Stormwater & Backyards: Ajax Drainage Resilience Review
Artificial Grass Ajax Research · RR-2026-AJX-03 · August 2026
This report reviews Ajax’s exposure to the two 100-year storms of summer 2024 (July 16 and August 17) alongside published descriptions of how water moves through an engineered artificial turf system, and asks where a synthetic lawn honestly fits in a flood-resilient Ajax backyard. A typical 500 sq ft yard received about 4.5 m³ of rain on July 16, 2024 and about 6.0 m³ on August 17, when Pearson recorded 128.3 mm, its rainiest day on record. A well-built turf base gives that water a designed path, but basements are protected by grading, downspouts and plumbing, not lawn surfaces, and Durham Region’s volumetric water rate does not change with the lawn.
Key Findings
rain at Toronto Pearson on Aug 17, 2024, the station’s rainiest day on record
rain landing on a 500 sq ft yard on Aug 17, 2024 (depth × area)
Pearson’s 2024 total precipitation, wettest year on record, 42% above normal
Durham’s 2026 combined water + sewer rate, volumetric, not keyed to lawn surface
Inside the Report
- Ajax’s flood story: a summer that reset the baseline
- How water moves through an engineered turf system
- Turf vs natural lawn on infiltration: a balanced reading
- What actually protects basements
- Design notes for Ajax lots
Download the Full Report (PDF)
Cite this report
Artificial Grass Ajax Research (2026). Stormwater & Backyards: Ajax Drainage Resilience Review. Artificial Grass Ajax Research Series RR-2026-AJX-03, Ajax, Ontario.
Related Reading
For more on backyard installations and project planning, see our pages on backyard turf and our contact page. For a full overview of our services, visit the Artificial Grass Ajax homepage.