VIDEO: “We have the tools and understanding to implement ‘Water Balance’ actions, restore watershed health and build resilient communities,” stated Kim Stephens
Solutions and Tools for Building Water-Resilient Communities
In December 2015, the Feast AND Famine Workshop addressed this over-arching question: What should we expect and what can we do to build “water-resilient communities”? The program comprised four modules that were cascading – from high-level visioning to ground-level applications. Adaptation to a changing climate was a unifying theme.
In Module A, Kim Stephens and Bob Sandford were a tag-team. First they provided the BC and global contexts, respectively. Then they interacted with the audience in a town-hall style ‘sharing & learning’ session. The energy this approach created set the tone for the workshop day.
Game-Changers Enable Action
During the late 1960s, BC began its multi-faceted and ongoing journey towards sustainability. It has taken the past decade to develop and begin implementing a policy, program and regulatory framework that makes possible’ Water-Resilient Communities’.
According to Kim Stephens, notable milestone years in this journey are 2003 (‘the teachable year’), 2008 (‘the call to action’) and 2014 (‘game-changers’). A unifying theme for these three milestone years is design with nature and build greener communities. The three game-changers are Develop with Care 2014, the Water Sustainability Act, and Asset Management for Sustainable Service Delivery: A BC Framework. The three are a mutually reinforcing package.
“Implemented in concert the three will enable necessary actions by local governments to protect and/or restore the natural pathways by which rainfall reaches streams. This would achieve the goal of redistributing the seasonal water balance to restore hydrologic integrity in urban areas,” stated Kim Stephens.
To Learn More:
To download a PDF copy of the PowerPoint presentation by Kim Stephens, click on Call to Action: We Can Restore the ‘Water Balance’ in Urbanizing Areas
