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“Over the last five years water issues have become increasingly prominent within BC and beyond. The Partnership has been at the forefront of this understanding and has, through workshops, partnerships and through the development of educational material, provided practical information, shared with others, to address this concerning trend,” states Eric Bonham. “Climate change demands practical solutions at both the local and national level. The Partnership has established creative partnerships over the last five years with local governments to address this issue.”

“The reason I joined the Partnership for Water Sustainability in the early days of ‘incorporation’ was to be an advocate for educating local communities, land decision makers and the stewardship communities about the need to move from awareness to action. We need to both reduce the demand for water and protect stream health from the adverse consequences of land development practices. It was  through my work as a Provincial Fish Biologist that I became aware first-hand of the issue of water sustainability and watershed health,” stated Peter Law.

“The principles of success for the CAVI initiative and the PWSBC organization are similar. Hard-working individuals with like interests and visions, communicating with each other in a positive, no-pressure, educational way. Sharing challenges and successes and understanding how to achieve those successes has demonstrated what can be accomplished through partnerships and collaboration. Many of our initiatives and success stories have stemmed from the realization that what happens on the land does indeed matter and that a systems approach to watershed health does work. Let’s continue along this path,” states John Finnie.

“The ‘new normal’ in British Columbia is drought and flooding. The summer dry season has extended on both ends and communities can no longer count on a predictable snowpack and reliable rain to maintain a healthy water balance in their watersheds. This is putting water supply systems and ecosystems under extreme stress. 2015 will change how we do business over the next few years,” stated Kim Stephens. “Our biggest impact in terms of water supply is in the summer months when water is being used outdoors. When you think about, historically we have used almost as much water for our lawns and gardens as we drink and consume.”

“The Partnership will continue to implement the Water Sustainability Action Plan for British Columbia in 2015; and will look for new opportunities and activities that can help us celebrate our successes. Success can only be accomplished through the integration of efforts of practitioners, including our many partners in the provincial government, local governments and non-profit societies,” stated Ted van der Gulik. “An initiative of the Partnership in the coming years is to integrate young, energetic professionals with a vision towards water sustainability.”