CommentsonKanataHighlandPreliminaryConceptPlansandInformationMeetingHeldon12December2017

TherearetwomainissuesfacingtheKanataHighlandsdevelopment:

1. managementofwater,and2. addressingthespeciesatriskonthesite.

1.ManagementofWaterOutdatedFloodplainMapping–The100yearfloodlineoftheCarpRiverisbasedonmappingdonein1983.MVCAhasplanstoupdatethefloodplainmapsfortheCarpRiverintwosections:fromtheOttawaRivertothevillageofCarpin2020andfromthevillageofCarptoGlenCairnin2021.The Kanata Highlands Preferred Concept Plan cannot proceed until new flood plain mapping isprepared.Since 1983 there has been significant upstream and adjacent development with attendant hardsurfacerunoff.Weatherpatternshavealsochangedcausingmultiplehighintensityrainevents1ina season. In addition a major restoration of a 6 km section of the river is nearing completionimmediatelyupstreamofthesite. Underchangingclimaticconditions, itsefficacyinhandlingtherunofffromthenewdevelopmenthasnotbeendetermined.ThesectionofHuntmarRoadbetweenRichardsonSideRoadand therailroad trackswas twicecoveredbywater in2017andhad tobeclosedtotraffic. DownstreamofthesitefarmersandthevillageofCarphaveexperiencedrecordhighwaterlevelsmakingfieldsunworkableandcausingbasementstoflood.Giventhesignificantchangesnotedabove,tobasetheenvelopeofdevelopmentandasurfacewatermanagementplanona35-yearold floodplainmap is irresponsibleandpossibly incompetent. ItcouldleavetheCityandthedeveloperliablefordamages,especiallygiventhepublicforewarnings.TheCityshouldworkwithMVCAtodetermineifnewfloodplainmappingcanbemovedforwardintime,sincethedevelopmentenvelopeandstormwatermanagementplanwilllikelybeaffected.Low ImpactDevelopment – Surroundedon three sidesbynatural features that includewetlandsanda river, theKanataHighlandssite is ideal fordemonstratingLow ImpactDevelopment (LID).Developers and city planners cite risk of the unknown in LID performance, but cities andconservationauthoritiesinsouthernOntariohaveputtheseissuestorestwithempiricalevidenceandmetricsfromcompleteddevelopments2thathaveweatheredmultipleseasons.In the cited paper, Toronto and Region Conservation saw LID green infrastructure preserve thenaturalhydrologicalfunctionsofthelandscape,reducingrunoffandattenuatingpeakflowsby70-

1RainfalldataandriverflowdataareavailablefromMVCA.2GreenInfrastructureApproachestoIncreasedWaterResourcesResiliency,byTimVanSeters–SeniorManager,SustainableTechnologies-TorontoandRegionConservation.Seealsowww.sustainabltechnologies.cafordataandstudies.

90%.Stormwatermanagement(SWM)pondswereeliminatedandthecommunitiescreatedhadmoretreecoverandintegratedgreenspace.SWM ponds collect pollutants, toxins, and fertilizers from hard surface runoff and must beperiodically dredged by the municipality, with the removed sediment properly treated anddisposedof. SWMpondsmustbeproperlymaintained toavoid seepageandover-topping. Thethree Preliminary Concept Plans locate the SWM pond(s) at the edge of the floodplain. Bothconstructionandregularmaintenancemustbecarefullyexecutedtoavoiddumpingcontaminatedwaterintotheriverduringfloodpulses.EliminationofthepondswouldsavetheCitymoneyinthelongrun.CarpRiverRestoration–TheCarpRiverbetweenRichardsonSideRoadandtherailroadtracksonHuntmarRoadisapproximately2.6kminlength.Dredgedandstraightenedintheearly1900’s,thisreach of the river and its adjacent wetlands are severely degraded. Water retention, wetlandfunction, and conveyance could be improved by restoration that includes meanders, riparianwetlands,ponds,swamps,wetmeadows,andimprovedchannelization.

Asanexample,stormwaterfromnewdevelopmentonthenorthsideofTerryFoxDriveisdivertedundertheroad and drained into the restored area of the CarpRiver, which was designed to handle this additionalflow. Therefore it shouldalsobepossible to increasecapacityonthenorthsideofRichardsonSideRoadbyrestoringtheriverandwetlands,whichincombinationwithLIDwillprovideacosteffectivesolutionforstormwatermanagementandfloodpulsemitigation.

TheupstreamCarpRiverRestorationProjectprovedmore costly thanoriginally estimated, evenafteranumberoffeatureswerescaledback.Analternativeapproachtotheproposedrestorationshould be considered whereby the City and the developer work with Ducks Unlimited Canada(DUC), who would design and carry out the project. DUC has more experience than any otherorganization in Canada in implementing successful wetland restorations on budget. Therequirementsforwaterretention,channelflow,stormwaterevents,etccouldbesetbytheCityanddeveloper,thedesignreviewedbyMVCA,andtheprojectfundedbythedeveloper.ItmightevenbepossibleforDUCtoreceivesomefederalmatchingfundingfortheproject.The proposed restoration section of the Carp River is a municipal drain. The updated OntarioWetlandConservationStrategyprovidesforandencouragestherestorationofwetlandsundertheDrainageAct.2.SpeciesatRiskTheKanataHighlandssitecontainsBlanding’sTurtlehabitatandisamigrationcorridorbetweentheadjacentSouthMarchHighlandsandtheCarpRiver.Theprovince’sapproachtoaddressingtheimpact to Species at Risk (SAR) on development property is clearly inadequate. Since thenegotiationisbetweentheproponentandMNRFforwhatconstitutesoverallbenefit, theCitycan

AchanneldrainswaterintotheCarpRiverfromthenorthsideofTerryFoxDrive.

onlyworkwith thedeveloper inmaximizing the intentof thepermit,whichmay requirehabitatcreation,fencing,newnestingareas,etc.Giventhislimitation,therearethreemainissueswiththeKanataHighlandssitethattheCitymustaddressinthedevelopment’sdesign:

1. limitturtle/humancontact,2. provideanadequatecorridorforturtlemovement,and3. createnew,safenestingareas.

Blanding’sTurtlestendtoreturntothesameplacetonestyearafteryear. InthevillageofCarp,Blanding’sTurtlesandSnappingTurtlesemergefromtheCarpHillsandlayeggsinthebackyardsofresidentsalongCharlie’sLane(HiddenLake)andonGlenncastleDrive,wheretheycrosstheroadto reachwhatused tobe the remnants of a sandybeach from theChamplain Sea. Childrenpickthemupanddogsharassthem,butmanyresidentstrytoprotecttheeggsfrompredatorsandhaveseenhatchlingsemergeandmaketheirwayintotheHills.Therefore it is essential that fencing be provided to prevent the turtles from entering thedevelopmentandtodiscourageresidentsfrominteractingwiththeturtles.LocationofthefencingmustconsidercurrentturtleroutesandnewroutesformedbydisplacementduetodevelopmentonthenorthsideofTerryFox.In addition, the proposed turtle corridormust direct turtles to new, suitable nesting sites awayfromhumandisturbance.Givenall theabove information,placing the turtlecorridor in themiddleof thedevelopment isanon-starter.ButternutsaretheotherknownSARonthesite.(Theremaybeothersthathavenotbeenpubliclyidentified.)Thecentralareaofthesitehosts83Butternuts,27ofwhicharehealthyenoughtoberetained according to the Existing Conditions Report. Working with RVCA’s Butternut RecoveryProgram,more Butternutsmust be planted on the site in undeveloped areas to compensate forthoselost,withthedeveloperpayingforprotectivefencingandcare.