The City of Brampton, in partnership with Credit Valley Conservation (CVC) is taking an innovative approach to retrofitting Haggert Avenue in Brampton – a local road in the Fletchers Creek SNAP neighbourhood and identified as a location for an early action project.
As stormwater makes it way from roads to the nearest waterway, it picks up pollutants like oil, dirt and road salt. Green infrastructure and low impact development such as rain gardens and bioswales are sustainable landscaping features that manage rain and melting snow to reduce the risks of flooding, improve the health of local rivers and streams and build local resilience in a changing climate.
The land beside Haggert Avenue is being transformed into a landscaped bioswale with native trees, grasses and flowering plants to help improve stormwater management in the neighbourhood. Instead of using traditional curb and gutter drainage, Haggert Avenue was retrofitted during recent road repairs so that rain falling on a section of the road can drain to the bioswale before entering Fletchers Creek. The bioswale will slow down, soak up and filter rainwater. This project will help keep Fletchers Creek clean and protect fish such as the redside dace, an endangered fish species.
Most of the system was built in Fall 2020. The project team is currently coordinating the final stages of planting before the bioswale can begin filtering rainwater. Once complete, CVC’s monitoring team will make regular site visits to assess the performance of the bioswale. Early results are positive and show that water can soak into the ground faster than originally expected!
This project is one of many sustainability initiatives taking place in your neighbourhood and across the city. Learn more at cvc.ca/snap and Brampton.ca/growgreen.
Haggert Avenue Bioswale Retrofit Nears Completion
