Water Management
Water Conservation Framework – Participating Cities Best Practices
This document from the Cities Initiative gathers summaries of the best practices of cities participating to the Water Conservation Framework program. Participating cities that feature in this file are: St. Catharines, Toronto, Durham Region, Region of Peel, Chicago, Hamilton, Montreal, Buffalo, Beaconsfield, Rochester, Cobourg and Sault Ste. Marie. Best practices are sorted into these categories: “Public Education and Outreach”, “Rebate Programs for Water Efficient Appliances”, “Universal Metering”, “Water main Rehabilitation, Leak Detection and Repair” and “Conservation Rate Structures”.
Stormwater Management Planters – Milwaukee
The City of Milwaukee has carried out 14 stormwater management planters that capture and treat water runoff of two acres of roadways. The vegetation planted in those structures tolerates salt and needs a very low maintenance.
Urban Stormwater Management in the United States
This report on stormwater management from the National Research Council clarifies the mechanisms by which the pollutants present in stormwater affect the environment, defines the elements of a protocol linking the pollutants to ambient water quality criteria and studies how can monitoring help determine the level a discharge is potentially polluting water and assess a stormwater management plan.
In PDF is the prepublication version. You can have a free access to the published document (PDF) here: http://www.nap.edu/catalog/12465/urban-stormwater-management-in-the-united-states
Toronto Outdoor Water Efficiency
The Toronto Outdoor Water Efficiency program is a multi-pronged approach to educating citizens about efficient uses of water. The two primary goals were reducing water use during peak hours and encouraging citizens to plant water-friendly gardens. The campaign included information about water-friendly plants and other lawn and garden practices. The city began this campaign as an alternative measure to increasing flow capacity; instead, the city invested resources in water use reduction efforts.
City of Chicago Water Education Campaign
In 2005, the City of Chicago began a water education campaign to demonstrate grassroots stormwater best management practices through rain barrels and rain gardens. 400 residences were equipped with rain barrels, and the city estimated that over 170,000 gallons of water were conserved from these rain barrel installations. Additional information about the campaign's ongoing programs can be found by clicking on the adjacent link.
Energy Management with Water Loss Control – Leak Detection
Date of publication unknown
The City of Thunder Bay developed an electronic leak detection program; the program has conserved the city's water and provides rapid response to leaking pipes in municipal water infrastructure. This program is also economically beneficial for the city. The strategy was submitted to the Cities Initiative as part of the Water Conservation Framework Program.
Durham Region Sustainable Municipal Water Management Assessment
Date of publication unknown
This booklet outlines Durham Region's progress on the Cities Initiative Sustainable Municipal Water Management framework. This Ontario municipality provides an assessment of its stormwater and other water management practices under this six-part framework.
In addition, here is the progress indicator chart of the project:
Durham SMWM Progress Indicator Chart
And here is a pamphlet that summarizes the project:
National Compendium of Water Adaptation Knowledge
Date of publication unknown
The National Compendium of Water Adaptation Knowledge is an online tool that provides access to information from a variety of sources about climate change adaptation and water. The goal of the compendium to “provide relevant information to users to help overcome knowledge barriers related to climate change adaptation and water”. The target audience consists of a broad range of groups and individuals including municipalities, rural communities, watershed organizations, private sector groups, advocacy groups, and provincial and territorial agencies.
Visit site National Compendium of Water Adaptation Knowledge
real-time hydrometric data
Date of publication unknown
Real-time hydrometric data from the Government of Canada: “This site provides public access to real-time hydrometric data collected at over 1800 locations and access to historical data collected at over 7600 stations (active and discontinued) in Canada.”
When It Rains, It Drains – Information brochure on stormwater
Date of publication unknown
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has published that brochure to help citizens understand how stormwater is managed in cities and how they can contribute to water runoff's quality.