When civil engineers sit down to develop a stormwater management plan, much of the work that they do is focused on reducing water that runs off from asphalt areas. Asphalt from parking areas and roadways is especially responsible for creating runoff that enters local creeks and rivers. To improve water quality and reduce runoff typically we work with designers to reduce the area of asphalt across a site.
In many instances however, the fire department responds to a design demanding increased road area for their trucks to navigate any proposed site. For years this has been something that has bugged me, I’ve generally been of the opinion that the fire department should focus on acquiring smaller trucks, and this would have an immediate impact on the ability of cities like Peterborough to improve our urban spaces and improve our local environment at the same time. Many cities in Europe in fact have trucks that are much smaller, and are able to navigate a smaller streetscape. Even Norwood has a small truck (pictured above) that would be a perfect replacement for many of the vehicles that Peterborough Fire department operates.
I could opine on the topic at great length, but I’d encourage you to check out this video by “Not Just Bikes” that explores the impact that North American fire fighting practices have had on our urban streetscapes. In the video, there were some excellent proposals that I will personally be advocating for in our stormwater designs. The video focuses on street safety, however wider streets and increased asphalt areas have a noticeable impact on stormwater design. Enjoy the video and let me know what you think!
This month marked the launch of Peterborough’s Official plan. The official plan is a set of policies governing everything from transit to housing that are designed to guide the future of the city of Peterborough. Creating the official plan took several years, and involved teams of experts on all of the topics that are included within it. In my opinion, one of the most interesting sections is all about Peterborough’s Natural Heritage System. The natural heritage system is a set of documents that identify key habitat and other environmental features that should be protected to maintain or improve Peterborough’s local ecology. These include cherished places like Jackson Park, or Meade Creek, or lesser-known places like the wetland on Carnegie Ave.
The natural heritage system can broadly be recognized as all of the natural areas within the city and all connections between them. Just the same way that you need to leave your home and travel on sidewalks and roads to get food or clothing, wildlife needs to travel to different habitat types to have all their needs met. You can almost imagine it as a road network or transportation system for wildlife to travel along. A turtle for instance might travel from a wetland up a river and into a forest to lay its eggs. If there are hurdles the turtle must overcome, such as a roadway, its journey may be precarious.
Think of Peterborough’s Natural Heritage System as a metro system for wildlife.
Peterborough’s natural heritage system is an exciting approach to managing our local ecology and natural resources. The benefits of having a robust natural heritage system are not just confined to wildlife, humans benefit as well. Visiting parks that are home to more diverse animal and plant life is known to relieve stress by spending time outdoors. Living nearby trees and natural areas can also decrease heating and cooling costs for residents and businesses. On a broader scale, maintaining wild areas nearby creeks and rivers can decrease damages and costs associated with flooding. There are significant benefits of protecting our natural spaces and the connections between them, and I am glad there are policies in place to ensure that municipalities recognize and protect these spaces.
While I believe that the proposed system could go further, I am hopeful that as the city expands and changes, the natural heritage system will be able to adapt. I believe that crisis’s such as COVID and climate change have renewed our appreciation for our local natural environment and what is important to protect. Hopefully the changes to the official plan regarding the parkway corridor and recognizing the value it provides as a natural space are a sign of good things to come.
A Personal Note:This column was originally published in Peterborough This Week. It was my first column ever published in the local paper (So exciting!) I’ve still got a voice to refine for the audience, and lots to learn and remember (ie. start stronger!). So please forgive me for the lackluster “hook” on this little piece. In spite of that “little” oversight, I’m looking forward to sharing stories of nature and the environment with you in the coming months and years!If you have any questions or comments, let me know and I’ll be happy to try and answer them for you. – Dylan Radcliffe
This spring so far has not given us much in the way of precipitation, but that’s not to say that we can’t see our surrounding environment hard at work. In Peterborough we have a long history of flooding in our downtown and surrounding neighborhoods. Looking at old maps of Peterborough, it is easy to see why this is the case. When the area was first settled 200 years ago, Jackson Creek meandered through a wetland located where the downtown currently resides. The river still carries memories with it, when the downtown flooded in 2004 the path of the stream passed through buildings and shops in much the same way as it did in times gone by.
Floodwater is retained by the trees along the edge of Jackson Creek
Floodwater is retained by the trees along the edge of Jackson Creek
Every spring with the influx of water caused by spring melting, we can witness how Jackson Park keeps water on the landscape and out of basements downtown. When the ice first melted this spring, giant dams of ice formed along the creek, water spilled over the banks of the river, and flowed through the trees and brambles that line the side of the creek. The water was slowly released back into the stream to travel towards the Otonabee. It made quite the sight to behold, however the implications are clear:
“Water is held in Jackson Park and the Lilly Lake Wetland instead of the basements of downtown homes and businesses”
(ed. The Previous) City council has had this explained to them on countless occasions, however it is clear they are not listening, or don’t care. Actions that reduce the ability of the wetland and park to properly function are at the direct expense of Peterborough business and home owners. The next time Peterborough proposes filling in wetlands or clearing forests, remember that you are the one who may be paying the bill.
Crayfish disturbed by the spring flooding litter the ice adjacent to the river.
With a new city council that may be willing to keep a closer eye on the natural assets of our community many hope that our natural assets may be accounted for in the same ways that our fire hydrants, sewers and hydro poles are. Just the same way that these assets depreciate, if we do not care for our natural spaces, they too will lose value over time. There are many groups and cities in Canada, such as the municipal natural assets initiative that are working to find ways to account for the value that spaces such as Jackson Park provides. Hopefully in the coming years we can find a way to include the value that natural features bring to our life in Peterborough!
