TRACK 1, DAY 1
Evaluating the Role of Catch Basin Inserts in Stormwater Maintenance Strategies
David Lembcke, Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority (LSRCA)
Tuesday, March 31, 2026 | 10:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. | Hall A
ABSTRACT
As Municipalities implement the new Consolidated Linear Infrastructure ECA (CLI ECA), greater attention is being focused on optimizing stormwater management practices and infrastructure to balance the ongoing maintenance needs with cost and performance.
Sediment management is one of the costliest maintenance activities of a stormwater maintenance program. Catch basins play a key, and often overlooked, role in sediment capture and retention within a stormwater system. Enhancing the sediment capture of catch basins using catch basin inserts can potentially increase the capture and retention of sediment and extend the life of downstream infrastructure.
This presentation looks at four infield studies of two different catch basin inserts, evaluating content and capture efficacy and subsequent maintenance implications of the two insert types. Current sediment removal and disposal costs are also considered for various capture locations through out a storm water network, pre-treatment vs end of pipe, to help identify the cost benefit of incorporating catch basin inserts into stormwater maintenance strategies.
Consideration of sediment disposal cost along side catch basin insert performance provides insight on matching maintenance practices, such as catch basin clean out frequency and stormwater pond clean out frequency, with the type of catch basin insert, or lack of insert, that best compliments existing or proposed municipal stormwater maintenance practices.
ABOUT THE PRESENTER
David Lembcke, Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority (LSRCA)
David Lembcke is the Director of Watershed Science and Monitoring with the Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority. He oversees a multidisciplinary team responsible for monitoring Lake Simcoe and its watershed and investigating issues affecting its ecological health.
David’s interest in urban stormwater lies in understanding and mitigating its impacts on receiving waters. This includes monitoring the function and performance of stormwater management features and has conducted a number of studies into the drivers of stormwater pond function.
This has been translated into practical methodologies and resources to improve stormwater pond operation and maintenance, including the development and delivery of a municipal stormwater pond maintenance training course.