A Plan for Rainy Days:Water Runoff and Site Planning

Posted on Jul 30, 2017 | Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation | October 2007

Using the Water Balance Model, the study examines the impact of several techniques to reduce runoff. One set applies to the individual lots, such as absorbent landscape, rain gardens and pervious pavers. Another set applies to streets, such as in-street infiltration trenches, absorbent boulevards and sidewalks combined with storage underneath.

This analysis confirms that streets are the single most influential factor on the volume of water runoff.