Incorporating Green Infrastructure into Municipal Drainage Systems (UTRCA weekly, March 4, 2022)
Staff from the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority (UTRCA) have been working with partners to incorporate Green Infrastructure into municipal drainage systems, in a project in the Township of Lucan Biddulph.
The Blake municipal drain was constructed in 1982 and drains approximately 305 hectares (755 acres) of rolling farmland. The drain outlets into Medway Creek near Elginfield, north of London.
Recent upgrades to the drain included the incorporation of erosion control features, with the construction of more than 25 water and sediment control basins along the drain. These structures utilize the natural environment and engineered systems to manage water. The small earthen dams hold water on the land for up to 24 hours, releasing it slowly through surface and blind inlets into the tile drainage system.
The Blake municipal drain project is an example of Green Infrastructure being used in a rural context to address rising concerns about water quantity on farmland. It is also a great example of area landowners taking a proactive, watershed approach and sharing project costs and responsibilities to improve the ecosystem.
The UTRCA’s partners on this project include St. Clair Conservation Authority, Dietrich Commodities Ltd, Spriet Associates Engineers and Architects, A.G. Hayter Contracting Ltd, and the Township of Lucan Biddulph.
