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By 2002, looking at rainfall differently led the Province to adopt the Water Balance Methodology, initiate a performance target approach to capturing rain where it falls, and initiate changes in the ways rainwater runoff is returned to streams. A year later, this led to development of the Water Balance Model as a scenario comparison and decision support tool. “When Jim Dumont joined the WBM team as Engineering Applications Authority in 2005, it was indeed a milestone moment,” stated Ted van der Gulik. “Year after year, his in-kind contributions are consistent, substantial and invaluable,”

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 critical issue in British Columbia is the damage and loss of habitat caused by development and erosion of the headwater streams. The focus is in direct response to Canada’s Fisheries Act that prohibits damage of fish habitat.”,” stated Jim Dumont. “The United States EPA, on the other hand, has focussed upon water quality in the main stems and coastal waters and seeks to restore the resources of those waters through the goals and objectives of the Clean Water Act.”

“The WBM embeds land use zoning from municipal member partners, soil calculator and a new calculation engine QUALHYMO utilizing the Environment Canada climate data that includes rainfall, snow, temperature and evaporation. The easy access and calculation speed combined with the embedded data and information allows the user to easily and effectively plan and design green infrastructure techniques which will achieve the vision and objectives established for the Site, the Development, or Watershed,” stated Jim Dumont.

“It helps to look back to understand how we got to here. In 2000, DFO released Urban Stormwater Guidelines and Best Management Practices for Protection of Fish and Fish Habitat. It got practitioners thinking about how to capture rainfall in order to reduce runoff volume and protect water quality,” stated Corinio Salomi. DFO had concerns about how the DFO Guidelines were being interpreted and applied (by consultants); and these concerns were addressed by the Beyond the Guidebook Initiative.

The scope of work enabled assessment of natural stream sections and development of an erosion index for watershed scenario comparison and development of mitigation methodologies. “A principal result of increased volumes and rates of flow associated with urbanization is the consequent increase in stream erosion,” stated Jim Dumont. “This can be an economically important factor as maintenance and hydraulic capacity is affected, and it can also be an ecologically important factor as habitat is impaired through degradation, aggregation and increased suspended solids transport.”

“I have been teaching about the water cycle, water balance components and computations. So the students have a good understanding about hydrologic concepts, equations and computations. The best way to quarantee a balance between nature and urban development in the future is by teaching future planners and decision-maker today about cutting edge technology for designing with nature,” stated Dr. Ineke Kalwij. “Jim Dumont demonstrated how to integrate all of the technical things that my students have been shown in class. In his presentation, Jim’s emphasis was on the information and techniques that are important in providing solutions and value to society.”

The seminar was structured in three parts to deal with the Why, What and How in going Beyond the Guidebook. The seminar also enabled the Green Infrastructure Partnership to report out on provincially funded programs and tools. “The response by the engineering community and others was overwhelming, and came as a welcome surprise,” reported Paul Ham,Chair. “Jim Dumont explained why two rainfall-runoff simulation tools have been merged to create a decision support tool that integrates the site with the stream and the watershed.”

A team led by Dr. Hans Schreier of the University of British Columbia (UBC) kicked off a national ‘knowledge translation strategy’ for rainwater management when it convened a pre-conference workshop, conference and field tour in June 2007 in Vancouver. From a British Columbia perspective, the event design had a distinct Water Balance Model flavour. “Jim Dumont explained why and how the Fergus Creek watershed plan for the City of Surrey is based entirely on implementing ‘green solutions’ as an alternative to conventional engineered ‘blue solutions’,” stated Hans Schreier.

The key message is that Beyond the Guidebook 2007 was the first guidance document to connects the dots between the Water Balance Methodology and stream health protection. This breakthrough was transformational because it allowed drainage practitioners to develop a watershed approach that addresses stream protection and/or restoration. “We have been able to optimize the designs of mitigation works to both reduce the costs and to increase their effectiveness. In this manner we have gone Beyond the Guidebook in a rational and logical manner to reduce the total system requirements and cost,” stated Jim Dumont.