2006 Annual Report from the Chair of the BCWWA Water Sustainability Committee

December 10, 2006 - Posted in 2006, Turning Ideas Into Action, Water Sustainability Action Plan for British Columbia

Note to Reader:

In 2003, the Water Sustainability Committee (WSC), a technical committee of the British Columbia Water & Waste Association (BCWWA), embarked on a partnership with the Province and others to develop and implement the Water Sustainability Action Plan for British Columbia.

Presented below is a report from Raymond Fung, WSC Chair, that summarizes what was accomplished in Year 1 of the Action Plan implementation program.

Our Vision:

Stewardship of a limited and vital resource, actively supported by an aware and educated citizenry.

Our Mission:

To facilitate the move toward a more sustainable approach to water resource management – at all levels from the province to the household.

Our Members:

1. Raymond Fung, District of West Vancouver, Chair
2. Don Enns, Cantest, Vice-Chair
3. Ted van der Gulik, Ministry of Agriculture & Lands, Vice-Chair
4. Eric Bonham, Highlands Stewardship Foundation, Board Liaison
5. Kim Stephens, Program Coordinator
6. Peter Andzans, City of Abbotsford
7. Zita Botelho, Environment Canada
8. Ron Bowman, Terasen
9. Glen Brown, Ministry of Community Services
10. Patrick Condon, University of British Columbia
11. Fiona Crofton, EcoDesign Resources Society
12. Robert Hicks, Greater Vancouver Regional District
13. Erik Karlsen, Agricultural Land Commission
14. Lynn Kriwoken, Ministry of Environment
15. Dave Palidwor, Rivershed Society
16. Ron Smith, Integrated Land Management Bureau
17. Mike Tanner, BC Hydro
18. Robyn Wark, City of Burnaby

Our Work Plan:

Water Sustainability Action Plan for British Columbia

Selection of 2005 Accomplishments:

1. Delivery of a Technical Transfer session entitled, Demand Management Strategies:  Achieving Water Balance, in cooperation with Land and Water BC, which was held immediately following the 2005 AGM in Penticton.
2. www.waterbucket.ca, a resource-rich, highly interactive ‘destination location’ for timely and provocative information about water sustainability in British Columbia was launched at the 2005 AGM in Penticton by Bill Barisoff, Minister of Water, Land and Air Protection.
3. Over the past year, WaterBucket has expanded from one to six communities-of-interest, namely:  Water Use and Conservation, Water-Centric Planning, Rainwater Management, Green Infrastructure, Agriculture, and Convening for Action.
4. The Water $ave Tool Kit for BC was incorporated into WaterBucket’s Water Use and Conservation Community of Interest, and Joanne deVries (Alliance Professional Services) was contracted to act as the Website Editor.
5. Advocates of a watershed/landscape-based approach to community planning established the Water-Centric Planning Community of Interest in WaterBucket.
6. Under the Convening for Action banner, stakeholder sessions were held in the South Okanagan to promote water stewardship and to encourage a “water balance” way of thinking within Growth Strategies initiatives, through partnerships with the Real Estate Foundation of BC, Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen, and Ministry of Community Services.
7. A number of technical workshops on the Water Balance Model were held in locations including Kamloops and Kelowna through partnerships with the Association of Professional Engineers & Geoscientists of BC, the Real Estate Foundation of BC, and Urban Development Institute.
8. The Green Infrastructure Partnership (WSC, Master Municipal Construction Document Association, Ministry of Community Services, and West Coast Environmental Law Association) held a workshop with representatives of the Regional Engineers Advisory Committee in May, 2005, following which an outreach and education program to promote and showcase local examples of green infrastructure will be conducted in 2006

“In closing, I wish to thank all the WSC members for their passions and energies toward the Committee’s work.  In particular, I wish to acknowledge the efforts of Kim Stephens, whose hard work made it possible for so much to be accomplished in the last year,” stated Raymond Fung, Chair, Water Sustainability Committee Chair, in his 2006 Annual Report.