Traditional knowledge

Based on work completed from 2000 to 2011, an overview of what water means to Anishinabe peoples in Ontario found the following themes:

• Water is alive. It is a being with its own spirit
• Water is sacred
• Water is a relative
• Water is part of a holistic system, a part of Creation
• Water is key to survival
• Appropriate water use is about proper relationships
• Water must be treated with an ethic of thanksgiving
• People have specific responsibilities to protect water
• Planning for water governance must take a long-term approach
• Women have a central role
• Language retention is critical

Low Impact Development (LID) is a sustainable approach to stormwater management that aligns closely with Indigenous perspectives on land and water stewardship. First Peoples in Ontario have long held holistic views of water systems, emphasising respect, reciprocity, and interconnectedness. Integrating these perspectives into LID practices can enhance environmental outcomes while fostering meaningful collaboration between Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities.

Traditional Knowledge and Water Stewardship

First Peoples in Ontario view water as a living entity that must be protected for future generations. This perspective contrasts with conventional engineering approaches that often treat water as a resource to be controlled or redirected. Indigenous Knowledge (IK) considers the entire watershed, integrating seasonal cycles, ecological functions, and cultural values into land and water management decisions. Traditional water management practices include natural filtration systems, wetland conservation, and the use of vegetation to stabilise shorelines and improve water quality. These principles align with modern LID strategies, such as bioretention, permeable pavements, and green roofs, which mimic natural hydrological processes to reduce runoff and improve water quality.

Key Considerations for LID Integration

• Holistic Watershed Management LID should incorporate Indigenous perspectives on water as part of a larger ecological and cultural system. Projects should be designed to support biodiversity, protect sacred water sources, and maintain natural hydrological functions.

• Community-Led Decision Making Engaging Indigenous communities in the planning and implementation of LID projects is essential. This includes recognising treaty rights, consulting Elders and Knowledge Keepers, and ensuring that projects reflect community priorities.

• Use of Native Plants and Natural Materials Many Indigenous communities have traditional knowledge of plant species that improve water quality, prevent erosion, and support local wildlife. Incorporating these plants into LID features like bioswales and rain gardens enhances ecological benefits and strengthens cultural connections to the land.

• Protecting Sacred Waterways and Wetlands Many First Nations in Ontario have identified specific rivers, lakes, and wetlands as sacred. LID designs should prioritise the protection and restoration of these areas, avoiding disruptions to natural water flow and habitat integrity.

• Climate Resilience and Adaptation Indigenous communities have long adapted to changing environmental conditions. Their knowledge of floodplain management, natural drainage patterns, and seasonal variations can inform resilient LID designs that mitigate climate change impacts.

Examples of Indigenous-Led LID Initiatives

Several Indigenous communities in Ontario are incorporating LID into their environmental stewardship efforts:

• Chippewas of the Thames First Nation has implemented rain gardens and bioswales to improve stormwater management while restoring native plant habitats.
• Six Nations of the Grand River has explored LID solutions for managing agricultural runoff and protecting water quality in the Grand River watershed.
• Curve Lake First Nation is working on wetland restoration projects that integrate LID principles to support water filtration and biodiversity.

Moving Forward

The successful integration of First Peoples’ perspectives into LID requires genuine partnerships, respect for Indigenous Knowledge, and a commitment to co-designing solutions that benefit both the environment and Indigenous communities. By aligning LID with Indigenous ways of knowing and being, Ontario can develop stormwater management solutions that are not only effective but also honour the land and water relationships that have sustained First Peoples for millennia.

To review

• http://www.unesco.org/new/fileadmin/MULTIMEDIA/FIELD/Venice/pdf/special_events/bozza_scheda_DOW_6_1.0.pdf

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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.

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 drainage area of a river.

An area of land that drains into a river or a lake. The boundary of a watershed is based on the elevation (natural contours) of a landscape.

The technique of removing pollutants from runoff as it infiltrates through the soil.

A vegetated area such as a bog, fen, marsh, or swamp, where the soil or root zone is saturated for part of the year.

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

Relating to the properties, distribution and effects of water on and below the earth’s surface, and in the atmosphere.

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.

(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).

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 area adjacent to a stream that is, on average, inundated once a century

Refers to the conditions in which an organism lives and survives or the conditions in which an organism resides. These conditions can be described as aspects of a “physical”, “social” or an “economic” environment, depending on the perspective perceived by the observer.