MODELING STORMWATER RUNOFF AT THE PROPERTY SCALE Assignment 1 - SOIL 516
22 October 2015
INTRODUCTION Despite the fact that it is arguably the world’s most precious resource, water is often neglected by the planners, developers, and architects who design our communities and cities. Urban sprawl has resulted in a massive amount of impervious surfaces, fundamentally changing the ways that water moves across the landscape (see Figure 1). Luckily, there are a number of best management practices that can help to improve these conditions. This report uses various models and tools created by the District of North Vancouver, British Columbia in order to assess the impact of residential development on watersheds. Part One examines a particular site in North Vancouver, looking at changes in surface conditions between 1992 and 2009. Part Two then uses a modeling tool to examine the effect of these surface conditions on water and assess the impact of various best management practices that are meant to improve stream health.
By: PJ Bell
PART ONE: HISTORICAL SITE COMPARISON The site that I selected is located at 2458 Badger Road, in the Deep Cove neighbourhood of the District of North Vancouver (see Figures 2, 3, and 4 for location and site details). Badger Road is bordered on the west and north by undisturbed forest, while Deep Cove is located about 300 metres to the east (see Figure 3). The nearest major stream is Gallant Creek, which begins on the east side of Mount Seymour and drains into Deep Cove (The Pacific Streamkeepers Federation, 2009). Gallant Creek is relatively undisturbed in its upper reaches, but once it approaches the Deep Cove neighbourhood it is heavily impacted by urbanization (The Pacific Streamkeepers Federation, 2009). The creek has been armored on the bottom and sides for 100 metres upstream of Badger Road and it is culverted under Panorama and Gallant Roads (The Pacific Streamkeepers Federation, 2009).
Figure 1: Pervious vs. Impervious Source: Partnership for Water Sustainability in British Columbia, 2015
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