Archive:

2015

Reflections on the 2015 Drought: Year-end media interviews raise profile and awareness of Partnership for Water Sustainability in British Columbia


Media attention initially resulted from coverage of the Feast AND Famine Workshop. This coverage was followed by 6 newspaper, radio and television interviews featuring Kim Stephens, Partnership Executive Director. “In all 6 interviews, I emphasized that the ‘new normal’ in BC is drought and flooding,” says Kim Stephens. “Southwest BC dodged a bullet this past summer.”

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Capture Rain Where It Falls: Ted van der Gulik and Jim Dumont explained Performance Targets in the context of paradigm-shifts at the 2007 Water Balance Model Partners Forum


“In 2002, British Columbia’s Stormwater Guidebook facilitated a paradigm-shift in the state-of-the-practice because it demonstrated that rainfall capture was achievable. The next paradigm-shift in the state-of-the-practice will revolve around the way we relate runoff volume management to stream erosion and water quality. Volume is something that local government has control over, and it is measurable,” stated Ted van der Gulik.

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A Perspective on Leading Change: “Bring the right people together at the right time,” stated Environment Canada’s Laura Maclean at 2007 Water Balance Model Partners Forum


“The experience of the Greater Vancouver region shows how important it is to build a network that can make things happen. Looking back, much of what we have collectively accomplished in recent years in the field of rainwater management can be traced back to relationships,” stated Laura Maclean. “We now see a comparable relationship-building process taking shape on Vancouver Island.”

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Capture Rain Where It Falls: North Vancouver’s Richard Boase described implementation of “Tree Canopy Interception Research Project” at 2007 Water Balance Model Forum


“While considerable research has been done in the natural environment, very little has been in an urban setting anywhere in North America. We have installed 60 tree canopy climate stations across the North Shore,” stated Richard Boase. “At the end of the day, the project will enable communities to make informed planning decisions about designing with nature. Research results will populate the Tree Canopy Module in the Water Balance Model.”

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Capture Rain Where It Falls: Surrey’s David Hislop informed the 2007 Water Balance Forum that the Fergus Creek Watershed Plan is the pilot for “Beyond the Guidebook”


The plan is based entirely on implementing ‘green solutions’ as an alternative to conventional engineered ‘blue solutions’. “The Fergus Creek plan demonstrates how to protect stream health in the urban environment”, noted David Hislop. “In addition to rainwater capture on individual lots, the strategy for replicating natural infiltration processes includes creation of contiguous large-scale green corridors through the watershed.”

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CBC Poll: 2015 Drought is British Columbia’s “Top Story of the Year”


For British Columbia, 2015 was the year of the great drought, dwindling snow packs, melting glaciers, beleaguered salmon runs and a costly forest fire season, followed by windstorms and heavy rains. Launched from a powerful El Nino, storms caused the single largest electrical outage in the province’s history. Dan Burritt, host of CBC Television’s “News at 6” interviewed Kim Stephens to obtain his perspective on what British Columbians could potentially expect to occur in 2016.

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Drought is Top BC News Story of 2015: “The past 30 years has been a period of instability in terms of water supply,” stated Kim Stephens in a CBC radio year-end interview


“There were many stories to choose from, but with help of our audience we narrowed it down to just one. The summer drought and wildfire season has been chosen, with the help of a CBC online poll, as the top news story of 2015,” stated CBC radio host Stephen Quinn in his preamble to an interview of Kim Stephens, Executive Director of the Partnership for Water Sustainability in BC. “Why do you expect that we are going to have another drought next summer,” he asked.

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ARTICLE (published in 2008): Water Balance Model powered by QUALHYMO integrates the site with the watershed and the stream


The article provides a concise overview of considerations that have led to integration of two hydrologic models. “The tool underpins ‘Beyond the Guidebook: The New Business As Usual (2007)’, a provincial initiative to advance implementation of green infrastructure policies and practices throughout British Columbia. The mantra for this provincial initiative is: Today’s Expectations are Tomorrow’s Standards,” stated Paul Ham.

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At the 2015 Feast AND Famine Workshop: “Market gardens not the answer to B.C.’s food challenges,” said Ted van der Gulik, Partnership for Water Sustainability in BC


Protection of farmland — including from port-related development in South Delta — is far more important, along with finding ways to better use water and to bring more irrigation to lands not suitable for growing food, said Ted van der Gulik. “I support market gardens. They’re good. It’s great to grow food in parking lots, having people grow their own food. Just don’t call them food security,” he said.

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Reflections on the 2015 Drought: “In engineering terms, in BC we have small margins of safety for water storage and therefore limited resiliency to adapt to a changing climate,” says the Partnership for Water Sustainability’s Kim Stephens


“The issue and concern in a nutshell can be summarized in four points: Southwest BC dodged a bullet this past summer; there have been past crises; there is a repeating pattern; and increasing water supply storage is problematic,” summarizes Kim Stephens. “The clock is ticking. Communities need to leverage this teachable year and seize opportunities to change how the water resource is viewed and managed.”

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