Stormwater management

Stormwater naturally flows off hard surfaces and flows into our waterways or is absorbed into the soil. As we grow and develop our city, we must ensure there are enough spaces for this to happen. Poor stormwater management leads to erosion, poor water quality, pollution and property damage caused by flooding.

On this page:

1. How we manage stormwater
2. Manage your home’s stormwater
3. Stormwater ponds aren’t for skating
4. Spring melt
5. Stormwater report card
6. Drainage improvement program contact
7. Disaster Mitigation and Adaptation Fund (DMAF)
8. Reep Rain Smart Neighbourhoods
9. Reep Healthy Yards

How we manage stormwater

Stormwater is managed in three ways:

• property-specific things like rain barrels, downspouts and cisterns
• conveying stormwater with storm drains and sewers
• end-of-pipe collection systems like stormwater management ponds

By collecting water and soaking up rain we can ensure less water flows over paved areas. This reduces the amount of oil and dirt that ends up in our lakes and ponds.

We can use the water we capture for our own purposes or to simply let the ground soak it up naturally.

Manage your home’s stormwater

You can help manage the amount of runoff coming from your home by:

• using a rain barrel to collect water for your garden
• disposing of hazardous products like motor oil, antifreeze, etc., by dropping them off at our local waste management facility
• washing your car at a car wash, instead of your driveway
• sweeping dirt from your sidewalks and driveways and putting the debris in the garbage, instead of on the road
• picking up pet waste regularly
• reducing the use of salt for ice melting during the winter
• ensuring your downspouts drain onto your lawn or garden areas, not directly onto driveways, sidewalks or streets

Stormwater ponds aren’t for skating

In the winter, stormwater ponds may seem like a great place to skate or play hockey but they are extremely unsafe.

Water is constantly flowing into and draining out of these ponds, and they often pick up some of the deicing chemicals used on roads. This means that ice could be safe one moment and completely unsafe another.

For that reason, no swimming, skating or recreational use of any kind is allowed on our stormwater management ponds. Signs at each pond clearly indicate this. Watch this short video to learn more about stormwater ponds

If you’re looking for somewhere to skate, find the closest outdoor skating rink.

Spring melt

A quick increase in temperature during the spring can cause ice to melt rapidly, causing localized flooding.

Watch this short video to learn about how you can prepare for the next spring melt.

You can reduce this risk around your home by:

• clearing snow buildup around your home’s foundation and window wells
• ensuring snow, ice and debris is clear from your roof and eavestroughs
• removing snow and ice at the end of downspouts
• ensuring downspouts drain at least one metre away from your foundation and onto your lawn or garden areas, rather than directly onto sidewalks or streets
• shovelling snow and ice onto your yard, not onto the road, to avoid blocking drains
• watching for standing water around your home’s foundation
• if you have a sump pump, cycle it at least once a month and clean the sump basin annually

If you notice blocked catch basins on your street, call us at 519-741-2345.

Stormwater report card

Every five years, we assess our stormwater management system and create a report card summarizing our findings. To do this, we collect yearly data to help us track creek health patterns.

We collect data to show:

• Amount of land covered in wetlands, riverbanks, forest habitat, and natural cover
• Health of our aquatic and riverside habitat
• Temperature of Kitchener creeks
• Changes to fish and aquatic insect populations
• Water pollution levels, including water clarity, levels of chlorides, salts, nutrients, and metals.

To assess our stormwater management system, we use the yearly data and also consider:

• Areas where stormwater measures are lacking. Heavy rains and meltwater rush into local creeks in these areas, carrying pollutants from nearby streets.
• Areas of creek erosion.
• Areas at risk of flooding.

We use the results of the assessment to rank subwatersheds according to creek health, erosion, and flood risks. We prioritize the highest risk subwatersheds for stormwater improvements.

The most recent report card was developed in 2023, using data from 2016-2020. Read the current report card

Send us an email to download a copy of:

• the underlying technical report for the 2023 report card
• earlier report cards (2006, 2010, and 2018)

Drainage improvement program

During heavy rain or rapid snowmelt, water can pool and collect. This may lead to drainage issues, like unwanted water on roads, sidewalks, in parks or on your property. If you encounter a drainage issue, call the Corporate Contact Centre at 519-741-2345, TTY: 1-866-969-9994. We will assess the source of the problem and suggest next steps.

Disaster Mitigation and Adaptation Fund (DMAF)

From 2018 to 2032, the City of Kitchener is receiving $49.99 million in funding from the federal government for the Disaster Mitigation and Adaptation Fund (DMAF).

This partnership will help enhance the City of Kitchener’s ability to invest in important stormwater management initiatives that will:

• help to mitigate the severity of local flooding
• help to protect the environment, homes and businesses
• help to maintain drinking water quality

Why DMAF is important

Our Corporate Climate Action Plan is a commitment to mitigate and adapt to climate change.

75% of urban areas in Kitchener lack adequate stormwater management that helps to protect against flooding. Recent flooding events at the Walter Bean Trail and Kiwanis Park highlight the need for action. Now more than ever, our community needs to adapt to frequent and intensifying weather events caused by climate change.

This funding will implement important stormwater management initiatives that will help to mitigate the severity of local flooding that impacts drinking water quality, the environment, personal and business income and municipal infrastructure and services.

Watch the video below to learn about how we're strengthening our stormwater management system.

Where funding will go

DMAF funding will help advance work on the projects in the accordions below. Find out more about the specific projects on our stormwater developments and improvements page.

Return on investment

For every dollar spent by Kitchener ratepayers through the stormwater rate on their water bill, our community is projected to receive a return of $18 in prevented damage costs.

This page will be updated throughout the DMAF project. Subscribe to this page to get an email when we share updates.

Reep Rain Smart Neighbourhoods 

We all have a role to play in reducing flood risks. We’ve partnered with Reep Green Solutions to help homeowners to make upgrades to their properties to make it easier for rain and melt water to soak into the ground instead of running into our sewers. Their Rain Smart Neighbourhoods program empowers residents to make changes in the landscape that will protect the Grand River watershed and help us prepare for climate change.

Find out more on this page.

Reep Healthy Yards 

You can beautify and naturalize your hard by making small changes that will also improve how it handles runoff. Help our landscape manage the increasing rainfall caused by climate change by visiting the Reep Green Solutions Healthy Yards resource page. You can find these resources, videos and more by visiting this page.