Dawson College
OP-23: Rainwater Management

Landscape guidelines review rainwater runoff from rooftops, snow storage on site and snow melt on site as well as contamination of water from copper rooftops. Bioswales, raised wetlands trapping runoff in retention tanks are all being used. Presently the College has approximately 140 cubic metres of underground stormwater holding tank capacity. In 2018, an engineering student completed a thesis on a rainwater management system for the College.

Rainwater Management and Storage A large portion of the College’s grounds is covered with soil and vegetation. This helps to slow down the runoff of storm water, mitigate flooding and release clean water back to the atmosphere. All existing vegetated areas are protected by heritage status. To avoid flooding the city’s rainwater infrastructure, the College built a reservoir along Atwater Street to help slow down the water from our drainage system. Following a flood, work was also carried out on a second retention basin that is beneath the De Maisonneuve Boulevard entrance. Bioswale efforts have been attempted to slow down storm water, help to mitigate flooding of our building, and let water seep back into the ground. These types of projects should be encouraged as they promote educational learning on campus and use eco‐friendly features to promote environmental stewardship and increase biodiversity. Copper on rooftops reacts with the elements creating concentrations of various copper compounds, which may be toxic. Therefore, gardens that produce edible material should not receive water runoff from copper rooftops and should be raised from any contaminated soil. A raised wetland micro-habitat is planned to capture and clean the rooftop water. Snow removal from our campus roads is cleared and piled on our property. Melting our own snow is encouraged and saves on transportation costs. The location of where the snow is piled must be designated to minimize damage to vegetation and to prevent any potential contamination.