Assessing Plant Community Composition in Established Stormwater Ponds and Determining Relationships Among Vegetation and Water Quality

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Increased human population growth and urbanization have led to a reduction in historic hydrological processes**that minimize the intensity of stormwater surges, and an increase in waterborne contaminants that threaten**drinking water supplies, ecosystem stability and diminish recreational and economic activities throughout**southern Ontario. Stormwater ponds are one component of a stormwater management train and are among the**most common approaches to stormwater management in Ontario. The proposed project will undertake a**comprehensive survey of stormwater pond vegetation and its relation to water quality to better inform**stormwater pond design and ensure the intended functionality of these systems. Sites will be selected from**stormwater ponds located within Southern Ontario. Sites will be selected based on the availability of records**related to their original design, vegetation planting strategies, ongoing monitoring of water quality and**accessibility. Samples of all plant species encountered will be identified and submitted to the Laurier**Herbarium as permanent vouchers. Vegetation characteristics including species richness, diversity, evenness,**percent cover, density, and frequency will be quantified in addition to degree of shading by overstory and**understory vegetation . Water quality samples will be taken from the runoff at the stormwater ponds inlet and**outlet. These water samples will be tested for different water quality parameters as defined by the Ministry of**the Environment and Climate Change (MOECC), including BOD, COD, TSS, pH and E. Coli. These tests will**allow for a determination of any correlation between the water quality and vegetation growth. Data analyses**will: 1) investigate relationships among vegetation and stormwater pond function (improvement of water**quality, habitat, etc), 2) compare vegetation patterns (community structure, species diversity, evenness,**richness, incursion of invasive species and habitat suitability) among sites and among stormwater pond creation**strategies, and 3) assess the overall impact of stormwater ponds on the surrounding landscape.