Integrated Water Resource Evaluation Tool

The first objective of this project is to hold a workshop with stakeholders including government partners, water and technology experts, building developers, and non-governmental organizations. The goal is to develop a common understanding of water management approaches and the policy, regulatory and operational opportunities, challenges and constraints. The outputs of the workshop will guide the development of criteria to be used in the evaluation of alternative water solutions. The second objective is to develop the tool itself, which captures the complex interrelationships and interactions between urban water systems and subsystems. The computational modules developed within the tool will assess the costs and benefits and identify preferred solutions. The third objective is to apply the tool to Villiers Island as a case study. Villiers Island is a 35 hectare underutilized site in the Port Lands. However, prior to redevelopment, the lands must be removed from the Don River flood plain. In order to so, the mouth of the Don River will be rebuilt into a healthier, more naturalized river outlet, thereby removing the area from flood risk. With this, Villiers Island will be surrounded on all sides by water and present a unique opportunity to create an island community. The precinct is expected to create homes for 8,200 people, 2,800 jobs and 40 acres of parkland. Currently, the preferred water and wastewater servicing option for Villiers Island relies on connecting to existing sewers and water mains. While reduced water usage is part of the preferred solution, as is treating stormwater as a resource through green street designs, Villiers Island would benefit from a comprehensive understanding and assessment of the integrated source-drinking-wastewater-stormwater system over their life-cycles, as well as a more detailed consideration of decentralized or semi-decentralized systems. While Villiers Island will be the case study, the tool will be transferable to other Waterfront Toronto precincts and to other parts of Toronto and the broader region, serving a project objective of market transformation. The fourth objective is to circle back to the broad stakeholder group consulted in the design and planning of the tool. The stakeholders will be asked to test and validate the model and provide feedback. A revised version of the tool will be uploaded with a user-friendly interface in a publically available domain so that planners and decision-makers can benefit in precincts across Canada.