Stormwater Management
Stormwater management in Richmond Hill involves operating more than 95 stormwater ponds, 550 km of storm sewers and 18,000 catch basins to store, direct and control stormwater runoff. These efforts protect our community's more than 150 km of streams and rivers, prevents flooding and erosion, and improves water quality.
Visit our Stormwater Management Rate FAQs page for information about changes to Richmond Hill's stormwater management rate.
Learn about Richmond Hill's stormwater management.
What is stormwater runoff and why manage it?
Runoff comes from rain and melting snow running off of surfaces, especially hard surfaces such as driveways and parking lots, and across all land within a watershed, including compacted soils and manicured lawns. As water runs off, it picks up and carries pollutants such as litter, animal waste, sediment, pesticides, motor oil and other chemicals into our streams and rivers.
In a more naturalized setting such as a forest or wetland area, runoff is typically reduced as more water will either absorb into the soil or plants, or evaporate from areas of open waters, eventually making its way into our streams, rivers and lakes slowly over time.
An increase in hard surfaces is causing more runoff to enter our streams, rivers and lakes at an increased rate. Without stormwater management, runoff can flood communities and roads, cause stream erosion and destroy aquatic habitat. Managing this runoff prevents flooding, erosion and improves water quality.
Photo (right): Elgin Mills Greenway, where uncontrolled runoff caused significant erosion within the valleylands and the closure of several trails.
How does a stormwater management facility work?
Runoff enters storm sewers and flows into stormwater management ponds, where it is held before being slowly released into streams, rivers and lakes thereby helping to prevent flooding and erosion. In addition, this process allows sediment and other pollutants to settle to the bottom of the pond increasing the quality of the water being released into our watercourses.
Our more modern stormwater management facilities, such as Pioneer Pond and Rumble Pond have additional controls such as oil grit separators and filtration systems that clean the stormwater runoff before it enters the pond. Native plants and special landscaping materials also help to manage pollution and runoff at these facilities.
Our stormwater management systems
Our stormwater management systems must meet guidelines and regulations set by authorities, such as the Ontario Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP) and the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA).
Ensuring safe and reliable stormwater service is a core municipal responsibility, as such the City is moving towards a comprehensive modelling of the complete stormwater system. Our goal is to gain an understanding of the overall system capacity and constraints, and direction with respect to optimizing the existing system for today and in consideration of climate change, as well as the capacity to model various scenarios when new development is added to the system. The project is expected to be completed in 2023.
A number of the projects from our existing program, including the Pioneer Park Stormwater Management Facility in 2010, the Rumble Pond (pictured above) in 2014 and the Elgin Mills Greenway in 2018, have earned us Provincial and international awards.
| Current Projects |
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Lennox Park Valleyland Rehabilitation GM1 Valleyland Erosion Protection Don Head East Pond/UED4 and UED5 Valleyland Erosion Protection Mill Pond and Heritage Estates Pond Rehabilitation Snively Wetland Outlet Rehabilitation Unity Park Drainage Channel Enclosure South Richvale Valleyland Erosion Protection Toporowski Stream Valleyland Assessment Humber Flats Pond (SWMF 1-4) Rehabilitation Schomberg Road Culvert Environmental Assessment Newman Pond (SWMF 2-11) Rehabilitation Driftwood Pond (SWMF 8-2) Rehabilitation Pomona Creek at Garden Avenue Valleyland Assessment |
| Recently Completed Projects |
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Beaver Woodland Pond (SWMF 27-2) Rehabilitation Rothbury West Pond (SWMF 16-11) Sediment Removal Cedar Springs Pond (SWMF 16-8) Sediment Removal Snively Plunge Pool (PP2-1) Sediment Removal Twickenham Pond (SWMF 16-4) Rehabilitation Mitchell Pond (SWMF 8-3) Rehabilitation Beaufort Hills Pond (SWMF 2-4) Feasibility Study Wellsprings Pond (SWMF 8-5) Sediment Removal Richmond Green West Pond (SWMF 14-3) Sediment Removal Elgin Mills Greenway Pond (SWMF 16-5) Rehabilitation Beaver Creek Pond (SWMF 28-1) Rehabilitation Wood Rim Pond (SWMF 2-9) Sediment Removal Heron Pond (SWMF 19-1) Sediment Removal Gemini Pond (SWMF 19-2) Sediment Removal Princeton Pond (SWMF 19-5) Sediment Removal Bayswater Pond (SWMF 2-3) Sediment Removal Rumble Pond (SWMF 17-1) Rehabilitation Pioneer Pond (SWMF 17-2) Rehabilitation |
Help reduce and improve your runoff
You can help Richmond Hill reduce the amount of runoff getting into our streams. Some ways to lower and improve your runoff footprint include:
- Using a carwash instead of washing your car in your driveway
- Cleaning up animal waste and yard waste
- Using less fertilizer
- Fixing leaking fluids from your car
- Using rain barrels to catch roof runoff and using it to water your garden or lawn
- Disconnecting your roof downspout if it's connected to a storm sewer and redirecting it to your lawn
- Reducing your use of salt or sand in the winter
- Getting rid of household hazardous waste properly
- Choosing native plants that don't require as much watering
- Checking your sprinklers for leaks
- Following local rules for lawn watering
Service Charter
Learn more about our Service Charter.
| Service Commitments |
| Stormwater or valley land inquiry. You will hear from us within 2 business days and residents will be kept updated as to the status as the investigation proceeds. |