In moving toward a water balance approach to storm water management and the modeling tools that can support such an approach, it is clear that there are substantial gaps in our knowledge of the groundwater recharge and evapotranspiration (ET) in urban areas. At a microscale, weighing lysimeters can be used to estimate the ET and may also be designed to also allow drainage (groundwater recharge) to be quantified. A weighing lysimeter has been designed and constructed in Guelph, Ont. to quantify the ET and groundwater recharge from a bioretention area. The results at this scale will vary with the urban surroundings, but will nevertheless contribute to the scant information available. The installation of similar systems in various urban micrometeorological conditions will help to build a database of urban ET and recharge. Other approaches, such as the eddy correlation approach for the ET, are also needed to complement microscale measurements.

Ontario's Stormwater Management, Planning and Design Manual released in March 2003 integrates some of the advancements made in stormwater management since the 1994 version of the Manual was published. Perhaps the most significant update is the recognition of in-stream erosion control and water balance objectives in addition to flood and water quality objectives for stormwater management. Specific design criteria which would allow these objectives to be achieved are not set out, but procedures that can assist in the development of criteria based on local watershed and receiving water conditions are described. While refinements will undoubtedly be needed, approaches to designing end-of-pipe facilities to prevent undesirable geomorphic changes are included. Approaches to protect groundwater and baseflow characteristics are also included although guidance on addressing potential trade-offs between groundwater quantity and quality is an additional challenge for the future. Little design guidance is available in Ontario on techniques to mitigate impacts on wetlands, however, developments from other jurisdictions may be transferable. The 2003 Manual promotes an integrated, treatment train approach to stormwater management that emphasizes prevention first, followed by lot-level and conveyance controls and finally, endof- pipe controls. Some information on better site design techniques is incorporated but in comparison to other jurisdictions, less emphasis has been placed on low-impact development strategies. Ontario's approach to design for water quality (suspended solids) control has evolved little. To complement the prevention and treatment train philosophy, the removal efficiency approach to sizing end-of-pipe facilities needs to be used in conjunction with effluent criteria and/or minimum requirements for source protection. Significant advancements in stormwater modelling over the last decade are not well reflected in the Manual; the limited discussion of modelling focusses on an event-based approach. Whether event or continuous modelling is utilized, Ontario practitioners will need guidance on adapting input data to account for the anticipated effects of climate change. Development of sound guidance on monitoring increasingly complex, multi-objective stormwater management systems and the ecosystems they are designed to protect will be critical to ensure that the knowledge gained from performance evaluations may continue to be utilized to refine the design and management of stormwater systems.

Policy statements in Ontario express a desire to prevent degradation that threatens significant wetlands. Yet loss of wetland features and functions continues. Better approaches and tools need to be applied to support planning and management and reverse the trend of incremental wetland degradation. This paper synthesizes existing knowledge to: (1) suggest some requirements for demonstrating that activities will not have a negative impact on a wetland feature or its functions due to hydrologic alterations; and (2) expose some flaws in reasoning with respect to wetland hydrology that could lead to poor decisions. Studies to demonstrate “no negative impact” should be required to confirm the plausibility of the conceptual hydrologic model of the wetland and consider the full range of hydrologic alterations that may be ecologically relevant. Evidence-based arguments, with sound scientific underpinnings, are needed to show that there will be no hydrologic changes, that ecological functions are not sensitive to changes, or that changes can be controlled to prevent negative impact. Better collaboration between disciplines will help to avoid results based on faulty or incomplete knowledge.

Insights from Indigenous and Western ways of knowing can improve how we understand, manage, and restore complex freshwater social–ecological systems. While many frameworks exist, specific methods to guide researchers and practitioners in bringing Indigenous and Western knowledge systems together in a ‘good way’ are harder to find. A scoping review of academic and grey literature yielded 138 sources, from which data were extracted using two novel frameworks. The EAUX (Equity, Access, Usability, and eXchange) framework, with a water-themed acronym, summarizes important principles when braiding knowledge systems. These principles demonstrate the importance of recognizing Indigenous collaborators as equal partners, honouring data sovereignty, centring Indigenous benefits, and prioritizing relationships. The A-to-A (Axiology and Ontology, Epistemology and Methodology, Data Gathering, Analysis and Synthesis, and Application) framework organizes methods for braiding knowledge systems at different stages of a project. Methods are also presented using themes: open your mind to different values and worldviews; prioritize relationships with collaborators (human and other-than-human); recognize that different ways of regarding the natural world are valid; and remember that each Indigenous partner is unique. Appropriate principles and practices are context-dependent, so collaborators must listen carefully and with an open mind to identify braiding methods that are best for the project.

Tri-Council Policy Statement: Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans (TCPS2) guides knowledge production and dissemination in Canada. While it is intended to protect vulnerable populations from harm, it fails to consider Anishinaabe worldviews and, by extension, to effectively direct ethical water research with aquatic plant life. Using Anishinaabe oral testimony and oral stories, Niisaachewan Anishinaabe Nation (NAN) and the University of Guelph (UofG) co-developed a culturally sensitive field protocol to respect Manomin (Wild Rice) as an other-than-human being and guide research into Manomin restoration. By illuminating key directives from NAN, this article showcases the limitations of institutional ethics in Canada. It concludes with recommendations to broaden TCPS2 to better address Anishinaabe teachings about plant and animal relations, but ultimately challenges institutional Research Ethics Boards (REBs) to relinquish control and respect Indigenous Nations’ right to govern research within their territories.