Edwards Gardens Parking Lot Retrofit, Toronto, Ontario, Canada BMP

(Bio)swale

Created at: 04 Jan 2020

Description

The largest parking lot in the City of Toronto’s park system, with a total area of 15.045 m2, is located at the botanical garden Edwards Gardens, and also serves Wilket Creek Park and Toronto Botanical Garden. Before the retrofit, deteriorated asphalt parking lot was a major source of urban runoff to Wilket Creek during storm events, contributing to erosion, elevating flooding risk, and degrading downstream water quality and aquatic habitat (STEP, 2016). Wilket Creek Valley was also affected, resulting in damage to bridges, trails and park amenities and impacts to the valleyland ecosystem (STEP, 2016). The prime objective of the retrofit project was to mitigate stormwater impacts on Wilket Creek, while improving pedestrian access, safety and circulation, conserveing water and energy, and promoting alternate forms of transportation (CSLA, 2013). Retrofit project was designed by landscape designers Schollen&Company Inc and implemented in 2012. General retrofit idea was to capture stormwater runoff and convey it through stormwater biofilters - combined bioretention and infiltration trenches with native plantings (Figure 3B). A bioswale lined with loose stone was constructed to convey flows from the parking lot to an existing stormwater outet that discharges to Wilket Creek. A network of stormwater biofilters totaling 880 m2 area, that are situated in traffic islands, capture, infiltrate and convey runoff (STEP, 2016). Water enters the biofilters through gravel inlets (Figure 3C), while excess water is directed to an outfall via perforated exfiltration pipe. Bioswales are landscaped using a diverse selection of native trees, shrubs, and grasses that are drought tolerant


Samenvatting (Dutch description)

Edwards Gardens Parking Lot Retrofit, Toronto, Ontario, Canada BMP

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