TRACK 2, DAY 1
Green Rainwater Infrastructure Enhancements in the Still Creek Watershed
Rohan Hakimi and Jacqueline Snyder, AECOM
Tuesday, March 31, 2026 | 10:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. | Hall F
ABSTRACT
Covering approximately 28 km2 within the Cities of Vancouver and Burnaby, the Still Creek Watershed is a unique ecological and cultural gem within a highly urbanized watershed.
In recent history, Still Creek has been channelized and enclosed and bears little resemblance to the original waterway. Despite these challenges, Still Creek remains a salmon spawning creek (as recently as 2024) and has inspired community stewardship and appreciation through the Still Moon Arts Society.
In 2006 the Still Creek Integrated Stormwater Management Plan was developed with the goal of restoring a natural flow regime, reducing flood impacts, and improving water quality. In 2023, the City published the Still Creek Enhancement Opportunities Study to identify specific enhancement opportunities that help improve the health of the waterway while uplifting ecological, social and cultural values.
The first projects to be implemented under this plan are four contributory areas within Beaconsfield, Falaise, Slocan, and Charles Parks. These projects re-imagine what natural systems can look like in urbanized watersheds by focusing equally on water, ecology, and community.
A combination of bioretention and constructed wetlands capture, slow down, and filter the first 48mm of rain fall runoff while infiltrating to the maximum extent possible, helping to reduce peak flows and enhance water quality. Innovative adaptable outlet controls have been included to optimize operational efficiency under seasonally variable groundwater conditions.
This presentation will explore project designs, overall watershed impacts, and how community partnerships can be leveraged to support stewardship and activation of nature-based solutions long-term.
ABOUT THE PRESENTERS
Rohan Hakimi, AECOM
Rohan Hakimi is a Water Resource Engineer with the Water Resource Group at AECOM and works out of the London and Kitchener, Ontario offices. He has a bachelor’s and master’s degree in environmental engineering from the University of Guelph.
Rohan has 14 years of experience in the design, construction, inspection, monitoring and management of innovative water projects. Most recently, Rohan has been involved in low impact development (LID) planning and design, performance testing and maintenance, and stormwater management facility (SWMF) inspections and maintenance, cleanout tendering and contract administration.
Rohan is a former member the Sustainable Technologies Evaluation Program (STEP) through Credit Valley Conservation.
Jacqueline Snyder, AECOM
Bio coming soon.