BCWWA Annual Conference showcased “Convening for Action”

Partnerships, partnerships, partnerships! This was the key message at a half-day reporting out session on ‘Water Sustainability – Convening for Action in British Columbia’, held as part of the 2007 Annual Conference of the British Columbia Water & Waste Association (BCWWA).

The Convening for Action session provided implementation updates on how a water-centric approach to community planning and development is being advanced under the partnership umbrella of the Water Sustainability Action Plan for BC.

To download a copy of an article published in September 2007 by Environmental Science & Engineering Magazine, click on Water Sustainability: from awareness to action in British Columbia. The half-day program comprised a set of cascading presentations, with each presentation addressing an element of the Action Plan.

Water is the Integrator

“Water is the piece that integrates everything that we care about. You will note that we are using the phrase water stewardship, not water management. Stewardship is about replacing self interest, dependency and control with service, responsibility and partnership,” stated Lynn Kriwoken, Director of the Ministry of Environment’s Water Stewardship Division. In her presentation, she quoted extensively from James Hoggan’s research on Communicating Sustainability. 

“Stewardship is an obligation that we all have”, added Raymond Fung, Chair of the Water Sustainability Committee, “And the key to moving from awareness to action is to form partnerships. Partnerships provide a good way to share risks. The Water Balance Model is a prime example of spreading the risk by banding together.”

To Learn More:

For complete information on the set of five presentations that comprised the “Convening for Action in BC” session, click on 2007 Annual Conference of the BC Water & Waste Association. The conference was held in Penticton, BC.

To download a copy of the half-day progam, click on Water Sustainability: Convening for Action in British Columbia. The session was moderated by Kim Stephens.

Adapted from an article posted in November 2007

Note to Readers:

The more things change, the more it seems that they stay the same. As British Columbia experienced province-wide drought conditions in 2009, this provided an opportunity to reflect on insights gained and/or lessons learned from previous droughts.

In 1992, the trio of Kim Stephens, Ted van der Gulik and Tom Heath collaborated to present two papers on “the British Columbia drought management experience” at the Annual AWWA Conference that was held in Vancouver. Their presentations were then adapted and published as an integrated magazine article by the former BC Professional Engineer, forerunner of today’s Innovation Magazine.

The authors as they looked in 1992

What They Wrote in 1992

“The summer of 1992 has once again heightened awareness throughout British Columbia of the limited capabilities of many existing water supply sources. Although there is a perception that BC is water-rich, the reality is that we are often seasonally water-short (mainly because of storage limitations) during the period when water demand is heaviest due to lawn and garden irrigation,” state the authors in their opening paragraph.

“For the third time in six years, drought conditions have been experienced in the southern part of BC, and in particular the Greater Vancouver region. The 1987 drought is one of the most extreme on record, with a return period rating in the order of 100 years. It followed a relatively benign period of almost half a century.”

“The extended duration of this benign period may have lulled water supply managers into a false sense of security, especially with respect to the reliable watershed yields of surface water sources during a “dry” summer following a low snowpack winter. The last six years may possibly be reminiscent of conditions in the 1920s.”

Link to downloadable document

To read the complete article by Ted van der Gulik, Tom Heath and Kim Stephens, click on Water, Water Everywhere…Does British Columbia Really Need A Water Conservation Strategy?

How the Water Conservation Committee evolved over time to become the Partnership for Water Sustainability in BC

In 1992, the Water Conservation Committee was formed as a technical committee of the BC Water & Waste Association. Kim Stephens,  Ted van der Gulik (BC Ministry of Agriculture) and Tom Heath (Greater Vancouver Water District) were founding members.

From Conservation to Water Use Efficiency to Water Sustainability

“In 1994, the Committee renamed itself the Water Use Efficiency Committee to be consistent with the ‘National Action Plan on Municipal Water Use Efficiency’. In 2002, the Committee renamed itself the Water Sustainability Committee as part of a restructuring and renewal process,” explains Kim Stephens, now the Executive Director of the Partnership for Water Sustainability in British Columbia.

“In 1997, the Committee partnered with the former Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks to develop A Water Conservation Strategy for British Columbia. The  Committee then entered into a 3-year Partnership Agreement with Environment Canada and the Province in 1998 to promote  implementation of the Strategy province-wide. This was the genesis of the Water Sustainability Action Plan for British Columbia, released in 2004.”

Incorporation of the Partnership as a Society

“From 2003 through 2010, the Water Sustainability Committee was the hub for a partnership network operating in the local government setting. Going forward, the Partnership is now that hub,” stated Tim Pringle, Partnership President, in 2010 when  the Water Sustainability Committee metamorphosed into the Partnership for Water Sustainability in British Columbia, an autonomous society. To learn more, click here.

 This story was originally posted in August 2009. Updated in December 2010.

Note to Reader:

The article below is brought forward from 2004 because it provides historical context for the “Water Sustainability Action Plan for British Columbia”, released in February 2004.

The genesis for the Action Plan dates back to March 2003 when the vision and partnership concept first took shape for doing a 5-year update on A Water Conservation Strategy for British Columbia, released in 1998. Funding for Action Plan development was provided by the Province of British Columbia.

Through a partnership with the Province which included core funding, program delivery was carried out by the Water Sustainability Committee (WSC) of the British Columbia Water & Waste Association (BCWWA) from 2004 through 2010. The WSC provided the leadership, facilitation and organizational services necessary for successful program implementation.

At the end of 2010, the WSC metamorphosed into the Partnership for Water Sustainability in British Columbia, an autonomous society.

Framework for Building Partnerships

In 2003, the Ministry of Water, Land and Air Protection (WALP) provided the original Water Sustainability Committee (WSC) of the BC Water & Waste Association with core funding so that the WSC could spearhead development of the Water Sustainability Action Plan for British Columbia in partnership with the Province.

The original WSC had an integrating role in collaborating with other organizations to create a lasting legacy. By drawing its members from a diverse range of disciplines and organizations, the WSC functioned across the ‘boundaries’ and beyond the historical ‘limits’ or ‘constraints’ of the mandates, knowledge and expertise found in specific organizations.

In February 2004, the WSC and Province jointly released Water Sustainability Action Plan for British Columbia: Framework for Building Partnerships.  The main goal was to encourage province-wide implementation of fully integrated water sustainability policies, plans and programs.

2003 – A Teachable Moment

“The drought, forest fires and floods that British Columbia experienced in 2003 have created a teachable moment for change in the way we view water in this province,” stated Ray Fung, WSC Chair (2003-2008) when the Action Action was released. “Capitalizing on this opportunity, the purpose of the Water Sustainability Action Plan for British Columbia is to promote and facilitate sustainable approaches to water use and water resource management.”

“Sustainable communities are all about choices – choices that become reality very quickly, with lasting consequences. In the years ahead, muchwill depend on getting the choices right in British Columbia, especially in those communities that are experiencing growth and/or renewal,” continued Lynn Kriwoken. She represented the former Ministry of Water, Land and Air Protection on the WSC. She is currently an Executive Director in the Ministry of Environment.

To Learn More:

To download a copy of the Action Plan plus supporting appendices, click on the links below:

• Water Sustainability Action Plan for British Columbia, February 2004 
• Appendix B – Provincial Focus Group Findings, December 2003
• Appendix C – A Watershed/Landscape-Based Approach to Community Planning, March 2002

As illustrated by the graphic below, the Water Sustainability Action Plan initially comprised six elements that holistically linked water management with land use, development and resource production. The Action Plan was developed and is being implemented as a shared responsibility.

Originally posted in March 2003
Brought forward and updated in May 2013

Intregrating the Site with the Watershed and Stream

Released in 2008, Living Water Smart, British Columbia’s Water Plan is a call to action to prepare communities for change and do business differently. Actions and targets in Living Water Smart establish expectations as to how land will be developed and water will be used. Now, the Primer on Integrated Rainwater and Groundwater Management for Lands on Vancouver Island and Beyond provides local governments with guidance for implementation of Living Water Smart principles on the ground.

City of Parksville Demonstration Application

“Collaboration with the City of Parksville created the opportunity to inform the educational process that is part of the City’s Official Community Plan (OCP) Review. The City is a demonstration application for the Primer. The learning captured in this Primer will also be shared with other local governments on Vancouver Island. Knowledge-sharing will be facilitated through the current Inter-Regional Education Initiative. The Primer is written for expert and non-expert audiences,” reports Craig Wightman, Senior Fisheries Biologist with the BC Conservation Foundation, and a Primer co-author.

“The Primer introduces the issue of the ‘unfunded infrastructure liability’. Viewing the watershed through an asset management lens provides local governments with a driver to require that development practices mimic the Water Balance.”

“Parksville’s OCP Review provided a great opportunity to formally recognize the value and inter-dependence of the City’s small stream and groundwater resources, and their importance to people and the region’s highly diverse fish and wildlife populations.  The term ‘livable community’ can take on new relevance in this process, and ensure Parksville remains a community of choice for residents and visitors alike.”       

To Learn More:

To download a copy, click on Primer on Integrated Rainwater & Groundwater Management for Lands on Vancouver Island and Beyond. 

Linking Rainfall, the Landscape, Groundwater and Streamflow

Released in April 2012 by the Partnership for Water Sustainability in British Columbia, the Primer introduces building blocks that can inform ‘water-centric’ policy development by BC municipalities. Embedding a science-based understanding in an Official Community Plan (OCP), for example, can make a difference on the ground. Thus, the Primer objectives are three-fold:

• provide insight into the regulatory and educational context for moving from awareness to action in order to protect watershed and stream health in BC;
• explain how introduction of the Rainfall Spectrum concept a decade ago led us to look at rainfall differently in BC;
• foreshadow how pioneer research in the Englishman River watershed in the City of Parksville on Vancouver Island can similarly lead us to look at groundwater differently.

“The federal-provincial Regional Adaptation Collaboratives Program provided funding for Primer development. This Primer is the third in a series of guidance documents released by the Partnership for Water Sustainability since November 2011,” explains Kim Stephens, Partnership Executive Director. “Core concepts presented in these companion documents provide an educational foundation for rainwater management in a watershed context.”

Mimic the Water Balance

“The purpose of the Primer is to provide the reader with a science-based understanding of factors that impact on watershed and stream health, either for better or worse. Building blocks in a science-based understanding are:

• Rainfall (precipitation);
• the ability of the landscape to absorb rainfall;
• movement of water through the ground; and
• the resulting flow in streams.”

“These elements are part of a system that we call the Water Balance. Land development short-circuits this system when the land surface is hardened and below-ground flow paths to streams are eliminated. By describing the linkages and connecting dots, the ultimate goal of the Primer is to foster responsible decisions about use and development of land,” continues Kim Stephens.

Doing Business Differently in BC

Creating desirable communities and protecting stream health are mutually reinforcing outcomes:

• Living Water Smart is the provincial VISION for sustainable land and water stewardship;
• TOP-DOWN & BOTTOM-UP collaboration between local governments and the stewardship sector is a critical success factor for “getting the local watershed vision right”;
• an over-arching WATERSHED GOAL is to manage the natural environment and built environment as integrated components of a healthy watershed;
• the watershed goal can be achieved by making ‘green choices’ and DESIGNING WITH NATURE to protect the water balance;
• inter-regional KNOWLEDGE-SHARING, collaboration, alignment and consistency will allow everyone to go farther, more efficiently and effectively, with implementation; and
• achieving the desired outcome is contingent on regulators, planners, developers, designers and others embracing SHARED RESPONSIBILITY and aligning their efforts.

“If local governments and others are to be effective over time in creating liveable and desirable communities that also protect stream health, it follows that land development practices must strive to mimic the Water Balance,” emphasizes Kim Stephens.

Integrating the Site with the Watershed and Stream

ln 2002, the Province released Stormwater Planning: A Guidebook for British Columbia. Looking at rainfall differently led to a new approach to rainwater management. The Guidebook provided a science-based framework to guide development of the ‘stormwater’ component of Liquid Waste Management Plans.

“When the Province released the Guidebook in 2002, we thought we would be doing well if we could just hold the line and protect what we had. We hoped we might have enough successes after 20 years that maybe, just maybe, we would then improve conditions in the decades that followed,” states Peter Law, Chair of the Guidebook Steering Committee (2000-2002). Formerly with the Ministry of Environment, Peter Law is a founding Director of the Partnership for Water Sustainability in British Columbia.

“Well, it is 2011 and we have exceeded our own expectations. What was a dream in 2002 may now in fact be achievable. We have the tools and experience to ‘design with nature’ in order to soften the ‘water footprint’ of development. Watershed restoration is within our grasp.”

Science-Based Understanding

“Building on the Guidebook foundation, the Partnership has released the Primer on Rainwater Management in an Urban Watershed Context. The purpose of the Primer is to provide engineers and non-engineers with a common understanding of how a science-based approach to rainwater management has evolved since the mid-1990s.” Peter Law also explains that:

• First, research by Richard Horner and Chris May in Washington State identified limiting factors for stream health, and established an order-of-priority. Their findings provided a road map for integrated rainwater management.
• Next, the “made in BC” concept of the Rainfall Spectrum led us to look at rainfall differently. This resulted in the Water Balance Methodology and the ability to quantify and assess the hydrologic effectiveness of ‘green’ infrastructure.
• After that, a fresh look at other early engineering and biophysical research opened a window into the science of stream erosion and how it could be correlated with stream health.
• The synthesis of the three streams of thinking then provided the technical foundation for ‘designing with nature’ in order to soften the ‘water footprint’ of development. In BC, we have continued to build on this foundation.

“Pioneer research yielded guiding principles; these are standing the test of time. Evaluation of, and analyses using, the entire rainfall and stream discharge spectrum allows us to see new connections to stream health and to begin the process of creating effective mitigation strategies,” adds Kim Stephens, Executive Director, Partnership for Water Sustainability in British Columbia.

TO LEARN MORE:

To download a copy, click on Primer on Rainwater Management in an Urban Watershed Context.

Posted December 2011

Integrating the Site with the Watershed and Stream

ln 2002, the Province released Stormwater Planning: A Guidebook for British Columbia. The Guidebook introduced a number of concepts, including the Modelling Hierarchy. Building on the Guidebook foundation, the Partnership for Water Sustainability in British Columbia released the Primer on Urban Watershed Modelling to Inform Local Government Decision Processes in November 2011.

“The Modelling Hierarchy is about ‘appropriate and affordable’ computer modelling. To help local governments, the Guidebook articulated a guiding principle that the level and/or detail of modeling should reflect the information needed to make informed decisions,” states Jim Dumont, Engineering Applications Authority for the Water Balance Model Partnership.

“By addressing what appropriate and affordable should mean in practice, the Primer deals with two separate dimensions of an Integrated Stormwater Management Plan (ISMP). The first is the Watershed itself, where the focus is on the relationship between rainfall and resulting flow rates in streams. The second is the storm drainage system, where the focus is on infrastructure and the level of service.”

Guidance in Three Areas

The purpose of the Primer is to provide engineers and non-engineers with a common understanding regarding ‘appropriate and affordable’ computer modelling. The Primer elaborates on:

• Performance Targets:  brings forward a synopsis of key information from Stormwater Planning: A Guidebook for British Columbia
• Levels-of-Service:explains why and how the major financial challenge resulting from the ‘unfunded infrastructure liability’ is a driver for a life-cycle approach to asset management and renewal
• Screening / Scenario Tools: introduces the ‘Drainage Infrastructure Screening Tool’ for establishing priorities and making budget decisions for storm sewer system upgrading; and describes the application of the ‘Water Balance Model powered by QUALHYMO’ for establishing watershed-specific performance targets.

From the stream health perspective, appropriate and effective green infrastructure is a way to increase the level-of-service. Expressed another way, green infrastructure that restores the rainfall absorption capacity of the watershed landscape will increase the level of ecological protection.

“For storm sewer systems, the process of establishing an acceptable ‘Level-of-Service’ will require local governments to review, examine, and justify the existing standards and how to transition into the future where costs must be balanced against public needs and expectations,” concludes Jim Dumont.

TO LEARN MORE:

To download a copy, click on Primer on Urban Watershed Modelling to Inform Local Government Decision Processes.

Posted December 2011

Integrate Performance Targets at Three Scales to Protect Stream Health

The Water Balance Model for British Columbia is a scenario comparison tool. In December 2011, the Water Balance Model Partnership completed a year-long program to rebuild both the website front-end and the user interface that connects to the QUALHYMO calculation engine.

Launched in 2003, it can help local governments create a future watershed vision by informing their decisions about the impacts, or not, of their ‘water footprint’ on watershed health. The Water Balance Model enables the user to establish performance targets for rainfall capture and runoff control at the site, neighbourhood and watershed scales.  

To learn about the context for the tool, also read the set of six stories about “Integrated Rainwater Management in the 21st Century” that follow immediately below this one: Beyond MAR; Overcoming Fear and Doubt; Team Effort; Create a Vision; What Drives a Successful Model; and Focus on Solutions.

About the New Platform

“Rebuilt on a Linux platform, the Water Balance Model (WBM) is now quicker and cleaner to use. Also, it incorporates new modules that provide expanded capabilities. Early responses from users exceed expectations. Feedback from those involved in land development and infrastructure servicing confirms that the rebuild is timely. It is filling an on-the-ground need,” reports Richard Boase, Co-Chair, WBM Partnership.

“The rebuilt Water Balance Model is tailored to multiple levels of users who have a wide range of technical backgrounds, from hydrology experts to stewardship groups. To provide users with more flexibility, the model now has launch buttons at three scales of investigation: SITE, NEIGHBOURHOOD and WATERSHED.”

“New modules encompass stream erosion, rainwater harvesting and climate change. More modules are coming in 2012, including the Drainage Infrastructure Screening Tool and a tree canopy module. These will open doors to an array of educational opportunities.”

“Embedded in the Water Balance Model is a Stream Health Methodology. It addresses the interaction of runoff (volume and duration) with the physical aspects considered important to the aquatic environment. We can now correlate green infrastructure effectiveness with protection of stream health.”

“The Partnership vision is that local governments will utilize the Water Balance Model to establish watershed-specific targets; and then translate those targets into action at the site scale,” concludes Richard Boase.

TO LEARN MORE: 

To access the WBM website and learn about the model capabilities, click on http://www.waterbalance.ca/. 

To read a background article posted on the Rainwater Management, click on  Partnership announces that rebuilt “Water Balance Model for British Columbia” is now LIVE!. 

To download an explanatory document about the Stream Health Methodology, click on  Beyond the Guidebook: Methodology for Establishing Science-Based Performance Targets.

 Originally posted in January 2012

Connecting Water, Land….and People 

In 2009, BC Hydro Power Smart recognized the need for collaboration among organizations and individuals within the province; and embarked upon an initiative known as the Conservation Community of Practice.

“We define conservation quite broadly, to include more than just conserving energy or reducing greenhouse gas emissions,” states Pia Nagpal, BC Hydro Program Manager for Community Planning.  “Our long-term goal is build connections between and within communities that result in advancing existing and creating new community-based commitments to actions that support the creation of a conservation culture, and ultimately, conservation itself.”

“The Conservation Community of Practice, supported by BC Hydro, but in existence because of its members, was created in 2010 to bring together like minded conservation champions across BC to collaborate and share best practices on community based conservation initiatives. Organizations such as the Partnership for Water Sustainability in British Columbia have participated in discussions on how to engage communities and municipalities in order to increase education and achieve action.”

“Inspired by members’ innovation and passion to create change, the Conservation Community of Practice publishes a monthly newsletter that features a member organization and/or story to share with others. In February 2012, we were pleased to draw attention to the great work of the Partnership for Water Sustainability. The Partnership connects water, land and people. It is demonstrating the effectiveness of a top-down and bottom-up approach to leading change in the local government setting,” concludes Pia Nagpal.

TO LEARN MORE:

The Community-of-Practice newsletter story is posted elsewhere on the Waterbucket website. To access it, click on Partnership for Water Sustainability in BC Connects Water, Land and People.

Collaborative Initiatives Will Help Local Governments in BC Better Deliver on Regulatory Objectives and Compliance 

In November 2012, the Partnership for Water Sustainability in British Columbia completed a year-long ‘proof of approach’ on Vancouver Island for an Inter-Regional Educational Initiative for Rainwater Management in a Watershed Sustainability Context (IREI). This initiative is designed to accelerate implementation of Living Water Smart and Green Communities principles and desired outcomes in the local government setting.

“Four regional districts, representing 90% of the Vancouver Island population, have aligned efforts to implement the IREI. The IREI is providing local governments with the tools and understanding they need to change our land ethic for the better. The IREI is about integrating the Site with the Watershed and Stream,” reports Derek Richmond, Manager of Engineering with the City of Courtenay. He is Chair of the CAVI-Convening for Action on Vancouver Island initiative.

“In 2012, each region hosted an IREI sharing and learning event or process. 24 local governments participated. The Cowichan Valley led off with a Water Balance Forum in March. Then the Nanaimo Region hosted a Water Balance Model Workshop in June where the Partnership unveiled the web-based Drainage Infrastructure Screening Tool.”

“In the first half of 2012, the Comox Valley adapted a Capital Region precedent to create a Draft Landowners Guide for Water-Wise Development. To close out the 2012 program, the Capital Region hosted a workshop where the Partnership unveiled the beta version of the web-based Water Balance Model Express for Landowners.”

“In 2013, the IREI is moving from ‘proof of approach’ on Vancouver Island to full-scale implementation, including Metro Vancouver and beyond. Inter-regional collaboration will help leverage more with the same resources. Everyone will be able to better deliver on regulatory objectives and compliance.”

Framework for Collaboration

Kim Stephens, Partnership Executive Director, reports that the approach in bringing together the four Vancouver Island regions and the Metro Vancouver region is shaped by these considerations:

1. All have over-arching plans in place.
2. All have funded activities that they are planning to do in 2012 and beyond.
3. While the regions are linked by common interests, they are not dependent on each other.
4. Collaboration, alignment and consistency in application will create opportunities for everyone to be more effective.
5. The ‘convening for action’ educational program will align with regional priorities and workloads, not add to workloads.
6. The inter-regional program will link activities so that everyone can share experiences, benefit from lessons learned, and align efforts with the Living Water Smart and Green Communities initiatives.

“Each region has developed a provincially significant plan or approach to achieve water and watershed sustainability,” observes Kim Stephens. “All are striving to implement a consistent regional approach that protects and/or restores natural watershed function over time.”

To Learn More:

Click on Inter-Regional Education Initiative for ‘Rainwater Management in a Watershed Sustainability Context’ to access the homepage for the initiative.

In March 2012, the Cowichan Valley Regional District hosted an inter-regional Water Balance Model Forum at the Duncan campus of Vancouver Island University

Kiskatinaw River scenery

Note to Reader:

With passage of the British Columbia Drinking Water Protection Act in 2001, drinking water purveyors across the province have been subject to a requirement for a Water System Assessment leading to a Source Water Protection Plan (SWPP). 

The following article as contributed by Reg Whiten, P.Ag RPP MCIP, Planning Consultant, and the Watershed Steward for the City of Dawson Creek, a community of 12,000 situated in northeast BC. In 2013, the City was nominated for the first-ever Council of the Federation Award for Excellence in Water Stewardship for BC.

Context for Source Water Protection

“Formal direction for a Source Water Protection Plan (SWPP) is provided by the Regional Health Authority, and places an ongoing onus on the purveyor to identify, monitor and report water quality risks,” states Reg Whiten. “Whether the drinking water source is found in ground or surface water from upstream watersheds, the challenge can be a daunting one to effectively develop and maintain an effective SWPP.  Indeed, all source waters have their inherent risks given potential pathways for pathogens or other contaminants from industrial activities that might find their way into a community system’s raw-water intake.”  

Multi-Barrier Approach

“Source watersheds change over time, as do the nature and extent of water quality and supply risks or hydrological effects from a combination of natural or anthropogenic factors.  Such effects on the hydrological regime can range from inherent biophysical features, uncertain climate change impacts and landscape perturbations such as Mountain Pine Beetle infestation.”

“The multi-barrier approach to drinking water protection forms the foundation to risk reduction, but there are many factors that must be in place for this to work effectively.  For the past twenty years, the City of Dawson Creek has taken upon itself to better understand and manage its source water supply.  Its experience may be of value to other communities – urban, rural and First Nations – around the province that have yet to prepare an SWPP, and may also have water sources with varied and expanding land-use and resource development features.”

Water Supply History

“For over 60 years, the drinking water source for the City has been the upper Kiskatinaw.  At the time the US Army Corp of Engineers constructed the City’s water supply system during the Second World War, it would have been hard to imagine just how much the landscape within the upper Kiskatinaw River watershed (UKRW) would change in the decades to follow.”

“The unstable silty drainage system that gave definition to its Woodland Cree namesake translated as “Cutbank river” is known for its high natural spikes in turbidity after spring freshet and intense rainfall periods. Variable water flows evidenced by more frequent and extreme (flooding and drought) events in recent years have resulted in six periods of potable water-use restrictions since 1992.”

City of Dawson Creek – domestic water intake bear the community of Arras

Impacts of Development

 “As development has intensified over the past twenty years, so too have concerns about impacts to surface flows and quality resulting from various forms of Crown and private land development by gas, agriculture and forestry with resulting rapid expansion of water course crossings, and increased surface disturbance to wetlands and riparian areas.”

“Recent initiatives by government and industry to disclose fracturing fluid constituents, introduction of a new water allocation and water use reporting system along with improved hydrological modelling are all measures which should eventually increase the City’s ability to implement its watershed management objectives.”

Installing water quality probes

The City of Dawson Creek’s Water Stewardship Program

“Through the City’s creation of a formal, ongoing Watershed Steward position and program in 2008, considerable impetus has been given to SWPP implementation,” continues Reg Whiten.

“Through its partnership with the Peace River Regional District, the province, industry and government stakeholders, great strides have been taken to address key watershed research questions, such as effects of wetland loss, aquifer delineation and ground-surface water interactions.”

Challenges for Source Water Protection

“The Kiskatinaw Watershed Forum and Field Tour yielded valuable insights on these topics. Part of that effort will also include completion of an updated water quality risk assessment. There are indeed many challenges related to effective Source Water Protection. These include such considerations as:

• Ensuring timely and coordination by regulators involved in land and water management in communicating risks to the water purveyor;
• Training and capacity-building in water source protection for water purveyors, particularly for communities drawing upon drinking water supply areas with multiple resource industry activities;
• Adequate oversight by drinking water authorities in ensuring source water protection plan implementation, including inter-agency/regulatory coordination and best practice in water source protection and risk mitigation practices;
• Investment and ongoing support for a watershed advisory body with various watershed stakeholders to assess needs, interests and progress related to drinking water supply monitoring and protection.”

“Through effective engagement of watershed stakeholders, it is hoped the City will soon be well positioned to develop a model of watershed governance tied to an effective hydrological monitoring system for improved decision-making for both water and land-use management.“

Watershed stakeholders field tour

Framework for Action

“To be effective in managing both risks and opportunities, the City is employing a strategic and integrated water stewardship approach consistent with other community sustainability initiatives,” emphasizes Reg Whiten.

“Current efforts are also being aimed at improved water security through ongoing system improvements, and a recently launched SureWater consultation initiative.”

“Such measures include a) continued operation of its headwaters source reservoir at Bearhole Lake, b) optional raw-water reservoir expansion from a ninety day to one year storage capacity, c) possible groundwater augmentation d) ongoing distribution system management retrofits to reduce leakages and increase efficiency e) waste-water recycling through its new Reclaim Facility and f) a host of other water conservation and planning initiatives.”

“It is hoped that the combined efforts and investments in both watershed stewardship and water-use management will create a stable and healthy environment for sustainable community development well into the future,” concludes Reg Whiten.

Bearhole Lake headwater reservoir and control weir