Stormwater management facilities

Discover which community ponds are stormwater facilities, how they manage stormwater drainage to help prevent flooding and why they aren’t safe for recreation.

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Stormwater management facilities have a job to do
Improving water quality for creeks and the North Saskatchewan River
Water is constantly moving
Keep your community safe
Seasonal safety
Identifying stormwater facilities

Stormwater management facilities have a job to do

Stormwater management facilities, sometimes called stormwater ponds, play a big role in keeping neighbourhoods safe from flooding. Stormwater ponds collect and hold rainfall and snowmelt until it is slowly released back to our river, creeks and streams.

In urban areas like Edmonton, roofs, roads and parking lots prevent water from soaking into the ground. When heavy rainstorms or snowmelt occur, runoff that is not absorbed into the ground enters stormwater facilities through catch basins and natural surfaces. In Edmonton, stormwater runoff is managed by:

64,000+

Catch basins

3,400km+

Stormwater sewer pipes

240+

Stormwater ponds

40+

Dry ponds

Improving water quality for creeks and the North Saskatchewan River

Stormwater ponds improve the quality of stormwater and runoff that ends up in our rivers and creeks. Runoff contains sediment and pollutants like fertilizers, pesticides, vehicle fluids and road salt that is collected as runoff travels into these ponds from properties, sidewalks and roads. Stormwater ponds are constructed to help filter the water, allowing the dirt, sediments and pollutants to settle out to the bottom of the pond or through vegetation around the pond before water is returned to the river.

Water is constantly moving

While stormwater facilities might look calm and serene, there’s a lot going on underneath the surface. Water is constantly moving as it enters and exits the facilities through pipes year-round.

While constant water movement is good for stormwater management, it creates unsafe conditions for recreational activities like skating and sledding in the winter or boating and swimming in the summer.

Keep your community safe

If you see someone recreating on a stormwater facility, report the activity to us at 780-412-4500. If someone is in immediate danger, call 911.

Seasonal safety

Summer Safety
Winter Safety

While it may look like a community pond, it’s a stormwater management facility built to store excess rain and runoff to help prevent flooding in your neighbourhood.

Here’s how you can enjoy these facilities safely during summer months:

Keep on marked paths. This is especially important during a rainstorm when the water level can rise quickly.
Keep children and pets back from the water. The bottom of the facility is muddy and silty, making it hard to get in and out of, increasing the risk of getting stuck.
Do not wade, swim or boat on a stormwater pond. The runoff from roads and properties can add chemicals and other pollutants to the water in a stormwater management facility, making water quality unknown. Additionally, the bottom of a stormwater management facility is muddy and silty, meaning you could get stuck easily.

For a list of safe places to swim outdoors, view the City of Edmonton’s outdoor pool map.

For a list of safe places to walk your dog off leash, view the City of Edmonton’s off-leash dog park map.

Role of stormwater ponds during summer storms

During heavy rain events stormwater management facilities play a vital role in protecting neighbourhoods and homes from overall flood damage. They store excess water from the city’s storm drainage system to prevent downstream flooding. Each facility can fill up quickly during storms, and it’s important to stay away from these facilities during a heavy rainstorm.

It’s understandable that residents whose properties back onto stormwater ponds may be concerned if they see water rise. When this occurs, the ponds are operating as expected and higher water levels are normal until the drainage system can manage the rainwater. Water levels in stormwater ponds change. During a rainstorm, or when spring melt is taking place, water levels may rise and surrounding areas, like paths and grass, may be submerged. This is not “flooding” – it’s how stormwater ponds are engineered to operate.

Think twice. Don't go on the ice.

You might know them as community ponds, but they are actually working facilities and they aren’t safe for any type of recreation including sledding, skating and walking.

Ice thickness is unpredictable because there are working pipes that keep water continuously flowing beneath the frozen top layer and contaminants like road salt can melt the ice from underneath.
Ice depth varies across the whole surface. It might appear thick in some areas, while other areas may have very thin or no ice.
It’s difficult to see unsafe ice conditions from the surface.
Snow may be covering hazards.
Water continuously flows beneath the surface, reducing ice integrity.

Skate safe in your community

Community league ice rink grant

We want Edmontonians to embrace winter and be able to participate in some of our most beloved outdoor winter activities like skating and hockey. That’s why each year, we provide community league grants to help cover the costs of setting up an ice rink where community members can play and skate safely.

Interested? Learn about how your community league can take advantage of this grant by emailing stormwatersafety@epcor.com.

Find a safe place to skate

Check out the City of Edmonton's list of outdoor skating facilities.

Identifying stormwater facilities

Most ponds in Edmonton are stormwater ponds and are marked with signs. These ponds are not safe for any type of recreational use. View our map of stormwater ponds in Edmonton: