TRACK 1, DAY 1
To Credit or Not to Credit: The Enigma of Flood Storage
Wednesday, March 26, 2025 | 11:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. | Hall A
ABSTRACT
The Province’s “Technical Guide – River & Stream Systems: Flooding Hazard Limit” (2002) recommends that storage-based flood control systems not be credited towards mitigating the impacts to Regulatory flood hazards, downstream from new development due to the risk of failure.
A group of GTA Conservation Authorities, through Conservation Ontario, published guidance in 2016 on how to build, maintain and operate storage-based flood control systems to allow for crediting to appropriately manage the Regulatory event.
In the absence of any updated guidance from the Province, conservation authorities and municipalities have continued to apply best practices and engineering judgement to address their responsibilities and protect downstream properties from the flooding impacts due to urban development, based on their collective responsibilities under the PPS, Conservation Act and Municipal Act.
A recent legal case in Oakville saw a group of residents attempt to seek certification as a Class Action to challenge the actions of municipalities and conservation authorities in taking the necessary steps to protect the public from flooding using storage-based flood controls.
Further, Burlington worked with its conservation authority, to establish a rigorous technical basis for crediting the attenuative benefits of the legacy Hager Rambo Flood Control System to reduce the regulatory impacts in Downtown Burlington.
This presentation provides an overview of this issue and discusses the two situations cited in Oakville and Burlington, indicating how the industry is managing development impacts, concluding with recommendations for the Province to consider in its pending update to the Guidelines.
ABOUT THE PRESENTERS
Ron Scheckenberger, Scheckenberger & Associates Ltd.
Ron has over 40 years of consulting experience in the water resources field, predominantly in Southern Ontario.
He has participated in over 1,700 projects, including leading numerous teams to address complex problems resulting in the largest resume of Subwatershed Studies in Ontario over last 25 years.
Ron has worked on innovative and award-winning solutions for several Ontario municipalities and conservation authorities. In 2022, Ron formed his own consultancy Scheckenberger & Associates Ltd. specializing in senior advisory services.