Why does the City of Ottawa need to develop a Stormwater Management Strategy?
The essential challenge of stormwater management today is how to balance the needs of ‘human habitat’ (protection of public health and safety) with the needs of fish habitat (healthy streams and rivers that support diverse aquatic communities) while ensuring cost-effectiveness in both the long and short terms. This rather tall order is being addressed in jurisdictions across North America as municipalities struggle with the challenge of meeting stringent legislative requirements, growing citizen demands for environmental protection, continuing growth pressures, increasing scrutiny with respect to the effectiveness of current stormwater management efforts, and the reality of finite financial resources. The City of Ottawa faces these same challenges. Addressing these challenges requires an integrated, strategic approach because they cannot effectively be dealt with on an individual, piece-meal or short-term basis. Developing the Stormwater Management Strategy will provide the City with s
