Completed in 2025 Environmental assessment

Port Credit Storm Drainage Master Plan

The Port Credit Storm Drainage Master Plan outlined a mitigation plan for Port Credit's storm drainage infrastructure.

Overview

To create the Port Credit Storm Drainage Master Plan (SDMP), the City conducted a Municipal Class EA Study. Through the study, the City evaluated potential drainage system issues within Port Credit. It also assessed the impacts of infill and intensification development and climate change in the study areas.

The SDMP is a long-term plan that outlines practical ways to manage Port Credit’s storm drainage system. It will:

  • Enable the City to address current and future storm drainage infrastructure requirements
  • Allow the City to establish stormwater infrastructure requirements related to the City’s Level of Service

Background

Port Credit is an older neighbourhood in Mississauga located by the waterfront. Due to its attractive landscape and location, it has been drawing a lot of development interest. However, recent assessments or evaluations of the drainage system capacity have not been completed.

To support optimal long-term maintenance of the drainage system in Port Credit, the goal of this study was to investigate the area, identity any issues, and create a mitigation plan to address current and future issues related to severe weather events and continual development.

Study

The study followed the Class EA process and was carried out in five phases and included a detailed modelling of the existing drainage system in Port Credit. 

The study covered 1.9 square kilometres (190 hectares) of land, spanning from CNR tracks to the North, Lake Ontario to the South, Shawnmarr Road to the West, and just past Hurontario Street to the East.

This allowed the City to identify stormwater infrastructure requirements related to the City’s Level of Service (LOS). In addition, it has allowed the City to:

  • Identify a comprehensive program for the City’s drainage infrastructure
  • Assess preferred alternatives for managing storm drainage within Port Credit
  • Establish process and prioritization for implementation

Notice of Study Completion

Project file report

A report was prepared to track the planning, decision-making and consultation process for this study. The final report and appendices were completed in July 2024. We appreciate all of the consultation and feedback that was received for the report and throughout the study.

See the project final report documents.

 

Frequently asked questions

The Storm Drainage Master Plan is a study to identify the potential drainage system issues in the Port Credit Neighbourhood. The study will evaluate existing drainage system capacity. It will also identify impacts related to infill and intensification development, as well as climate change.

A plan will be created to mitigate any identified deficiencies.

In recent years, the Port Credit Neighbourhood has been subject to infill and intensification development, and is likely to see more. However, recent assessments or evaluations of the drainage system capacity have not yet been completed. For this reason, the City is undertaking this project to address current and future requirements of the City’s storm drainage infrastructure.

When rainwater hits the ground or when snow melts, it generates stormwater as it runs off the surface. Hard surfaces like asphalt or concrete generate more stormwater than soft surfaces like grass. This is because stormwater cannot soak into the natural ground and flows off of the land more rapidly. This ultimately increases the potential to cause flooding and erosion.

  • Urban growth and development alter the amount of runoff and pollution.
  • Infrastructure such as pipes, culverts and outfalls have limited life expectancy.
  • Stormwater facilities must be actively maintained throughout their expected life. This includes watercourses, storm sewers, catch basins, stormwater ponds, pump stations, culverts and outfalls.
  • Climate change could affect the intensity and frequency of storm events that stormwater management programs must respond to.
  • Appropriate resources, assets and improvement projects must be proactively planned to address needs and problems.

These are most often structural measures that municipalities use to manage stormwater. For example, the City may build a detention pond such as a stormwater management facility to temporarily hold back water to reduce the impact of peak stormwater flows during heavy rain events. The City may also use measures like rain gardens to clean stormwater before it is released to creeks and watercourses.

River or Riverine flooding is associated with excessive rainfall or snowmelt that results in rivers exceeding their capacity. As a result, water flows outside of the river banks. Urban flooding is associated with excessive rainfall that cannot be absorbed into the ground and overwhelms the urban drainage system. For example, when there is more water than the sewers can convey, this results in flooding on roadways.

Infill housing is housing that fits within an existing neighbourhood. Infill can mean a variety of things, such as filling in a gap between houses to build a new house or severing a lot to build a new house. Sometimes infill results in intensification (when one house is replaced with two new houses), or sometimes it does not (when one house is replaced with one new house).

Intensification is the intensification of a property, building or area that results in a net increase in residential units. It does not include replacing a small house with a larger house or an old house with a new house. Intensification can include a variety of things such as developing on a vacant lot, infill development on small sites or expanding residential buildings to create more units.

Infill and intensification are important as they provide more housing using less land, which is good for the environment as well as affordability. In the context of the Storm Drainage Master Plan, the Study will allow the City to evaluate existing stormwater infrastructure to plan for and provide enough capacity to support infill and intensification development.

Project contact

For questions about this project, contact Muneef Ahmad, Project Lead at muneef.ahmad@mississauga.ca.

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