Stormwater management is the process of controlling the stormwater runoff that comes primarily from impervious surfaces like parking lots, driveway and rooftops. Pre-developed areas are mostly comprised of pervious areas. These areas absorb and infiltrate the rainfall and generate a small volume of runoff. Developed urban areas contain a higher percentage of impervious surfaces and runoff from these areas quickly overwhelms natural channels and streams causing channel erosion, localized flooding, and property damage and needs to be managed to ensure a safe and sustainable environment.
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When forested land is logged and changed to pasture or is developed for other uses, less rainfall is caught and retained by the trees and soil. More runs off the land, increasing the flow in downstream ditches, creeks and streams. With “intense” development, more land is covered with impervious surfaces such as asphalt or roofs, dramatically increasing runoff. The increase will, if not managed, result in the erosion of creek banks and downstream lands will be flooded.
The City of Abbotsford requires stormwater management measures for urban development.
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Rainfall which runs off the land in the City is collected by ditches in the rural areas, and by roof drains, catch basins, lawn drains, and some ditches in the urban area. It is conveyed by ditches or underground pipes to nearby watercourses. The quality of the flow in the runoff is adversely impacted by human-generated pollutants from both urban and rural activities.
Protection of the City’s fisheries sensitive watercourses is an important environmental objective. Recent advances in ways to improve the quality of urban runoff are being reviewed and added to the City’s development requirements. As new infrastructure is built, water quality devices are added to screen out some of the pollutants.
For infrastructure that is already built, City activities such as street sweeping and catch basin cleaning help keep pollutants out of downstream creeks and streams. But, there is definitely a role each resident can play, by:
- minimizing herbicide and pesticide use on lawn and garden areas;
- washing cars on lawn areas, not on driveways and roads;
- recycling used oils and antifreeze, and not dumping them in catch-basins; and
- keeping topsoil deliveries off the street
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In urban areas, surface runoff is generally directed to detention facilities and released slowly into underground storm sewer pipes, or infiltrated into the ground via infiltration facilities. The City of Abbotsford requires development of urban lands to be accompanied by stormwater management measures.
Runoff from large roofed areas is encouraged to be infiltrated into the ground. Runoff from other areas is directed to large holding ponds or tanks, where it is released at a rate which attempts to mimic the pre-development runoff patterns. In some developments, management techniques such as rain gardens, biofiltration swales, and absorbent soils are or will be used to filter runoff (to remove pollutants) and to further reduce the peak flows.
The size of the underground pipes is calculated using criteria the City defines in the Engineering Standards of the Development Bylaw, but which is designed to protect property from nuisance flooding.
Those underground pipes are connected to creeks and streams, and the discharge has three main consequences:
- The quality of the water in the creek can be adversely impacted
- The volume of the discharge can result in downstream flooding
- The magnitude of the peak flow can result in downstream erosion
In older areas of Abbotsford, homes were often constructed without underground storm sewer pipes. In some locations, ditches convey the surface runoff away, in other locations, the soil is very porous, and surface runoff either does not exit, or it is collected and infiltrated into the ground using “rock pits” or other underground facilities. Home owners in these areas encountering drainage problems may need to check their perimeter drains, or re-construct their rock pits.
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Fishtrap Creek ISMP
The Fishtrap Creek watershed is located in the southwest portion of the City, running west beyond Ross Road, north to Blueridge Drive and east to Trethewey Street. The Fishtrap Creek detention area was originally built as a large stormwater management facility to minimize the downstream flooding caused by development. This greenspace has been impacted by development and agricultural activities.
The City is putting together a plan for this area that will work to resolve some of the issues such as flooding, poor drainage, overgrowing vegetation, fish and wildlife habitat loss and poor water quality.
Clayburn Creek ISMP
The City of Abbotsford completed an Integrated Stormwater Management Plan for the Clayburn Creek watershed. The watershed covers approximately 2,250 ha from mountainous area as high as 530 m to Matsqui lowland of 4 m above the sea level. It has multiple tributaries including Stoney Creek, Poignant Creek, and Diane Brook. Clayburn Creek drains through Matsqui Slough into Fraser River. The current issues include active stream bank erosion, instability of steep ravine slopes, and lowland flooding. In addition to the current residential areas, future development has been planned in the watershed.
The purpose of the study was to develop strategies to enhance flood and environmental protections while facilitating orderly development and redevelopment in the upland area. The Final Report was adopted by Council in June 2012.
- Clayburn Creek ISMP - Final Report (May 2012)
- Clayburn Creek ISMP - Final Report - Appendices (May 2012)
Willband Creek ISMP
The Willband Creek watershed is located in the centre of the City, and includes Mill Lake, west as far as Clearbrook Road, North to Matsqui Prairie and east beyond McMillan Road. The total catchment area is an estimated 1,800 hectares. A significant portion of the watershed is within the City core area of urban development.
A healthy environment is important to creating a complete and vibrant community. The City needs to balance development without adverse effects on the environment. The City has adopted the Final Plan for the Willband Creek watershed, to ensure we have good stormwater/flood management practices, good water quality, productive fish habitats, and healthy natural areas for residents to enjoy.
Stormwater FAQ
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Stormwater refers to the water that originates from precipitation events, including rain and snowmelt, and flows over rooftops, driveways and various surfaces within private property.
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Impermeable soil does not allow water to pass through, whereas permeable soil easily allows water to infiltrate into the ground. Semipermeable soil allows some water to pass through but at a slower rate compared to permeable soil.
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Stormwater that originates from within private property must be managed on-site or directed to an approved stormwater management system such as storm sewers, detention ponds, swales, or a combination of both.
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Managing stormwater on-site means handling and treating stormwater runoff within the boundaries of the property where it originates, rather than allowing it to flow off-site into municipal stormwater systems or neighboring property. This involves directing any runoff to areas where it can infiltrate into the ground, such as rock-pits, French drains or other infiltration systems.
The goal is to reduce the adverse effects of runoff, such as flooding, erosion, water pollution, and strain on municipal stormwater infrastructure and creeks.
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Infiltration, as outlined in the City of Abbotsford Development Bylaw, offers numerous benefits. It replenishes groundwater levels, reduces surface runoff and erosion risks, and improves water quality through natural filtration. This sustainable stormwater management practice supports ecosystems by maintaining soil moisture levels and restoring baseflow to creeks, which benefits aquatic habitats. It also lowers stormwater infrastructure costs and reduces the need for extensive offsite stormwater management systems such as community detention ponds. Also, infiltration helps combat climate change by enhancing natural water cycles and reducing runoff-related issues.
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Following the direction of the 2018 Drainage Master Plan approved by City Council, the Development Bylaw has been updated to require property owners to explore infiltration to manage stormwater on site.
The property owners should hire a Qualified Professional (QP), such as geotechnical engineer, to look at the suitability of the soil for infiltration. Existing stormwater sewer connection cannot be reused, unless the QP proves that the property cannot infiltrate. Storm service connections can be reused as an overflow or a direct connection to the City storm system if recommended by a QP. Please see the next 2 answers for more information.
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Property owners should hire a QP, to conduct a percolation test and analysis to verify the soil's suitability for on-site infiltration. A signed and sealed report recommending solutions from the QP is required for on-site stormwater management.
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If the soil is determined not suitable for infiltration by a QP, consideration will be given to an overflow connection from an on-site rock pit/sump to an adequate drainage system. If the City storm system is not adequate or not available, Engineering will provide recommendations to the property owner to improve the City storm system before the connection is approved. Additional fees such as Development Cost Charges (DCCs) and/or Cash-in- Lieu for community detention may apply. The fees will be determined on a case-by-case basis.
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An overflow connection to the city storm system refers to a connection from a private on-site stormwater management system, such as a rock pit, to the municipal storm sewer system. This connection is designed to drain excess stormwater when the private on-site system reaches its capacity to infiltrate into the ground and can no longer absorb any more stormwater. This overflow connection is typically applied to properties with poor infiltration soil.
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Storm service connections can be confirmed by checking the Abbotsford Web Map online at abbotsford.ca/webmap.
You can also contact the Engineering Department:
Email: eng-info@abbotsford.ca
Phone: 604-864-5514 -
Property owners are responsible for maintaining on-site stormwater management systems. They are required to perform regular inspections and upkeep of their on-site infiltration systems to ensure continued functionality and effectiveness.
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Property owners should hire a QP to design an on-site stormwater management system, which may include features like rock pits, French drains, and other infiltration systems. This system should be designed to handle a 1 in 100 year rainfall events.
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The drainage tax applies to all properties within the Urban Drainage Boundary, regardless of whether your property is connected to the City's storm sewer. This tax helps cover the costs of operating, maintaining, and replacing stormwater infrastructure designed to drain runoff from public streets and roads. This shared responsibility ensures a safe and sustainable environment for all residents.
WebMap FAQs
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WebMap is the City of Abbotsford’s interactive mapping tool. It allows the user to:
- View properties showing various layers such as the current Air Photo or city utilities.
- Access information such as zoning, land use, or the area of a lot.
- Use tools to determine the distance to the nearest park or school.
- Use imagery tools like Google Street View and Pictometry, and many more features for both new and advanced users.
WebMap can be accessed through the City website at abbotsford.ca/webmap.
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Use the following tools to get started:
- Use the “I want to…” function to start a search. Select the icon to display a drop-down menu of action items, for example “Search for an address”.
- Select “Search for an address” and the left-hand side of the screen will update with input fields to add the house number and street name, then click the “search” button.
- The left-hand panel will update with an interactive “workflow panel” with the address and folio information displayed. The right-hand panel will display the parcel.
- Select the address in the workflow panel to display basic information regarding the parcel and hyperlinks to additional information such as the utility service record card, building permits, and business licenses.
- If you don’t have the address, you can also search by Parcel Identifier (PID), intersection, or park locations as well as various other search options found under the Searches tab on the ribbon at the top of the WebMap window. There is also a “wildcard” search option at the top right of the screen.
- WebMap gives you access to many layers of information that are part of the City GIS (Geographic Information System).
- Select the “show available map layers” from the “I want to” drop-down list to display available information layers.
- The group layers will display on the left-hand side of the screen. Expand the groups by clicking on the “+” symbol to display the various types of data layers.
- Once the data layers are displayed, click in the check box to toggle the information layer on or off.
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- When you place your cursor on any feature on the map (such as a parcel) and right-click, a pop-up menu is displayed with a list of action items related to all visible layers.
- For example, when the first item on the menu “Find data on the map” is selected, information for all visible layers will be displayed as links in the results box on the left.
- When one of the “results links” is selected, all the attribute data for that feature will be listed in the results window. For instance, the attribute information for a parcel includes zoning, land use description, assessed value, parcel area, as well as other types of data.
- There are also hyperlinks available near the top of the attribute list which will lead you to utility service records, building permits, and business licenses, if applicable.
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As well as the search tab on the ribbon at the top of the screen in WebMap, there are also other tabs with unique tools to process additional information.
- Create & Share – tools for exporting information, including printing and producing PDF or JPG files. Download options for geographic data.
- Markup – tools for drawing on the map window, such as adding a shape or text before printing or exporting a map.
- Select & Analyze – tools for analysis, such as finding an area, obtaining distances, or creating a query for analysis purposes.
- Other Maps – links to Google Street View and Pictometry.
- Feedback – directly email any comments or concerns to our WebMap staff.