Independent Drainage Review Update

Drainage and stormwater management in the Kanata Lakes area is complex due to the combination of municipal drains, existing private and City owned infrastructure, watercourses, historical approvals, and Ontario Land Tribunal decisions and conditions. To support consistent and defensible technical decision-making, the City’s Water Resources Planning and Engineering Branch, within the Infrastructure and Water Services Department, has hired GEI Consultants to complete an independent review of the Kanata Lakes drainage and stormwater management system.

Purpose

The purpose of this review is to document how stormwater and drainage currently function across the golf course and surrounding area, including how the different parts of the system work together. The review will draw on past technical studies, available data and reports, input received through Engage Ottawa, and relevant Ontario Land Tribunal decisions. This information will be summarized in clear, accessible reports and mapping to create a consolidated record of existing conditions and help identify information gaps or high interest issues that should be addressed through future development studies.

Through this work, the consultant will:

• Document how existing drainage and stormwater systems function across the site and surrounding lands;
• Identify unresolved issues, gaps, and high-risk or high interest elements; and
• Develop a clear technical framework to support consistent review of future development applications.

Understanding how the existing stormwater and drainage systems function is important for managing flooding risks and protecting surrounding properties. This review will strengthen the City’s ability to manage risk and support well informed decisions when reviewing development application studies and plans.

The review is technical in nature and is intended to inform, not replace, statutory planning and approval processes.

Scope and Key Deliverables

The review assignment includes three main deliverables:

1. Background and Status Report: A summary of existing conditions, past approvals, and constraints. Includes maps and figures to illustrate relationships between parts of the overall drainage and stormwater management system.
2. Recommendations Memo: Guidance on suitability and requirements of different stormwater management approaches, infrastructure integration, and risk considerations, and
3. Sequencing and Review Process Memo: An outline of when and how drainage requirements should be addressed through development review, including alignment with Ontario Land Tribunal conditions

Collectively, these outputs will support more predictable, coordinated, and transparent review of future development proposals.

Key Clarifications

• City engineers are overseeing the assignment and are reviewing the deliverables for accuracy and completeness before any final reports are released publicly
• This review does not approve or authorize development
• It does not make land‑use or planning decisions
• All statutory approvals remain subject to existing planning, regulatory, and Council‑approved processes

Schedule

The study is underway and will continue through to the end of summer 2026. The Background and Status Report will be completed first, followed by the Recommendations Memo and Sequencing and Review Process Memo.

Public release of project deliverables will occur as documents are finalized following review by City engineering staff.

Status Updates:

• April 10, 2026 – Project initiation meeting held between the City’s engineering staff and GEI Consultants.
• May 27, 2026 - City received the Draft Background and Status Report and it is under review by engineering staff who are familiar with the history and drainage complexity of the Kanata Lakes developments.

Next Steps:

• The Background and Status Report document will be shared publicly on this Engage Page as soon as it is available. Further updates will also be posted here as the work progresses.