WEAO Student Design Competition 2017

Innovative Stormwater Management in the City of Toronto, Exhibition Place

Water Environment Association of Ontario

Young Professionals Committee and Student Design Competition SubCommittee
and the
Ontario Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change
In Collaboration with
The City of Toronto

WEAO STUDENT DESIGN COMPETITION 2017

PROJECT STATEMENT

Innovative Stormwater Management in the

City of Toronto, Exhibition Place

JULY 2016

WEAO Student Design Competition 2017

Innovative Stormwater Management in the City of Toronto, Exhibition Place

WEAO Student Design Competition 2017

Innovative Stormwater Management in the City of Toronto, Exhibition Place
BACKGROUND CITY OF TORONTO

Figure 1: Skyline of the City of Toronto

The City of Toronto is on the northwest shore of Lake Ontario and covers 641
sq.km, stretching 43 km from east to west and 21 km from north to south at its
longest points. The City provides stormwater, drinking water and wastewater
services (to name a few), to its 2.79 million residents, all whilst accounting for the
numerous watershed and river valleys within its boundaries.
In September 2003, Toronto City Council adopted a Wet Weather Flow
Management Policy, which provides direction on how to manage wet weather
flow on a watershed basis.
The City of Torontos Wet Weather Flow Management Master Plan was guided
by the following principles:

Rainwater is a resource. As a priority, rainwater (including snowmelt)

should be managed where it falls on the lots and streets of our City,
particularly before it enters a sewer.
Wet weather flow will be managed on a watershed basis with a natural
systems approach being applied to stormwater management as a priority.
A hierarchy of wet weather flow solutions will be implemented starting
with at source, then conveyance, and finally end-of-pipe. Torontos
communities need to be made aware of wet weather flow issues and
involved in the solutions.

The following key objectives for stormwater management were identified:

Water Quality
Meet guidelines for water and sediment quality: Contribute to achieving
federal, provincial and municipal water and sediment quality objectives
and guidelines in area watercourses and along the waterfront.
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WEAO Student Design Competition 2017

Innovative Stormwater Management in the City of Toronto, Exhibition Place

Virtually eliminate toxics through pollution prevention: Contribute to

the virtual elimination of toxic contaminants in groundwater and surface
water utilizing the principle of pollution prevention at source.
Improve water quality in rivers and the lake for body contact
recreation: Improve water quality for body contact recreation in rivers and
recreational areas and reduce posting of beaches by the Medical Officer of
Health.
Improve aesthetics: Contribute to eliminating objectionable deposits,
nuisance algae growth, unnatural colour, turbidity and odour in order to
improve the aesthetics of area surface waters.
Water Quantity
Preserve and re-establish a natural hydrologic cycle: Contribute to the
re-establishment of a more natural hydrologic process to protect and
restore groundwater and surface water resources, based on maximizing
permeability and minimizing runoff at source.
Reduce erosion impacts on habitats and property: Manage wet
weather flows to reduce erosion impacts on stream and riparian habitats
on public and private properties and open spaces.
Eliminate or minimize threats to life and property from flooding:
Eliminate or minimize threat to life and property from flooding.
BACKGROUND EXHIBITION PLACE

Figure 2: Aerial view of Exhibition Place

Exhibition Place (100 Princes Blvd) is a 192-acre site owned by the City of
Toronto. Located on the waterfront, Exhibition Place comprises historically and
architecturally significant buildings, open parks and gardens. Each year over 5.3
million visitors attend trade and consumer shows and meetings.
Exhibition Place has leases with 22 tenants operating year-round businesses.
Some of these leases are long-term (greater than 20 years) while others are

WEAO Student Design Competition 2017

Innovative Stormwater Management in the City of Toronto, Exhibition Place

considered short term (less than 4 years). There are 9 buildings and structures
designated under the Ontario Heritage Act, and 13 buildings and structures listed
within the inventory of Heritage Preservation Services. These buildings/structures
are significant to the character of the grounds and must be considered in the
context of any new facilities being constructed at Exhibition Place. Any new
construction is subject to City of Toronto Site Plan Approval.
Surface parking availability is key to the success of shows and events. In 2015
Exhibition Place hosted 255 events across the grounds and provided parking for
over 320,190 vehicles. There are 4,359 surface parking spaces on-site.
Exhibition Place has over 15.8 ha of impermeable surfaces, most of which are
asphalted parking areas. These surfaces contribute contamination (oil, fuel,
lubricant by-products, material from tire wear, de-icing agents, etc.) to surface
runoff. Stormwater is currently managed on-site through a network of storm
sewers and drains. Green roofs located on the North Extension of the Ricoh
Coliseum building and a small portion on Horse Palace also provide partial
stormwater management for the buildings. The storm sewer network is owned by
the City of Toronto and Exhibition Place. A combined sewer is located from the
west wall of the West Annex, east along Manitoba Drive to Strachen Ave.
Surface run-off from Exhibition Place is collected by an on-site sewer system,
conveyed off-site where it connects with Lake Shore Blvd storm sewers, and
ultimately discharged into Lake Ontario. Downstream flooding of Lake Shore Blvd
has been observed during large storm events.
Several landscaping features within the site are serviced/irrigated by an intake
pipe from Lake Ontario.
More information about Exhibition Place, its stormwater management, and its
ongoing stormwater feasibility study, may be found in subsequent sections, and
in the supplemental information. A schematic of the storm sewer infrastructure is
included in Appendix A.
BACKGROUND THE GARDINER EXPRESSWAY
The Gardiner Expressway is a highway that runs for 18
kilometres across the City of Toronto from the Queen
Elizabeth Way at Highway 427 to east of the Don
Valley Parkway. The road is owned by the City of
Toronto. The structure was built during the late 1950s
and early 1960s. External surface drainage is received
from a portion of the Gardiner Expressway via
downspout discharges to the grounds of Exhibition
Place.

WEAO Student Design Competition 2017

Innovative Stormwater Management in the City of Toronto, Exhibition Place

BACKGROUND - CHALLENGES
Site considerations at Exhibition Place include:

The existing parking lots are conventional (see Appendix A) and represent
an environmental challenge due to the large expanse of asphalt that freely
drain to the storm drain system and ultimately to Lake Ontario without
treatment for water quality and quantity.
During significant storm events, the site has contributed to downstream
flooding of Lake Shore Blvd.
The site receives external drainage from the Gardiner Expressway which
is elevated along the northern perimeter of Exhibition Place.
The large expanse of asphalt contributes to the urban heat island effect
which raises local air temperature, elevates smog levels and increases
energy demand for summer cooling.
Accumulation of air borne contaminants and surface debris from cars and
people, in concert with heated asphalt, contribute to harmful water quality
impacts on aquatic life and recreational water activities in the vicinity. This
occurs during storm events when all is washed into the storm drainage
system.
The parking lots are used throughout the year and form an integral part of
the show and event activities including sporting franchises and park land
activities throughout the year.
Combined sewers exist from the west wall of the West Annex, east along
Manitoba Drive to Strachen Ave.
Future facilities must respect the existing and planned development (e.g.
Hotel X) within the site.

BACKGROUND INNOVATIVE STORMWATER MANAGEMENT

As previously stated, the City of Toronto aims to manage precipitation on site
where it falls by applying the treatment train approach, including
source/conveyance control otherwise known as low impact development (LID)
practices.
An important means of achieving these goals is through the application of
innovative stormwater management tools and techniques that take a holistic
approach in siting, designing and implementing best management practices to
reduce the local and downstream negative impacts to water quality and quantity.
OBJECTIVES
The Design Team is required to provide the following:

Phase 1 - Preliminary design for future stormwater management retrofits

of the specified priority area in Exhibition Place (see Figure 3).
Phase 2 - Conceptual design to address external drainage discharging
from the Gardiner Expressway into Exhibition Place, including
recommending City policy and practices on managing stormwater from
elevated highways.

WEAO Student Design Competition 2017

Innovative Stormwater Management in the City of Toronto, Exhibition Place

The site retrofit must be designed such that it addresses the key issues of:

Water Quality
Water Quantity
Water Balance
Climate Change

Site features open to stormwater retrofits include, but are not limited to: parking
lots, sidewalks, road right-of-way, buildings/rooftops, grassed areas/open spaces,
and sewer/plumbing systems including catchbasins and manholes.
The preliminary design should also account for the human and business aspects
of sound engineering design. It should align with engineering/architectural
principles, respect the existing look and feel of Exhibition Place; enhance safety
and aesthetics of this public space; and preserve as much as possible the current
parking capacity.
When designing the site retrofit, teams must review the key principles and
guidelines of the City of Torontos Wet Weather Flow Management Master Plan
and Toronto Green Standard, the City's Sewer-Use By-Laws, the Citys erosion
and sediment control requirements, Ministry of the Environment and Climate
Changes 2003 Stormwater Management Planning and Design Manual and
Interpretation Bulletin on LID (2015), and Exhibition Places Stormwater
Feasibility Study Request for Proposal.
DESIGN CRITERIA
Using a treatment train approach, designs must meet the following design
criteria:
Water Balance and Quantity Targets
Minimum on-site volume retention of 26.5mm (the 90th percentile rainfall event for
the Toronto area, as determined through the hourly rainfall analysis using a 12hour minimum inter-event time and disregarding events smaller than 2mm).
Minimum of 5 mm of precipitation must be managed on-site through infiltration,
evapotranspiration or rainwater reuse for irrigation. In Toronto, storms with 24hour volumes of 5 mm or less contribute about 50% of the total average annual
rainfall volume.
Water Quality Targets Total Suspended Solids (TSS)
The wet weather flow (WWF) water quality target is the long-term average
removal of 80 % of Total Suspended Solids (TSS) on an annual loading basis
from all runoff leaving the site based on the post-development level of
imperviousness.
Flood Flow Management Criteria
The City of Toronto has adopted the 100-year storm as the level of protection for
properties, where feasible, against surface flooding from ponding on streets,

WEAO Student Design Competition 2017

Innovative Stormwater Management in the City of Toronto, Exhibition Place

and/or when a proper major overland flow stormwater drainage system does not
exist.
Climate Change
Account for climate change in stormwater designs to aid in the mitigation of
forecasted impacts for the Exhibition Place area. Use the climate change
projections with the PRECIS model under A1B emissions scenario
(http://www.ontarioccdp.ca/). Demonstrate how proposed designs will aid in
mitigation of climate change impacts (e.g. shift in annual precipitation throughout
the seasons, how to maintain healthy landscaping under a drought, how to
manage large peak flows and volumes from extreme events).
Proposed designs must take into consideration construction phase activities and
their impacts to LID performance, aquatic/fish habitat requirements (if any), cost,
and limitations of the site (e.g. available footprint, underground services, external
drainage, and competing uses of the site such as parking capacity and events).
Stormwater characteristics (e.g. quality) and City of Toronto Intensity-DurationFrequency (IDF) curves will be made available in an addendum at a later date.

SCOPE OF WORK
The scope of work consists of two phases impacting the same area within
Exhibition Place. The study area of priority focus is the catchment area for Outlet
3, as roughly indicated in Figure 3.

Figure 3: Site Plan of Exhibition Place, roughly delineating the area of priority focus in red

WEAO Student Design Competition 2017

Innovative Stormwater Management in the City of Toronto, Exhibition Place

The project documents should address the following elements:

Phase I Preliminary Design
Provide a proposal that retrofits the area of priority focus (internal catchment
area) shown in Figure 3 to address the Objectives. The methods must take into
consideration the challenges of the site listed in the Background.
The proposal should include an analysis of the runoff to be accommodated, a
review and comparison of various alternatives, a preferred alternative including
preliminary designs, and the engineering feasibility for implementation.
In addition, proposals must include a value-added component that will provide
service or use to the community. Examples include streetscapes, human-nature
interactions, or educational pavilions, etc.
Phase II Conceptual Design
Provide a conceptual proposal to address the Objectives for the external
drainage from the elevated portion of the Gardiner Expressway to Exhibition
Place. A conceptual design must be provided, as well as a recommended City
policy on managing stormwater from elevated highways, and comparisons of
stormwater best management practices. The proposal for Phase II can be
combined with the Phase I solution or as a standalone solution.
DESIGN REPORT REQUIREMENTS
Please refer to the WEAO SDC Guidelines for the acceptable format of the
report. The design report should address the following points:
Background
Description of the site
Analysis of the existing hydrologic cycle on site (e.g. evapotranspiration;
infiltration; runoff that is to be accommodated in terms of peak flow, total
volume, water balance, water quality);
Analysis of the existing stormwater infrastructure and the stormwater
impacts
Description of the current challenges with regards to stormwater
management and retrofitting of the site.
Phase I
Identify any assumptions made regarding the site or when selecting
parameters, and their rationale (e.g. imperviousness, run-off coefficient,
stormwater influent quality and quantity, grading, soil infiltration
capabilities, rainfall statistics, evapotranspiration rates, design storm, etc.);

WEAO Student Design Competition 2017

Innovative Stormwater Management in the City of Toronto, Exhibition Place

Comparative discussion of alternative methods;

Selection of the preferred method (including a decision matrix);
The resultant run-off coefficient after implementing the proposed designs;
Demonstrate how the preferred method for the site retrofit achieves the
design criteria and how downstream flooding is alleviated (e.g. before and
after retrofit scenarios);
Demonstrate that the proposal has maximized source control measures;
Description of the value-added component of the preferred method;
Identify any groundwater contamination concerns;
Identify limitations of the preferred method and how they may be
minimized;
Siting of the best management practices;
Preliminary sizing of the equipment/best management practices (BMPs);
Methods used to minimize environmental/commercial/social impact during
construction, including erosion and sediment control and protection for any
proposed stormwater practices (e.g. LID);
Description of a suitable operations and maintenance program;
Preliminary capital cost estimate for Phase 1;
Operations and maintenance cost for Phase 1; and
Implementation schedule for Phase 1 and any need for pilot work to verify
approach for scaled up application. Indicate if other agency approvals are
needed.
Identification of additional information needed to complete a detailed
design

Phase II
Identification of external areas targeted for retrofits to address runoff from
the elevated portion of the Gardiner Expressway
Identification of potential hazards from external runoff (e.g. typical types of
pollutants) and how they could be addressed
Recommendation of stormwater policies or activities (e.g. easements,
dedication, land acquisitions) for identified external areas
Conceptual design of stormwater practices, including comparison of
stormwater management best practices.
Anticipated environmental and flooding benefits
Identification of additional information needed to complete a detailed
design
There is no limit to the number of appendices attached to the design report.
However, the appendices must contain, as a minimum, the following:

WEAO Student Design Competition 2017

Innovative Stormwater Management in the City of Toronto, Exhibition Place

Calculations indicating the expected reduction of volume, peak flow and

pollutants achieved by the Phase 1 proposed design. Include all
calculation spreadsheets;
Manufacturer data sheets and catalogues of all major equipment used for
stormwater management, if applicable; and
Design drawings (see below for details).

Design teams may use modelling software. If used, an appendix must be

attached to the design report containing the model input data and output and the
rationale for selection of the chosen model(s).
DESIGN DRAWING REQUIREMENTS
Design drawings must be provided that clearly show the layout of the stormwater
management retrofit. As a minimum, the following drawings must be included:

Site Plan for the Phase 1 retrofit including inlets and outlets for the minor
storm system, and the value added component;
Hydraulic profiles for the Phase 1 retrofit;
A drawing identifying Phase II sites and preliminary layouts;
Schematics showing details of the preferred stormwater management
techniques (and within a treatment train framework).

The drawings must be printed on 11 x 17 landscape sheets, folded and

included as an appendix in the design report.

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WEAO Student Design Competition 2017

Innovative Stormwater Management in the City of Toronto, Exhibition Place

SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION
The following documents are provided to aid in the preparation of the design
report.

City of Torontos Wet Weather Flow Management Master Plan http://www1.toronto.ca/wps/portal/contentonly?vgnextoid=972bab501d8ce

310VgnVCM10000071d60f89RCRD
Toronto Green Standard http://www1.toronto.ca/wps/portal/contentonly?vgnextoid=f85552cc660614
10VgnVCM10000071d60f89RCRD
City of Toronto Design Guidelines for "Greening" Surface Parking Lots http://www1.toronto.ca/wps/portal/contentonly?vgnextoid=03d70621f3161
410VgnVCM10000071d60f89RCRD
Ministry of Environment and Climate Changes Interpretation Bulletin on
LID: http://www.sustainabletechnologies.ca/wp/wpcontent/uploads/2015/02/MOECC-Interpretation-Bulletin-StormwaterManagement.pdf
Ministry of Environment and Climate Changes 2003 Stormwater
Management Planning & Design Manual https://www.ontario.ca/document/stormwater-management-planning-anddesign-manual
Ontario Climate Change Data Portal: http://www.ontarioccdp.ca/
TRCA and CVC Low Impact Development Manual http://sustainabletechnologies.ca/wp/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/LIDSWM-Guide-v1.0_2010_1_no-appendices.pdf

Electronic copies will also be provided for the following:

Exhibition Place Stormwater Feasibility Study Request for Proposal,
including the Festival Plaza Site Master Plan, and site plans for the storm
sewers, sanitary sewers, water distribution system, parking lots, and
irrigation system.

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WEAO Student Design Competition 2017

Innovative Stormwater Management in the City of Toronto, Exhibition Place

Appendix A Exhibition Place Site Plans

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WEAO Student Design Competition 2017

Innovative Stormwater Management in the City of Toronto, Exhibition Place

Exhibition Place Site Service Plan for Storm Sewers

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WEAO Student Design Competition 2017

Innovative Stormwater Management in the City of Toronto, Exhibition Place

Exhibition Place Parking Lots Site Plan

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