PUBLICATION: Managing Stormwater in a Changing Climate – Report on From Rain to Resource Workshop (February 2011)
Convening for Action in the Okanagan
In October 2010, the 2-day From Rain to Resource Workshop: Managing Stormwater in a Changing Climate brought together twenty-two expert speakers and panellists and more than 100 delegates from across British Columbia. Delegates included mayors and councillors, administrative staff, planners, engineers and consultants from around the province.
Held in Kelowna, the event was presented by the Okanagan Basin Water Board (OBWB) in partnership with the BC Water and Waste Association (BCWWA) and with funding support through Natural Resources Canada’s Regional Adaptation Collaboratives Program (RAC).
In February 2011, the OBWB released a report that summarizes a comprehensive set of recommendations that came out of the workshop. The report also provides an overview of the topics and case studies that were presented. To download a copy, click on From Rain to Resource 2010: Managing Stormwater in a Changing Climate.
Why ‘From Rain to Resource 2010′?
“We spent the last half a century trying to control runoff with dikes, storm sewers, curbs and gutters. Now, increased development and increased storm intensity from climate change are increasing peak flows and altering the rules of the game. We can’t engineer away our problems fast enough, and have to look at other, lower impact solutions,” states Anna Warwick Sears in providing context for the OBWB decision to organize From Rain to Resource 2010.
“Many positive and innovative developments in rainwater and stormwater management have not yet been introduced in Okanagan municipalities and rural areas. This workshop was held to highlight the importance of rainwater management to climate change adaptation and to showcase examples from other areas that could be applied to the Okanagan.”
To Learn More:
To download an article that highlights key findings from the report, with emphasis on the recommendation that local governments incorporate the Water Balance Model into watershed planning, click here.
To access a comprehensive set of stories posted elsewhere on Waterbucket about the workshop, click on 2010 From Rain to Resource Workshop.
