Carling Creek Master Plan
About this project
The City of London has retained the services of Matrix Solutions Inc. (formerly Ecosystem Recovery Inc.) to undertake a Municipal Class Stormwater Management Master Plan and Environmental Assessment (MCEA) study for the Carling Creek subwatershed. The objective of the Carling Creek Stormwater Management Master Plan study is to develop a comprehensive long-term stormwater management strategy that addresses stormwater servicing deficiencies, surface flooding, and infrastructure renewal for existing and future land use within the area described as the ‘Core’ of the City of London. Long-term considerations include evaluating alternative options for strategic infrastructure upgrades, implementation of regional stormwater management systems, and the application of Low Impact Development (LID) solutions to achieve the desired level of stormwater servicing within the ‘Core’ study area. The stormwater management alternatives developed as part of the study will be evaluated based on level of service expectations, constructability, cost, environmental impacts, and adaptability to climate change.
The MCEA study will be completed in accordance with the Ontario Environmental Assessment Act and will follow approach #1 of the Municipal Engineers Association Municipal Class EA Master Plan process. The MCEA study will present sufficient detail to address Schedule A projects, including public and stakeholder consultation. Schedule B or C projects, namely recommended alternatives requiring the acquisition of private lands for regional stormwater management systems, will also be identified as part of the Master Plan study.
Carling Creek is a historic watercourse that flows west through the downtown ‘Core’ of the City of London. Dating back nearly 150 years, Carling Creek has evolved from a natural creek to an urban waterway, to an almost completely enclosed stormwater drainage system. The evolution of the watercourse, which at one point involved the construction of a dam across Richmond Street and the creation of a water body historically referred to as Lake Horn, has resulted in obstructed overland flow paths and flooding problems throughout the watershed.
The Carling Creek watershed is divided into two sections, a northern branch commonly referred to as Trunk A, and a southern branch with is comprised of two main trunk sewer, referred to as Trunk B and Trunk C. All three branches of the Carling Creek drainage system have a history of surface water flooding within municipal road right-of-ways and private properties.
Figure 1 shows the extent of watershed area and location of the Carling Creek primary trunk sewers that are being examined as part of the Carling Creek Stormwater Master Plan study.
Figure 1. Overview of the Carling Creek Stormwater Management Master Plan Study Area
Share your feedback
Public input is critical to the Master Plan process. The City would like anyone with an interest in Carling Creek to provide input, which will help the project team identify flooding concerns, develop stormwater management alternatives, and evaluate impacts from a broad range of potential improvement projects throughout the watershed. Please take the survey below, or contact the project team to share feedback.
