Rainwater Management

The West Glendover Stormwater Improvement Project in Lexington, Kentucky is an unusal project that resulted from extraordinary cooperation on the part of all parties involved. Locating a rainwater/stormwater project in an arboretum stopped flooding to nearby homes, enhanced the arboretum's collection of plants, and allowed the public to see a large-scale rain garden.

Rain gardens sound exotic, but they are really a low-tech way to help rain soak in where it falls, replenishing water supplies and reducing pollution in waterways. Roof gardens, on the other hand, have the same goals, but are something you should not try at home without the help of experts. Marcus de la fleur has installed both on his property in the City of Elmhurst, a Chicago suburb.

Andy Reese examines how our ideas about stormwater have changed since the 1800s. He insightfully looks back at why we pursued stormwater management in ways which unknowingly – at the time – foreclosed opportunities for more sustainable, livable communities. “It is much easier to know what the next paradigm is than to move into the next paradigm,” wrote Andy Reese.

According to Kevin Lagan, the Wal-Mart development in the City of Courtenay precipitated the beginning of a major change in how the City administers the zoning/development/approval process, collaborates with other agencies and also manages the rainwater resource.

The City of Courtenay was the first BC municipality to adopt a policy requiring developers to provide a minimum soil depth on building sites as a rainwater management tool. “The challenge for the City is in how to ensure that developers and house builders fulfil their obligations to provide and preserve the minimum required depth,” stated Sandy Pridmore.

“Within the Cowichan Valley Regional District, there are five local government jurisdictions; and the same group of developers and development consultants have projects in all or most of those jurisdictions,” stated Peter Nilsen. It therefore becomes essential that developers and their consultants hear a consistent message regarding rainwater management and green infrastructure expectations when doing business at the front counters in each of those jurisdictions.”

Peter Nilsen (160p)
Within the Cowichan Valley Regional District, there are five local government jurisdictions. A consistent message regarding rainwater management and green infrastructure expectations is an essential element of a regional team approach.

Under the umbrella of the Water Sustainability Action Plan for British Columbia, the British Columbia Inter-Governmental Partnership responsible for the Water Balance Model powered by QUALHYMO has developed the Water Balance Model Commuinity-of-Interest as a companion website to the Rainwater Management Community-of-Interest.

In November 2007, the Capital Regional District hosted a full-day workshop titled Bio/Infiltration: Tools for Rainwater Management. The workshop featured case studies from both sides of the Georgia Basin, thereby facilitating a sharing of experiences

An overview of the issues that often plague the implementation of innovative rainwater management projects. Topics covered included the role of Environmental Monitoring, Construction Supervision, and Erosion & Sediment Control.