Municipal Non-Conventional Stormwater Management Facilities

Traditional Stormwater Management Facilities (SWMFs), such as stormwater management ponds, have been in existence since the early 1980s. These traditional SWMFs are commonly referred to as Conventional SWMFs and have predominantly been the type of SWMFs maintained by the City of Vaughan for new developments.   

The increased demand for housing along with the limited availability of land has resulted in a push to explore alternative stormwater management options to optimize land usage.  An example of this would be the implementation of an underground stormwater tank under a park or right-of-way.  The City of Vaughan defines these alternative stormwater management options as Non-Conventional SWMFs. 

As a result of this increasing trend toward optimization of land, the City has developed and implemented a Policy and Acceptance Procedure for Non-Conventional SWMFs with the objective to: 

• provide guidance on where non-conventional stormwater management facilities can be accepted; 

• streamline the evaluation and acceptance process for non-conventional stormwater management facilities; 

• provide a list of allowable stormwater management technologies/facility configurations; and 

• provide a cost-recovery formula to establish an offset fee for the anticipated increased operation, maintenance, and lifecycle costs of non-conventional stormwater management facilities. 

About the City’s Policy and Procedures for Non-Conventional Stormwater Management Facilities 

In June 2022, Council adopted an interim approach to approving Non-Conventional SWMFs based on recommendations from the City’s stormwater consultant who confirmed that implementation of Non-Conventional SWMFs is sustainable if appropriate design specifications and financial compensation are accounted for. The adopted interim approach provided general City requirements in approving proposed Non-Conventional SWMFs, however, one of the recommendations of the Council report directed City staff to retain an independent consultant to undertake the development of more fulsome policies, procedures, criteria and standards for Non-Conventional SWMFs.   

In December 2023, the City retained a stormwater consultant to undertake the development of the City’s Municipal Non-Conventional Stormwater Management Facilities Policy and Acceptance Procedure.  The development of the policy and procedure included the completion of a Background Report to review existing policy and guidance documents, conduct a jurisdictional municipal scan for the implementation of Non-Conventional SWMFs, and an evaluation of the various types of Non-Conventional SWMFs technology being utilized. 

The City’s Municipal Non-Conventional Stormwater Management Facilities Policy and Acceptance Procedure was presented at the Committee of the Whole Working Session on June 5th, 2024, and was formally adopted by Council on June 25, 2024.  

In conjunction with the development of the Policy and Acceptance Procedure documents, the consultant team also developed engineering design criteria and standards for Municipal Non-Conventional SWMFs which are being incorporated into the overall City of Vaughan Engineering Design Criteria and Standard Drawings (EDCSD).