Urban Sites

Commercial, industrial and residential sites, even those not immediately adjacent to streams, rivers or coastal waters, have long-term cumulative impacts on fish and other aquatic and terrestrial species. Contaminants, for example, can affect groundwater and are transported through storm drains into rivers and marine waters. Stormwater – including runoff from impervious surfaces – is the largest non-point source of pollution in urban areas!

By adopting Salmon-Safe standards, landowners and property managers help protect salmon habitat and water quality by:

Capturing and infiltrating stormwater on site
Maintaining a buffer of trees and vegetation along stream banks
Restore streams and watercourses where previous development has diverted or buried them
Increasing the use of permeable surfaces to reduce runoff from impervious surfaces
Using integrated pest management techniques to control weeds and pests
Reducing water use through more efficient irrigation and drought-resistant landscaping

The Salmon-Safe Standards for Urban Development

Recently Certified Sites

TELUS Ocean

TELUS Ocean

TELUS Ocean is located at 767 Douglas Street, Victoria, BC (Esquimalt and Songhees territory). This commercial property is currently under construction and will be a 10-storey office building with retail space on the ground floor. The site is connected to the Victoria watershed, which is linked to rivers supporting Coho salmon.

The design includes rainwater harvesting from all roofs and terraces, which will provide enough water for all on-site irrigation and significantly decrease the total volume of stormwater runoff. Rainwater will be directed to a 70-cubic metre storage cistern in the parkade. TELUS has gone above and beyond local requirements for catch basins by directing drain outlets and as much surface runoff as possible into tree soil cells and landscaped areas at grade.

The landscape plan includes non-invasive and adapted trees, shrubs and ground cover plant species that will improve on-site ecological function. The local watershed has been taken into consideration, with the goal of strengthening the urban habitat corridor for birds through tree canopies. The rooftop landscapes will feature a high level of plant diversity, offering food, forage and refuge opportunities for birds and insects. The project introduced a number of bird-safe design strategies to reduce the risk of migratory bird strikes.

The TELUS Ocean development will also incorporate climate-resilient features including:

Increased soil depth to improve tree health
Increased street tree plantings to reduce the urban heat island effect
Increased stormwater capacity and runoff controls to accommodate more intense storm events and withstand periods of drought

For more information on the project, please visit www.telusocean.com.

TELUS Living Nanaimo

TELUS Living Nanaimo

TELUS Living Nanaimo is located at 235 Wallace Street, Nanaimo, BC (Snuneymuxw and Cowichan Tribes territory). This residential development consists of two buildings, standing six storeys tall and offering 195 residential units. The site is adjacent to the Millstone Watershed, which is known to support Coho and Chum salmon populations.

The design will restore ecological functionality to the site and reduce water demand by:

● Replacing trees at a 9:1 ratio

● Planting native and adapted trees, shrubs and ground cover plants

● Utilizing a high-efficiency irrigation system

For stormwater management, the site design includes two cell-type, EcoBloc stormwater detention tanks totaling 57,000 liters of storage capacity, intended to attenuate flows from five- year events. Prior to entering the detention tanks, all captured stormwater will be routed through sediment sumps, and stormwater runoff from parking areas will be routed through oil interceptors.

The design also includes vegetated areas at grade and over the parking garage, and permeable paving at the central courtyard, circulation pathways and patio. These areas together will catch, filter and slow the release of stormwater before it reaches the storm sewer and, ultimately, discharges to the ocean.

TELUS Living Sechelt

TELUS Living Sechelt

TELUS Living Sechelt at 5528 Inlet Avenue, Sechelt, BC (shíshálh territory), will be a six-storey mixed-use building designed for commercial and residential rental purposes.

The development will offer 59 new rental units arranged around an internal courtyard to promote community interaction, enhance natural light exposure and enable cross-ventilation in 80% of the units as a cooling feature. Sechelt is a coastal community located along the Strait of Georgia, an essential marine ecosystem that supports over 3,000 species, including salmon.

The TELUS Living Sechelt design reduces the impact on salmon habitat by treating stormwater on- site. A flow detention tank with a storage capacity of 24.4 cubic meters will capture and hold excess runoff, releasing it gradually to reduce flood risk and impacts downstream. Before entering the detention tanks, all captured stormwater will be routed through sediment sumps and oil interceptors. Additionally, the design features planted areas on both the ground and rooftops, and the installation of Silva cells on the Boulevard. These components will capture, filter and gradually release stormwater before it is directed to the storm sewer and eventually discharged into the ocean.

The landscape design incorporates the use of native plants and natural features, such as boulders and logs, to restore ecological function and to reduce water demand. The lighting strategy intentionally focuses on down-lighting to minimize the impacts on natural bird migration patterns and reduce urban light pollution.

Read about other urban certifications on the FBC website.