Soft Path to Water-Centric Sustainability: Kelowna’s Water Conservation Experience

Water-Centric Sustainability

At the inaugural Building SustainAble Communities Conference in November 2006, the trio of Oliver Brandes (POLIS Project at the University of Victoria), Don Degen (City of Kelowna) and Kim Stephens ((Water Sustainability Action Plan for BC) combined to provide an entertaining breakout session that introduced conference attendees to the world of water-centric planning.

The focus of the presentation by Don Degen was on what level of water saving can be achieved through landscaped-based measures such as soil amendments and irrigation system improvements. The City has maximized the saving that can be achieved by reducing indoor water use. By tackling outdoor use, the City’s target is to reduce peak water demand by a further 15% by 2012.

To Learn More:

To download a copy of Don Degen’s presentation, click on this link to Kelowna’s Water Conservation Experience.