In much of Canada, urban stormwater infrastructure falls within the jurisdiction of municipalities however, provincial and federal governments have historically assisted with research, guidelines, data and information, and provided capital funding. However, the level of provincial and federal involvement will likely decrease over the next decade and possibly beyond because of the current trend towards delegating services and associated responsibilities to lower levels of government.

Rainbow over OttawaProvincial Government Stormwater Responsibilities

The primary areas where senior government agencies are involved include research; development of stormwater management guidelines; collection, analysis and provision of hydrometric data; and targeted funding programs for infrastructure renewal. In addition to governments, the urban development and the insurance industries play major roles in stormwater management, in terms of investment costs and covering potential weather-related and other damages.

The Provincial Government of Ontario

The Ontario Ministry of the Environment initiated the development of a Stormwater Management Practices Planning and Design Manual and have updated it with the help of the Government of Canada's Great Lakes Sustainability Fund, Credit Valley Conservation, and other agencies.

The 2003 manual provides technical and procedural guidance for the planning, design, and review of stormwater management practices. The manual is intended as a tool for understanding the performance requirements of stormwater management projects. The manual provides practical guidance that has been found to be effective in specific circumstances. The manual will also be used as a baseline reference document in the review of stormwater management applications for approval under section 53 of the Ontario Water Resources Act as administered by the Ministry of the Environment.

See here to learn more about the Ontario Ministry of the Environment Stormwater Management and Design Manual

The Provincial Government of Quebec

In the majority of cases, water services in Québec come under the municipalities, which own many of the infrastructures related to wastewaters. The municipalities plan, finance, maintain, and control most of the activities related to these services.The provincial government works with the municipalities providing support through finances and establishing terms of reference governing the exercise of municipal responsibilities for water management.

Through the Québec Water Policy the government of Québec has committed to undertake the following action related to stormwater management:

• Urge and assist municipalities to reduce the frequency of overflows by 20% in combined sewer systems during rainstorms, by 2007.

• Establish a strategy to govern urban discharges in Québec.

By taking this course of action they expect to see:

• a reduction in the frequency of overflows of wastewaters into the environment for improved protection of watercourses, especially for swimming and other recreational uses;

For more information on stormwater management in Québec see the Québec Water Policy, and the MDDEP's Wastewater webpage

Municipal Government Responsibilities

Drainage and stormwater management duties are the responsibilities of municipal governments. Local municipalities operate and maintain the storm sewer systems that carry stormwater from private property to the nearest stream, river, lake or ocean.

Many municipalities are making efforts to improve their stormwater practices and protect the environment - for example, the City of Toronto's Wet Weather Flow Master Plan.

Case Study: The City of Toronto's Wet Weather Flow Master Plan   

The City of Toronto has developed a Wet Weather Flow Master Plan, also known as Toronto's Water Pollution Solution, which is designed to reduce and ultimately eliminate the adverse impacts of stormwater runoff within the City of Toronto.  It aims to achieve a measurable improvement in water quality over the next 25 years, while balancing environmental, social and economic factors.  

The 25-year implementation plan was approved by Toronto City Council in September of 2003.  The plan to manage stormwater pollution sets out to achieve 13 objectives, which fall under four categories: water quality; water quantity; natural areas and wildlife; and the sewer system.  The implementation schedule prioritizes the projects to be implemented in 5-year blocks. 

The plan is based on a hierarchical approach to managing stormwater by looking at source control (reducing the flow entering pipes by disconnecting eavestroughs, using rainbarrels or putting in porous pavers), conveyance control (refers to the stormwater's flow paths in ditches and in pipes, control measures could include "leaky" pipes that allow some of the wet weather flow to seep into the ground) and end-of-pipe control (just before the stormwater enters a river or the lake, some controls include ponds, wetlands, tanks and tunnels).

A key component of the Plan is raising public awareness about the issue. Raising awareness means encouraging participation by Toronto's residents in some of their community-based programs that will help deal with stormwater pollution. One such program is downspout disconnection, which encourages residents to disconnect their downspouts to reduce the overflow of stormwater into the sewage system.

See here for more information on Toronto's Wet Weather Flow Master Plan 

Also see the Great Lakes Municipal Wastewater Program.

Learn more about stormwater management

Adapted from Pollution Probe's Source Water Protection Primer; Ontario Ministry of the Environment: Stormwater Pollution Prevention Handbook; and the Québec government's Water Policy Document