

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  Forebay connected to drainage area in the roadway with a curb cut, overflow visible in the centre of the feature, level spreading is encouraged with the rock check dams, Milwaukee, WI, Photo credit: Aaron Volkening

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  Rounded 'river rock' and a series of check dams slow water from this inlet.

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  This forebay has a rock splash pad to slow water down before it reaches a bioswale.

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  Incoming water from these curb cuts is slowed by river rock splash pads.

Overflow structures

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  Flat metal overflow with stone surround to reduce erosion around the cast concrete structure. Mississauga Road, ON

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  Domed, metal overflow grate. Being flush with the surface reduces potential infiltration of ponded water. Photo credit: Aaron Volkening

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  Overflow inlet for newly constructed stormwater bioretention areas in median of Bradley Road. Village of Brown Deer, Wisconsin. Bradley Road, east of 51st Street. Photo from October 2015. Constructed summer 2015.
  Photo credit: Aaron Volkening

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  Flat, metal overflow grate in Emeryville California Stormwater Curb Extension

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  Note the greyish colour change indicating UV degradation of this plastic overflow inlet in a bioretention cell; metal is recommended instead. Mississauga ON.

Trench drains

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  Combination of trench drain and winter shut off gate: King Street, Kitchener, ON

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  Trench drain that outlets to a bioswale at the LSRCA Office in Newmarket, ON

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  Trench drain in parking lot of Evergreen brickworks, Toronto ON

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  Bioretention system, or rain garden with a decorative trench drain cover, in Portland, US Taken in April 2013. Photo credit:EmilyBlueGreen

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  This trench drain has easily opened, hinged sections for maintenance, Singpore

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.

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.

Includes the protection of soil from dislocation by water, wind or other agents.

A mixture of mineral aggregates bound with bituminous materials, used in the construction and maintenance of paved surfaces.

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.

Ground depression acting as a flow control and water treatment structure, that is normally dry.

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.

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.

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.

The slow movement of water into or through a soil or drainage system.

Penetration of water through the ground surface.

Tank used to store rainwater (typically roof runoff) for later use.

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.

Credit Valley Conservation

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.

Vegetated, open channels designed to convey, treat and attenuate runoff. Design variations range from simple grass channels, which are designed primarily for conveyance to more complex treatment and volume reduction designs like enhanced grass swales, and dry swales or bioswales.

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.

An underground water storage reservoir into which stormwater is directed and allowed to percolate into the underlying native subsoil.

An excavated area lined with geotextile filter cloth and filled with clean granular stone or other void forming material, that receives runoff and allow it to infiltrate into the native soil; can also be referred to as infiltration galleries, French drains, dry wells or soakaway pits.

The temporary storage of stormwater to control discharge rates, and allow for sedimentation.

The land draining to a single reference point (usually a structural BMP); similar to a subwatershed, but on a smaller scale.

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.

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.

Soil particles with a diameter less than 0.050 mm.

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.

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

Best management practice. State of the art methods or techniques used to manage the quantity and improve the quality of wet weather flow. BMPs include: source, conveyance and end-of-pipe controls.

Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority

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

A lot level bioretention cell designed to receive and detain, infiltrate and filter runoff, typically used for discharge from downspouts.

Structures constructed of a non-erosive material, such as suitably sized aggregate, wood, gabions, riprap, or concrete; used to slow runoff water. Can be employed in practices such as bioswales and enhanced grass swales.

Structures constructed of a non-erosive material, such as suitably sized aggregate, wood, gabions, riprap, or concrete; used to slow runoff water. Can be employed in practices such as bioswales and enhanced grass swales.

(1) The wearing away of the land surface by moving water, wind, ice or other geological agents, including such processes as gravitation creep; (2) Detachment and movement of soil or rock fragments by water, wind, ice or gravity (i.e. Accelerated, geological, gully, natural, rill, sheet, splash, or impact, etc).

Structures constructed of a non-erosive material, such as suitably sized aggregate, wood, gabions, riprap, or concrete; used to slow runoff water. Can be employed in practices such as bioswales and enhanced grass swales.

a top dressing over vegetation beds that provides suppresses weeds and helps retain soil moisture in bioretention cells, stormwater planters and dry swales.

A mixture of mineral aggregates bound with bituminous materials, used in the construction and maintenance of paved surfaces.

A bioretention BMP featuring an impermeable liner and underdrain that prevents infiltration of runoff into the underlying native soil; provides sedimentation and filtration of urban runoff as it passes through the mulch layer, engineered filter media and vegetation root zone.

A bioretention cell that features an impermeable liner that collects and treats stormwater through sedimentation and filtration only (i.e., no infiltration).

Refers to a system that when full, stormwater will bypass the practice. Offline systems use flow splitters or bypass channels that only allow the water quality volume to enter the facility. This may be achieved with a pipe, weir, or curb opening sized for the target flow, but in conjunction, create a bypass channel so that higher flows do not pass over the surface of the filter bed.

A pretreatment basin at the inlet of a practice that allow settling out of sediment and associated contaminants suspended in urban runoff.

The total surface area upstream of a point on a stream that drains toward that point. Not to be confused with watershed. The drainage area may include one or more watersheds.

A pretreatment basin at the inlet of a practice that allow settling out of sediment and associated contaminants suspended in urban runoff.