DOWNLOAD: Beyond the Guidebook: Why the Water Balance Model powered by QUALHYMO
Note to Reader:
In October 1997, a focus group workshop convened by the Union of British Columbia Municipalities set in motion a chain of outcomes that culminated in Stormwater Planning: A Guidebook for British Columbia, released in June 2002. This was a catalyst for change that has resulted in British Columbia achieving international recognition as a leader in implementing green infrastructure.
Five years later, the evolution in thinking was captured in Beyond the Guidebook: Context for Rainwater Management and Green Infrastructure in British Columbia. Released in June 2007, this succinct guidance document foreshadowed Living Water Smart, BC’s Water Plan and the Green Communities Initiative, both of which were launched in 2008.
The formal rollout of Beyond the Guidebook commenced in November 2007 at a seminar organized in collaboration with the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of BC (APEGBC). Branded as Rainwater Management & Green Infrastructure: Resources and Successes for Protecting Stream Health, the seminar provided a platform to showcase the Water Balance Model powered by QUALHYMO, a scenario comparison tool that supports a science-based approach to “doing business differently”.
Where Science Meets Analysis
At the Beyond the Guidebook Seminar, Jim Dumont explained why two rainfall-runoff simulation tools have been merged to create a decision support tool that integrates the site with the stream and the watershed. Jim Dumont has been designated by the British Columbia Water Balance Model Inter-Governmental Partnership as its Engineering Applications Authority.
Jim Dumont’s presentation was organized in four parts, He explained why the Water Balance Model and QUALHYMO have been integrated, and what this integration will accomplish.
Beyond the Guidebook
Stormwater Planning: A Guidebook for British Columbia set in motion a chain of outcomes that has resulted in British Columbia being recognized internationally as a leader in implementing a natural systems approach to rainwater management in the urban environment.
“Beyond the Guidebook takes the Guidebook to the next level of evolution”, stated Jim Dumont at the beginning of his presentation.
“To help engineers in particular go Beyond the Guidebook, we have developed an analytical methodology that connects source control evaluation with stream health assessment.”
“Through implementation of “green infrastructure” policies and practices, the desired outcome in going Beyond the Guidebook is to apply what we have learned at the site scale over the past five years…so that we can truly protect and/or restore stream health in urban watersheds.”
To Learn More:
To download and read a document that provides a technical overview of the considerations that shaped model integration, click on Beyond the Guidebook – Why the Water Balance Model Powered by QUALHYMO.
The document incorporates the presentation slides developed by Jim Dumont; they are complete with explanatory comments made by Jim Dumont at the Beyond the Guidebook Seminar. To download a copy of the presentation, click here.
