Resources

Listed below are resources that will help you with the 5 Things You Can Do For Your River:

Get to Know Your Rain

• Toronto Watershed (PDF Map from City of Toronto)
• Locate Your Watershed (US Environmental Protection Agency) USA
• Get to Know a Watershed (Canadian Wildlife Federation) Canada
• Water Quality Protection (City of Toronto)
• Sewers in Toronto (City of Toronto)
• Combined Sewer Overflows (Lost Rivers)
• Source Water Protection (Conservation Ontario)

Urban Runoff

• Threats from Urban Runoff (Environment Canada)
• Low Salt Diet (Riversides)
• Assessment of Road Salt (Environment Canada)
• Riversafe Carwash (Riversides)
• Toronto Pesticide By-Law (City of Toronto)
• Managing Urban Runoff (US Environmental Protection Agency)

Costs of Stormwater

• Basement Flooding (City of Toronto)
• Slideshow of the Aug. 19, 2005 Toronto Rain Storm (City of Toronto)
• Feasibility Study on No-Fault Insurance for Basement Flooding (City of Toronto)
• Stormwater Utilities (Stormwater Journal)
• Recreational Water Quality (Health Canada)
• Toronto Beach - Blue Flag Program (Environmental Defence)

Wet Weather Policy

• Toronto's Solution to Pollution (City of Toronto)
• Toronto Sewer By-Law (City of Toronto)
• Toronto Private Tree By-Law (City of Toronto)
• Toronto Downspout Disconnection (City of Toronto)
• Community Program for Stormwater Management (City of Toronto)
• Stormwater Management Planning and Design Manual (Ontario Ministry of the Environment)
• Clean Water Act (Ontario Ministry of the Environement)
• Green Belt Act (Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing)

• Sustainable Water and Sewage Systems Act (Government of Ontario)

• Provincial Policy Statement (Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing)

• Canadian Remedial Action Plans (Environment Canada)

Path to Clean Water

• Introduction to Low Impact Development (Low Impact Development Center)
• Low Impact Devlopment Issues (Stormwater Journal)
• Low Impact Development Standards (Low Impact Development Center)

Stop Runoff

• Rain: Use it Where it Falls (City of Toronto)
  
• Toronto Downspout Disconnection (City of Toronto)
• How-To Tools for Reducing Rainwater Runoff Where it Falls: design guidelines and information posters (Waterbucket)
• Stormwater Management and Design: *details on Soakaway Pits, Infiltration Trenches and Swales (Ontario Ministry of the Environment)
  
• Infiltration Trench fact sheet (US Environmental Protection Agency)
• Grassed Swale fact sheet (US Environmental Protection Agency)
  
• Rain Gardens (Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation)
• Rain Gardens: information, design instructions (Rain Gardens of West Michigan)
• Rain Gardens: A How-To Manual for Homeonwers (University of Wisconsin)

Naturalize Your Property

• Street Tree Planting Program (City of Toronto)
• Backyard Tree Planting Program (LEAF: Local Enhancement and Appreciation for Trees)
• Tree Care (LEAF)
• Native Plant Database (Evergreen)
• FoodShare Annual Native Seed and Plant Sale (Foodshare)
  
• Ask a Toronto Master Gardener (Toronto Master Gardeners)
• Lawn Alternatives and Organic Care of Groundcovers (City of Toronto)
  
• Alternative Pavers fact sheet (US Environmental Protection Agency)
• Green Roofs: types, benefits, policy (City of Toronto)
• Green Roof Pilot Program: grants for property owners (City of Toronto)
• Green Roofs (Green Roofs for Healthy Cities)
• Downspout Bog Gardens (North American Native Plant Society)
• Evergreen Native Plant Nursery (Evergreen)
  

Go Toxic-Free

• Community Environment Days for HHW drop-off (City of Toronto)
• What is Household Hazardous Waste (City of Toronto)
• HHW depots (City of Toronto)
• Guide to Less Toxic Products (Environmental Health Association of Nova Scotia)
• Pet Waste and Water Quality (University of Wisconsin)
  
• Toronto Pesticide By-Law (City of Toronto)
• Pesticide-free gardening fact sheets and information (City of Toronto)
  
• Low Salt Diet (Riversides and Sierra Legal Defence)
• Assessment of Road Salt (Environment Canada)
• Riversafe Carwash (Riversides)

Use Less Water

• WaterSaver Programs (City of Toronto)
• Indoor Water Efficiency Retrofit Kit (City of Toronto)
• Water Conservation Tips (Government of Canada)
  
• Water Saving Tips for Your Lawn and Garden (CMHC)
• A dozen ways to save water (Clean Water Council of Wisconsin)
• The Healthy House in Riverdale: uses only harvested rainwater (CMHC)
• Regulatory Barriers to onsite Water Reuse (CMHC)

Get Involved

• Water in The City Walk and Associated Map for Self-guided Tour (Riversides)
• Paddle the Don (TRCA)
• Bring Back the Don (City of Toronto)
• Lost River Walks (Lost Rivers)
• Toronto Green Community Projects (Toronto Green Community)
• Brickworks (Evergreen)