Okanagan Basin Water Board releases report on ‘Managing Stormwater in a Changing Climate’
From Rain to Resource: Recommendations Highlight Application of Planning Tools
In October 2010, the Okanagan Basin Water Board (OBWB) and the BC Water and Waste Association co-hosted a 2-day workshop titled From Rain to Resource: Managing Stormwater in a Changing Climate. The OBWB has just released a report that summarizes a comprehensive set of recommendations that came out of the workshop; and provides an overview of the topics and case studies that were presented.
“In the past decade it has become clear that problems with water quality, environmental health, and aquifer failure are connected to rainfall and runoff management. Looking forward, we need to change the way we view rain and rainstorms – to manage the risks and uncertainty associated with climate change, and to preserve the things we value without going broke on ever-larger engineering solutions,” states Anna Warwick Sears, OBWB Executive Director.
“Changing our rain and storm water management will change how we approach development, but we will be living in a healthier environment with lower impact designs.”
One of the key recommendations for local government is to incorporate the Water Balance Model in planning. Application of this scenario modelling tool was a recurring theme throughout the workshop. To download the report and learn more, click on From Rain to Resource: Okanagan Basin Water Board releases report on ‘Managing Stormwater in a Changing Climate’.
News Release #2011-11
March 15, 2011