volume 1 - Halifax Regional Municipality

Halifax Water Integrated Resource Plan
Integrated Resource Plan Drivers and Objectives
erosion, groundwater contamination and inflow and infiltrations into wastewater
systems;
• Incorporating natural watercourses as a component of a stormwater management
strategy;
• Reducing site disturbance and impervious surfaces in new developments;
• Employing naturally occurring soils and native plant species in stormwater
management plans;
• Methods of reducing sediments and contaminants being discharged into
watercourses;
• Applying emerging technologies to improve the performance of stormwater
management systems; and,
• Establishing best management practices and criteria for the quantity and quality of
stormwater discharge.
Halifax Water will actively participate in HRM's development of the RSWFP. It is
anticipated that recommendations from the RSWFP would be adopted under the
Municipal Service Systems Specification document or incorporated into HRM's
operational and administrative programs and land use policies and regulations. Changes
to HRM’s specifications, policies and/or regulations can be expected to affect how
Halifax Water delivers stormwater services, including how Halifax Water operates and
maintains its stormwater infrastructure.
The proposed review of existing policies and regulations that affect the planning, design
and approval of stormwater management system elements is an opportune time to
examine the existing jurisdiction and roles of Halifax Water, HRM, Nova Scotia
Environment, and other regulators as they relate to stormwater management and
systems overall. Such a review would serve to clarify roles and responsibilities, and
identify where better integration of activities may be warranted, including opportunities
for enhancing effectiveness and efficiencies.
4.4 ASSET RENEWAL
The third IRP driver is asset renewal. Halifax Water currently delivers an annual asset
renewal program that rehabilitates or replaces aging infrastructure. Asset renewal is
important to avoid system failures and maintain levels of service. The Five-Year Capital
Plan and the annual Halifax Water capital budget identify prioritized annual asset
renewal projects. As well, Halifax Water in 2011 finalized the Asset Management
Assessment (AMA) 27 . The AMA document recommended 22 initiatives to be
implemented over five years (2012 - 2016) to further improve Halifax Water’s asset
management systems and capacities. Additional details regarding the AMA are
provided in Volume 1 Appendix F.
27 Asset Management Assessment (AMA) Project, Halifax Water, 2011
Revision: 2012-10-29 Integrated Resource Plan 40
October 31 2012 Page 73 of 272