Grant: Engage Grants Program

Increased human population growth and urbanization have led to a reduction in historic hydrological processes*that minimize the intensity of stormwater surges, and an increase in waterborne contaminants that threaten*drinking water supplies, ecosystem stability and diminish recreational and economic activities throughout*southern Ontario. Stormwater ponds are one component of a stormwater management train and are among the*most common approaches to stormwater management in Ontario. The proposed project will undertake a*comprehensive survey of stormwater pond vegetation and its relation to water quality to better inform*stormwater pond design and ensure the intended functionality of these systems. Sites will be selected from*stormwater ponds located within Southern Ontario. Sites will be selected based on the availability of records*related to their original design, vegetation planting strategies, ongoing monitoring of water quality and*accessibility. Samples of all plant species encountered will be identified and submitted to the Laurier*Herbarium as permanent vouchers. Vegetation characteristics including species richness, diversity, evenness,*percent cover, density, and frequency will be quantified in addition to degree of shading by overstory and*understory vegetation . Water quality samples will be taken from the runoff at the stormwater ponds inlet and*outlet. These water samples will be tested for different water quality parameters as defined by the Ministry of*the Environment and Climate Change (MOECC), including BOD, COD, TSS, pH and E. Coli. These tests will*allow for a determination of any correlation between the water quality and vegetation growth. Data analyses*will: 1) investigate relationships among vegetation and stormwater pond function (improvement of water*quality, habitat, etc), 2) compare vegetation patterns (community structure, species diversity, evenness,*richness, incursion of invasive species and habitat suitability) among sites and among stormwater pond creation*strategies, and 3) assess the overall impact of stormwater ponds on the surrounding landscape.