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“Farmers are saying it is not the big storms that cause them problems. Rather, it is all the little storms. All the water from the uplands is just enough that the farmers cannot get on their land and plant or harvest their crops. Development in the uplands is affecting the way we are trying to manage agriculture. So we need to change the way we are doing things in the uplands. It is about replenishing the groundwater,” stated Ted van der Gulik.

“I do not remember who came up with the idea to make this a 100-year plan but I think the group agreement to use the idea was brilliant. There are some big ideas in the plan and a 100-year time frame might take the sting out for the people thinking about all the little issues that could impact implementation. This approach gives us time. This plan is not just about water. It is about how this community wants to live and connect to the environment,” stated Anne Topp.

“Beyond the Guidebook 2010 is really the story of convening for action for water sustainability. It is about what we are calling the ‘new business as usual’. We have the tools. We have the knowledge. We know what to do on the ground. It is just a matter of applying those things when we are talking about development opportunities,” stated John FInnie. “We really need to change the way we think about land use and development. The goal is to be water-centric. The key to this way-of-thinking is the idea of ‘designing with nature’.”

“We have had the guts to start this dialogue, but we will also need bigger guts to complete what we started. Part of the process is summarizing what we heard today, inviting people back to the table to talk about what we have determined in that summary, and then putting together a plan of action together for moving forward. When we have that plan in draft format, we will be hosting a breakout session at the State of the Island Summit ,” stated Cori Lynn Germiquet.

“The Partnership’s outreach spotlight in 2010 was on the rollout of the second in the Beyond the Guidebook series of guidance documents for rainwater management and restoration of hydrologic function in urban watersheds. ‘Beyond the Guidebook 2010’ describes how a ‘convening for action’ culture has taken root in BC. Bringing together local government practitioners in neutral forums has enabled implementers to collaborate as regional teams. How to do it examples help decision-makers visualize what ‘design with nature’ policy goals look like on the ground,” stated Kim Stephens.

“As soon as we heard about rain gardens, we felt that they were the way to go. So we had to find an opportunity to build one and be successful. We looked and we thought, and then a situation presented itself. This was on Trent Street, a small cul-de-sac in an institutional area. Bowker Creek is nearby. So location-wise, this was a great opportunity. This type of green feature is the future of good watershed management in Bowker Creek and other watersheds in our region,” stated Steven Fifeild.

“Before I came to the session, I did not know much about water sustainability. But now I do. What I learned reinforces the complex layers of the challenges that we face. Our objective was to identify some of the issues, inform some people, create some initial hope with some initial solutions, and stimulate some dialogue. When I watched the discussion in the small groups, we certainly stimulated dialogue. We cannot just leave it here. It is not acceptable, in terms of a leadership realm, to have a dialogue and not complete the cycle,” stated Paul Ross.

“The matrix is intended to get everyone thinking about the role that they can play; and get everyone talking to others about how they will all work together. It was an outcome of a forum hosted by the City of Surrey in 2009. The forum focus was on the implementation challenges of green infrastructure, and how to overcome them. We looked at law, policy, process and technical tools; and how people have most successfully brought those tools together to implement the objectives of green infrastructure,” stated Susan Rutherford.

An absorbent topsoil layer has emerged as a fundamental building block for achieving water sustainability outcomes through implementation of green infrastructure practices. “The development process is our opportunity to make the change to protect our watercourses. In each of our watershed plans, we always recommend increased topsoil depth. So the City volunteered to develop a primer for implementation. Depending on who you talk to, topsoil means different things to different people. The City sets the targets. It is then up to the developer to find ways to meet those targets,” stated Remi Dube.

“It’s time for the Capital Region – and other BC communities — to build on the many local green infrastructure initiatives and implement such infrastructure across the landscape. That’s why we issued this report. We document how ‘green’ rainwater management has now been adopted by engineers, developers, planners and governments across North America. ‘Design with Nature’ approaches and Low Impact Development techniques are environmentally superior, and often are cheaper. In addition, they can provide incalculable benefits,” stated Calvin Sandborn.