Status and Reconfirmation of Storm Water Group

The Works and Utilities Committee recommends the adoption of: (I)Recommendation No. (1) of the report dated May 5, 1998, from the Interim Functional Lead for Water and Wastewater, viz:

A(1)the Storm Water Group, established by the former City of Toronto for the purpose of developing new and innovative methods of diverting storm water runoff from the sewer system, continue their work on an interim basis with the Terms of Reference as approved by the former Council of the City of Toronto and with current membership and staff support as required until the review process and rationalization of the existing Environmental Committees and Environmental Task Force have been completed;@

and further recommends that the membership of the group be expanded to include representatives from elsewhere in the City, and that Members of Council be invited to suggest names of citizens who could participate; and

(II)Recommendation No. (3) embodied in the communication dated April 21, 1998, from the City of Toronto Storm Water Group, viz:

A(3)the Storm Water Group meet with and coordinate planning and information with the (former Metro) Wet Weather Master Planning process and report back to the Works and Utilities Committee.@

The Works and Utilities Committee reports, for the information of Council, having:

(1)recommended to the Striking Committee that Councillors Layton and Saundercook be appointed as the interim Co-Chairs of the Storm Water Group; and

(2)referred the following motion to the Strategic Policies and Priorities Committee:

AThat the City Clerk be requested to provide clarification of the role of the Special Committee to Review the Final Report of the Toronto Transition Team and other Committees with respect to the appointments process.@

The Works and Utilities Committee submits the following report (May 5, 1998) from the Interim Functional Lead for Water and Wastewater:

Purpose:

To provide comments and recommendations on the April 7, 1998 communication from the (former City of Toronto) Storm Water Group to the Works and Utilities Committee.

Recommendations:

It is recommended that:

(1)the Storm Water Group, established by the former City of Toronto for the purpose of developing new and innovative methods of diverting storm water runoff from the sewer system, continue their work on an interim basis with the Terms of Reference as approved by the former Council of the City of Toronto and with current membership and staff support as required until the review process and rationalization of the existing Environmental Committees and Environmental Task Force have been completed; and

(2)one or two City Councillors be appointed as interim Chair/Co-Chairs of the Storm Water Group.

Council Reference/Background/History:

The Works and Utilities Committee, at its meeting of April 22, 1998, had before it correspondence dated April 7, 1998, from the Storm Water Group of the former City of Toronto entitled AStatus and Reconfirmation of Storm Water Group@ and requested that the Commissioner of Works and Emergency Services report to the May 20, 1998 meeting of Committee on this matter (Clause No. 15(b) of Works and Utilities Committee Report No. 4).

The Storm Water Group (initially named Non-Structural Working Group) was established by the former City of Toronto in response to a request by the Minister of the Environment in connection with the March 21, 1996 Exemption Order under the Environmental Assessment Act for the Western Beaches Storage Tunnel.

The Terms of Reference for the Storm Water Group as requested by the Minister of the Environment and approved by the Council of the former City of Toronto are as follows:

(1)investigate, on a City-wide basis, alternative methods to reduce storm water run-off and combined sewer overflow (CSO), and to alleviate water pollution from the City=s sewer system through non-structural programs;

(2)examine the feasibility of implementing non-structural solutions for storm water management at the Ellis Avenue and Howard Park Avenue storm water outlets, as specifically requested by the Minister of the Environment and stipulated in the Exemption Order for the WBST;

(3)report to the appropriate Committee of Council on recommendations for any actions to be taken with respect to implementing non-structural solutions and programs and/or carrying out studies or pilot projects;

(4)conduct all meetings in public and invite members of the public, professional and other staff members from City Departments or other agencies for presentations and participation, as appropriate; and

(5)submit to the appropriate Committee of Council an annual progress report detailing the Group=s activities and achievements in pursuing non-structural alternatives.

The membership of the Storm Water Group as approved by the Council of the former City of Toronto for a term ending on November 30, 1997, is as follows:

Co-Chairs:

Former Councillor Dan Leckie

Councillor Chris Korwin-Kuczynski

 Citizen Members:

 Kristina Guiguet

Robert Bartlett

John Sewell

Dalton Shipway

Joyce McLean

Karen Buck

Kevin Mercer

Karey Shinn

Peter Hare

Former Metropolitan Toronto Works Department Representative:

Pat Chessie

Waterfront Regeneration Trust Representative:

Jeff Evenson

TRCA Representative:

Sonya Meek

Former City of Toronto, Parks and Recreation Department Representative:

Murray Boyce

Former City of Toronto, City Works Services Representative:

Wayne Green

Furthermore, City Council, at its meeting of April 16, 1998, adopted the report dated March 10, 1998, from the Commissioner of Works and Emergency Services, entitled AExisting Environmental Committees and the Environmental Task Force@, which sets out a process of collecting and reviewing information of the work and potential role of various environmental committees and task forces across the new City, with a view of rationalizing the existing infrastructure of citizen committees and task forces all in accordance with the Terms of Reference for the new Environmental Task Force (Clause No. 22(d) in Works and Utilities Committee Report No. 3).

Comments and/or Discussion and/or Justification:

The April 7, 1998 communication from the Storm Water Group (Citizen members) requested that the Works and Utilities Committee adopt the following recommendations and our comments in this regard are as follows:

(1) AThat City Council adopt the Committee Report and its recommendations as previously adopted by the Toronto Council of the former City of Toronto as per July 14, 1997 minutes.@

The recommendations contained in the report dated June 10, 1997 from the Commissioner of City Works Services entitled AProgress Report of the Storm Water Group@ adopted, as amended, by the Council of the former City of Toronto at its meeting of July 14, 1997 (Clause 58 in City Services Committee Report No. 9), are being followed/implemented within the limits of the former City of Toronto.

The feasibility of extending the application of these recommendations across the new City of Toronto will be reviewed as part of the service levelling exercise and in connection with the development of the Wet Weather Master Plan.

(2) AThat City Council reinstate the Storm Water Group as the City=s primary advisory committee on storm water management with:

-the appointment of one or more City Councillors as chair(s);

-the reappointment of current members, and additional members to be considered to reflect the wider constituency of the new City; and

-staff resources, including administration services, from Parks and Recreation, Works and Emergency Services, and Urban Development and Planning to be allocated to the Committee.@

As indicated above, the term of the Storm Water Group as approved by the Council of the former City of Toronto expired on November 30, 1997. It is expected that the process of reviewing and rationalizing the existing Environmental Committees and Environmental Task Force will take several months. This will seriously interrupt the ongoing work and the momentum of the Storm Water Group. Furthermore, it will prevent the Storm Water Group from providing input in the Storm Water Demonstration projects which are currently underway for the purpose of developing and testing new innovative ways of storm water diversion.

We therefore propose that the Storm Water Group be reinstated with its current membership on an interim basis until the rationalization of the existing Environmental Committees and Environmental Task Force has been completed.

(3) AThat the Storm Water Group be recognized as the overseer for the work and reporting of the (former Metro) Wet Weather Master Planning Process.@

As indicated above, the role of the Storm Water Group including its involvement in the Wet Weather Master Planning Process will be reviewed as part of the review process and rationalization of the existing Environmental Committees and Environmental Task Forces.

(4) AThat City Council ratify the three current demonstration projects, expend the appropriate funds to get them fully operational, including monies to monitor the projects up to and upon completion.@

The Council of the former City of Toronto, at its meeting of July 14, 1997, approved carrying out three Storm Water Demonstration Projects in the Moore Park, Bloor West Village and the Garrison Creek areas. These projects are to determine feasible non-structural alternatives for diverting storm water away from the combined sewer system and thereby reducing combined sewer overflows and/or improving the quality of storm water discharging to the lake and rivers (Clause 58 in City Services Committee Report No. 9). These projects are currently underway and are expected to be completed later this summer. We will be reporting to the Committee in the fall on the results of the Demonstration Projects, including any funding which may be required in future Capital and Operating budgets for implementing storm water management initiatives recommended as a result of the Demonstration Projects.

Contact Name and Telephone Number:

W. Wichmann, City Engineer, Former City of Toronto,

Toronto Community Council Area.

Phone: (416) 392-7703; Fax: (416) 392-0816.

E-Mail: Awwichman@city.toronto.on.ca@.

The Works and Utilities Committee also submits the following revised communication (April 21, 1998) from Ms. Joyce McLean, City of Toronto Storm Water Group:

Background:

The Storm Water Group, originally called the Non-Structural Working Group, was formed as an advisory committee to the former City of Toronto in October 1996. The committee was formed pursuant to an Exemption Order issued by the Minister of Environment and Energy in 1996 for the Western Beaches Storage Tunnel full Environmental Assessment. The Committee=s membership consists of individuals and representatives of agencies and community organizations with applied experience and knowledge in fields related to watershed and urban storm water management.

The Storm Water Group, co-chaired by Councillors Dan Leckie and Chris Korwin-Kuczynski, with full staff support from Parks and Recreation and City Works Services, met at least monthly from October 1996 to December 1997. In the months from October 1996 to June 1997, the Committee heard presentations and existing and proposed alternative storm water and combined sewer overflow (CSO) reduction technologies and methods. The Committee then prepared a report which Council passed on July 14, 1997 (minutes attached).

The Committee recommended that henceforth the City revise its standard operating procedures for storm water and CSO management to adopt non-structural or natural systems as the first consideration for policy and application in new buildings and future maintenance. Further to the Committee=s recommendations, Council approved three demonstration projects to test and evaluate the most efficient, cost effective methods for meeting this obligation.

Current Status:

As advised by the staff of the CAO, the Committee is seeking reinstatement to complete its mandate to serve Council as a citizen oversight on municipal storm water infrastructure and water pollution prevention. We believe that the Storm Water Group has an important role to play in providing advice, strategic direction and an oversight function regarding all wet weather planning and storm water management.

Scientists are predicting that in the next 20 years, the Great Lakes region, including Toronto, will experience changes in climate, likely to include higher average annual temperatures and more severe storm events. Thus, mechanisms to ensure that storm water is best managed at minimal cost are very prudent to consider now.

We therefore request that the Works and Utilities Committee support the following recommendations:

(1)that City Council adopt the Committee Report and its recommendations as previously adopted by Toronto City Council in the July 14, 1997 minutes;

(2)that City Council reinstate the Storm Water Group as the City=s primary advisory committee on storm water management with:

 -the appointment of one or more City Councillors as chair(s);

 -the reappointment of current members, and additional members to be considered to reflect the wider constituency of the new City; and

 -staff resources, including administration services, from Parks and Recreation, Works and Services, and Urban Development and Planning, to be allocated to the Committee; and

(3)that the Storm Water Group meet with and coordinate planning and information with the (former Metro) Wet Weather Master Planning process and report back to the Works and Utilities Committee.

On behalf of the members of the Storm Water Group, we thank you for your interest and your consideration.

Storm Water Group membership:

 Rob Bartlett

Murray Boyce

Karen Buck

Pat Chessie

Jeff Evenson

Wayne Green

Kristina Guiguet

Peter Hare

Joyce McLean

Sonya Meek

Kevin Mercer

John Sewell

Karey Shinn

Dalton Shipway

The following persons appeared before the Works and Utilities Committee in connection with the foregoing matter:

-Ms. Joyce McLean, City of Toronto Storm Water Group; and

-Councillor David Miller, High Park.

(A copy of each of the attachments referred to in the foregoing communication has been forwarded to all Members of Council with the agenda for the Works and Utilities Committee meeting of May 20, 1998, and a copy thereof is on file in the office of the City Clerk.)