Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 67.48
Liaison Allison Maxted
Submission Date Jan. 22, 2019
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Mohawk College
OP-23: Rainwater Management

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.00 / 2.00 Kayla LaChance
Sustainability Programs and Services Coordinator
Sustainability Office
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Which of the following best describes the institution’s approach to rainwater management?:
Comprehensive policies, plans or guidelines that require LID practices for all new projects

A brief description of the institution’s green infrastructure and LID practices:
The College is committed to minimizing the impacts of rainwater runoff. An example of minimizing this impact is the rainwater collection system present in the community garden. Rainwater runoff from the adjacent roof is collected and used to water the gardens and surrounding landscape. The Rooftop Pollinator Garden serves as a greenroof, providing an open vegetated space that offers pollinator support and urban heat island effect benefits. The Athletics and Recreation Centre has a plaza of permeable concrete, allowing storm water to filter through the concrete into the ground below. Within the parking lots there are bioswales to minimize flooding on the concrete. The new Joyce Centre for Partnership and Innovation has two rain cisterns beneath the building that collect 228,000 litres of rain water that is used to irrigation and grey water plumbing Mohawk utilizes stormwater management techniques throughout campus grounds. The Fennell campus houses two bioswales which run along major drainage routes to limit stormwater runoff. These bioswales increase stormwater infiltration into the soil and host native pollinators. At the Stoney Creek campus, all landscaping is sloped towards a drainage ditch at the back of the property. As well, lawns are cut so that the grass remains "taller" than conventional practices dictate. This prevents weeds from taking root, and maintains moisture levels in the lawns, reducing irrigation input.

A copy of the institution’s rainwater management policy, plan, and/or guidelines:
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A brief description of the institution’s rainwater management policy, plan, and/or guidelines that supports the responses above:
Sustainable Landscape Plan. The Sustainable Landscape Plan for Mohawk College was prepared to guide improvements to outdoor spaces in a manner that demonstrates Mohawk's leadership in creating an environmentally sustainable setting for learning research and community service. This plan also allows the College to proactively identify and address potential risks associated with climate change, including major weather events and effective stormwater management. Plans include embedding low impact development initiatives into parking design and construction such as permeable pavement and bioswales.

Optional Fields 

The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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