“A decade ago, looking at rainfall differently led the Province of British Columbia to initiate a performance target approach to capturing rain where it falls, and initiate changes in the ways rainwater runoff is returned to streams. In the Metro Vancouver region, municipalities are required to implement watershed-based plans that inform community planning and protect stream health,” states Kim Stephens, Executive Director of the Partnership for Water Sustainability in British Columbia. 

“In the Metro Vancouver region, the regulatory spotlight is on a ‘course correction’ in the way Integrated Stormwater Management Plans (i.e. ISMPs) are developed and implemented. Actions for on-site rainwater management are spelled out in the Metro Vancouver region’s Integrated Liquid Waste & Resource Management Plan. Two years in the making, the Integrated Plan established the framework for transitioning the Metro Vancouver region to an approach that achieves the Sustainable Region Vision.”

“To help municipalities better deliver on regulatory compliance, the Partnership and APEGBC (Association of Professional Engineers of British Columbia) are partnering to offer a seminar on September 19, 2013 that integrates regulatory, historical, local government, science and technology perspectives. The seminar is a program element of the Georgia Basin Inter-Regional Education Initiative, launched in 2012.”

 

To Learn More & Register:

To download a copy of the Program Overview, click on this link to 2013 Metro Vancouver Seminar on Sustainable Rainwater Management. This 3-page flyer elaborates on each of the six modules that together provide a comprehensive and complete picture of the regulatory, historical, local government, science and technology perspectives.

For registration information, and to register for the seminar, click on Sustainable Rainwater Management: Mimic the Water Balance to Protect Watershed and Stream Health! to access the registration page on the APEGBC website.

 

A Platform for Story-Telling

“The Partnership vision is that sharing and cross-fertilization of experience and understanding will help all local governments go farther, more efficiently and effectively. Our mission is to advance a consistentapproachto rainwater management and green infrastructure practices,” adds Mike Tanner, Chair of the Waterbucket Website and a Director of the Partnership for Water Sustainability.

“Over the years, we have observed that waterbucket.ca stories are effective in terms of how they inform and educate land use and infrastructure professionals about ‘designing with nature’. A large part of their value is that they create interest and establish expectations about program curricula and deliverables. Equally important is that they provide an historical record of lessons learned by those who are leading change in British Columbia.

“The waterbucket.ca team is therefore pleased to provide this homepage so that the Partnership and APEGBC can preview what to expect on September 19. Between now and then, we will be posting stories about the teaching team and the on-the-ground experience that they will be sharing at the seminar. Stay tuned!”