Leading Change in BC: 10 years ago, the late Don Moore showcased a vision for green infrastructure at the "Let It Rain Conference"

March 17, 2015 - Posted in Uncategorised, water sustainability

 

Note to Reader:

Don Moore passed away unexpectedly in 2008 at age 49. Although most of his career was with local government, he also made his mark in the development industry. As an early adopter of green infrastructure, part of his legacy is that he was a leader in changing the way land is developed and rainwater runoff is managed in British Columbia.

In March 2005, he was the driving force behind the “Let It Rain Conference”, hosted by Douglas College in New Westminster and co-funded by the Vancouver Foundation. This ‘convening for action’ event generated timely momentum for the ‘new business as usual’. To download a copy of the program, click on Let It Rain.

The legacy of the late Don Moore: In 2005, he championed the shift in design practice from ‘stormwater management’ to ‘designing with nature’

In 2005, Don Moore, P.Eng., had a vision for making green infrastructure the ‘new business as usual’. He seized the moment and partnered with Dr. Val Schaefer of Douglas College to organize Let It Rain: A Conference on Managing Rainwater Runoff with Low Impact Development Methods. Don Moore’s mission was to provide a spark that would lead to transformational outcomes in engineering practice. He was a commonsense practitioner; he was not captive to terminology.

“Don’s energy and enthusiasm were vital to the success of the 2005 Let it Rain Conference and I enjoyed working with him to put together the program,” remembers Val Schaefer.

It is fitting that Don Moore Drive on Burke Mountain in the City of Coquitlam is named after him. Also, a plaque is dedicated to his memory in False Creek to recognize Don Moore’s contribution to the design and construction of the City of Vancouver Dedicated Fire Protection System. The system can supply either fresh or salt water.

Design with Nature

“We are working towards building a community on Burke Mountain (in the City of Coquitlam) that has an innovative and leading edge approach to rainwater management. The ‘Let it Rain’ conference is an opportunity for all of us to learn from our peers to help us better complement nature and not replace it,” wrote Don Moore in 2005. At the time, he was Manager of Environment with Wesbild, the corporation that had previously developed the Westwood Plateau in Coquitlam. This community within the City is home to over 15,000 residents.

Don Moore constructed the first ‘engineered rain garden’ in British Columbia. This demonstration application was located at the Wesbild offices. He designed a practical system to monitor the performance of the rain garden. His innovation provided some of the earliest data on the effectiveness of landscape-based measures for rainfall capture. Don Moore presented his findings at the Let It Rain Conference.

From Asphalt to Green Infrastructure

“Don’s hallmark at this stage in his career were his ‘green infrastructure’ initiatives, which he enthusiastically promoted at each of his development sites,” recalls David Desrochers, P.Eng., his long-time friend and former colleague at the City of Vancouver. Don Moore and David Desrochers were champions for Vancouver’s Country Lanes initiative.

“At the conclusion of the Let It Rain Conference, I have a clear memory of Don providing this perspective on our engineering careers to that point. Who would have thought, he said, that early in our careers with the City of Vancouver we were out paving as much as possible. Then he paused. And now in 2005, he observed, after about 20 years under our belts, we are doing our best to pave as little as possible and build as much green infrastructure as we can.”

“Looking back, the Let It Rain Conference stands out as a milestone event in the history of green infrastructure in BC,” concludes David Desrochers.

From Stormwater to Rainwater

Paul Cipywnyk, President of the Byrne Creek Streamkeepers Society, captured a ‘Don Moore moment’ when he wrote the following in his blog: “Oh, one neat idea that popped up was no longer talking about ‘stormwater management’ but shifting to ‘rainwater management.’ Don Moore said that MS Word always flagged ‘stormwater’ as incorrect, while ‘rainwater’ was OK, and that led him to think about changing all uses of ‘stormwater’ to ‘rainwater.’ It is rain after all, not just storms, and ‘stormwater’ has developed negative connotations, such as flooding. So from now on, no more ‘stormwater management’, it’s ‘rainwater management’.”

To Learn More:

To read the complete story posted on the waterbucket.ca website about the legacy of Don Moore, and for information on who he recruited to the Let It Rain presentation team, click on Leading Change in BC: 10 years ago, the late Don Moore showcased a vision for green infrastructure at the “Let It Rain Conference”

In 2004, Don Moore collaborated with Kim Stephens to co-author a manual for Wesbild titled A Natural Systems Approach to Stormwater Management: Implementing Low Impact Development at Burke Mountain.