New Storm Water Retention System at the Thorndale Demonstration Farm 

This summer, Upper Thames River Conservation Authority (UTRCA) stewardship staff installed a new StormTech storm water retention system at its Thorndale Demonstration Farm. This installation is the newest addition to a suite of agricultural best management practices (BMPs) implemented on the farm to improve soil health and water quality while maintaining productivity.  

The StormTech system uses hollow, bottomless chambers buried underground to temporarily store runoff. The stored water slowly percolates into the soil through a gravel bed. The system is wrapped in geotextile to prevent sedimentation in the gravel bed, and includes an overflow outlet should the chambers reach capacity during high flow events. The intent is to reduce peak flows and overall runoff volume from the site while also providing a water quality benefit by filtering water through the soil profile.  

The StormTech system is typically used in urban applications, such as underneath parking lots.  In this project, it was installed at the edge of an agricultural field to collect tile drainage water from five acres to test the feasibility of the design for agriculture applications. Advanced Drainage Systems (ADS) in Thorndale worked with UTRCA staff to customize the design, and generously donated the StormTech chambers for this project. Staff will monitor the system to quantify how much tile water is held in the chambers and how much runoff is reduced during storm events. 

Check out photos and videos from the installation visit our Flickr album. 

UTRCA is hosting a field day at the Thorndale Demonstration Farm on Thursday September 5th from 10am-12pm, highlighting this and other innovative BMPs implemented on the farm. For event details and to register, click on this Eventbrite link. 

This project is funded by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness 

 Contact: Beth Wrona, Agricultural Stewardship Technician