“Embracing Seasonal Rainwater is designed to see how much of the peak storm flow we can attenuate during rain events in an effort to provide a low-cost increase in system capacity while engaging residents in their role in the urban water cycle. It also has the potential for reducing potable water use for irrigation in the summer months,” states Carolyn Drugge.
“Elementary students mainly from Mount Pleasant have learned about streams, created related art projects and a community parade. The St. George Rainway project is meant to be a community-building project as much as it is an engineering project,” explained Shahira Sakiyama.
“While ‘grey’ or traditional infrastructure remains an essential part of safe and effective design for flood control and urban watershed management, it is no longer the only tool in the toolbox. Green infrastructure systems, by contrast, harness natural processes to infiltrate, recharge, evaporate, harvest and reuse stormwater,” writes Laura Tam.
“The Primer is a ‘bridging document’ because it illustrates how to seamlessly integrate the legal and administrative parts of the Land Development Process through the designing with nature and rainwater management lens,” states Tim Pringle. “The focus of the Primer is on the steps in the Land Development Process. The Primer provides both context and general guidance. While much attention is given to the technical and legal aspects, we are not aware of anyone who has addressed administration.”
The Primer is a ‘bridging document’ because it illustrates how to seamlessly integrate the legal and administrative parts of the Land Development Process through the designing with nature and rainwater management lens. “There is a knowledge vacuum in BC. and this has resulted in a gap between awareness of what needs to be done, and the capability of local government staff and others to implement standards of practice that will ultimately achieve the goal of mimicking the natural Water Balance following development,” states Jim Dumont.
“The Stormwater Guidebook and Water Balance Model initiatives link directly to land use planning, policy, and regulation. They provide context and a framework for the environmental, economic, social and governance values that shape communities and regions,” stated Mayor Barry Janyk.
“Perhaps, if we make enough estimates of enough factors, the errors in estimation, high and low, will average out to the right answer. This is where voodoo really comes in handy. The good news is that, as Dr. Debo says, ‘Who can prove you are wrong?’ Well, the Omniscient Being can, but is probably busy elsewhere,” writes Andy Reese.
“The stream health methodology embedded in the Water Balance Model enables a watershed target to be established. It also enables the user to assess how to meet the watershed target at the site scale. This helps planners and designers wrap their minds around how to implement ‘design with nature’ solutions on-the-ground,” explains Ted van der Gulik.
“This new regulatory framework will transform the District’s impervious areas into a more river-friendly landscape. It is a critical step toward making District waterbodies more usable and attractive,” said Keith Anderson.
“The rule is expected to place more emphasis on using green infrastructure. EPA will need to put something out soon so that all sides are at least debating a specific proposal rather than speculating on its content,” concludes Janice Kaspersen.
