Charleson Catchment integrated rainwater study

This study will explore a variety of innovative grey and green rainwater management options for the Charleson Catchment, a 51-hectare area located in the City of Vancouver’s Fairview neighbourhood. Options may include green rainwater infrastructure in the right-of-way, an enhanced constructed wetland in adjacent Charleson Park, and a district-scale stormwater treatment facility. Through integrated planning and conceptual design, this project will help address the challenges brought by increasing development, combined sewer system overflows, the need for enhanced green space, and the effects of climate change in the area.

The project’s overall objectives include enhancing biodiversity within the catchment, improving existing stream and pond health in Charleson Park (including reducing reliance on potable water top-up for water features), improving receiving water quality in False Creek through stormwater management, and a reduction in combined sewage overflows. Furthermore, the project would create sewer system capacity for future neighbourhood growth and provide an opportunity for the public to learn about and experience stormwater management in their community.

The project is aligned with the city’s Integrated Rainwater Management Plan (2016), which focuses on rainwater management and restoring the role of urban watersheds to support urban and natural ecosystems. It is also aligned with the Rain City Strategy (2019) and the Integrating Blue-Green Systems Planning (2019) documents, which focus on sustainable urban rainwater management and replicating natural functions in urban water management.

Innovative aspect(s):

The project is innovative because it moves away from the traditional engineering approach of increasing the capacity of the piped drainage system and takes a watershed-planning approach instead. Due to the catchment’s unique geography, there has historically been little motivation to mitigate stormwater flows.

Replicability:

While the specifics of available options for rainwater management will differ across municipalities, the approach and options considered in this project would be relevant to any city. Furthermore, the scale of green rainwater infrastructure deployment anticipated for this project will provide an excellent case study for future implementation.