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“Work needs to be done today to ensure we see a secure water future. Benefits are long-term,” wrote Kim Stephens. “Successful programs that are politically supported would ensure we restore the water balance and have sustainable watershed systems. This approach has the potential to re-set the ecological baseline along the east coast of Vancouver Island and in the Lower Mainland. Success would be abundant salmon in urban streams.”

“Communities would benefit from shifting their definitions of community infrastructure to include entire watersheds. Including the components and pathways of a watershed system among infrastructure assets, and both managing them as integrated systems to maintain the natural water balance within communities and protecting them, would help communities avoid incurring expensive fixes and unfunded liability,” wrote Brian Bedford.

“A key message in the Primer is the necessity of ‘staying true to the science’ IF communities are to achieve a vision for sustainable watershed systems,” wrote Kim Stephens. “Achieving sustainable watershed systems through asset management will require long-term commitment by communities, successive municipal councils and regional boards, and generations of land and water professionals.”

Restoring watershed function will require a long-term commitment by the community at large, successive Municipal Councils and Regional Boards, and generations of land AND water professionals. “The challenge is ‘integration’ and getting every discipline to recognize each others’ contribution plus get the organization working together on a common path. The other challenge is communicating and understanding the message,” wrote Wally Wells.

“The ultimate vision for fully integrated Sustainable Service Delivery is that communities would protect, preserve, restore and manage natural assets in the same way that they manage their engineered assets,” stated Glen Brown. “A watershed, and the ecosystem services that it provides, is a fundamental and integral part of a community’s infrastructure. Trees, soil, green spaces and water do contribute a valuable municipal function in maintaining the hydrologic integrity of a healthy watershed system.”

“BC local governments are faced with three interconnected issues. The first is to manage more effectively infrastructure and assets that underpin quality of life and economic productivity in an era of scarce resources. The second is to contain costs, taxes and risks. The third is to maintain community resilience in the face of challenges, including climatic variability and extremes,” stated Emanuel Machado.

“British Columbia local governments are sharing and learning from each other. The province is at a tipping point. Water balance tools and case study experience are in place. It is within the grasp of local governments to move beyond traditional infrastructure asset management. They can account for nature’s services by implementing Sustainable Watershed Systems, through Asset Management,” wrote Kate Miller.

“Coined in 2010, the term Sustainable Service Delivery was introduced by the Province to integrate financial accountability, infrastructure sustainability and service delivery. While the BC Framework was only launched in early 2015, it has garnered both national and international attention. Other provinces, as well as the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, are integrating the BC Framework into their respective work,” wrote Glen Brown.

“The unfunded ‘infrastructure liability’ is a driver for local governments to consider longevity, focus on what happens after developers hand-off municipal infrastructure, get it right at the front-end, and prepare for the future. Climate change is part of the liability equation – adaptation has level-of-service implications for infrastructure,” wrote Derek Richmond, CAVI Chair.