BEYOND THE GUIDEBOOK 2015: “Watersheds as Infrastructure Assets” – new paradigm introduced to Delta’s Mayor and Council
Note to Reader:
In December 2015, Kim Stephens of the Partnership for Water Sustainability in British Columbia met with Mayor Lois Jackson and Council of the Corporation of Delta to present a framed “letter of recognition” because the municipality is a leader by example in the Metro Vancouver region. This presentation provided the opportunity to inform Mayor and Council about the rollout of Beyond the Guidebook 2015: Moving Towards “Sustainable Watershed Systems, through Asset Management”.
To view the YouTube video of Kim Stephens presenting the framed “letter of recognition” to Mayor and Council, click on image and link below:
Delta’s experience is informing
Inter-Regional Educational Initiative
“Delta is a leader in implementing green infrastructure practices that will ultimately protect stream health. Your case study experience helps the Partnership achieve our educational mission,” stated Kim Stephens, Partnership Executive Director. “Hence, we are pleased to celebrate your accomplishments in our Watershed Blueprint Case Profile Series. In a publication titled Creating the Future in The Corporation of Delta: Rain Gardens Help Restore Nature to Urban Areas, we tell Delta’s story in the words of those who are implementing it.”
To Learn More:
Kim Stephens (Partnership Executive Director) presents “letter of recognition” to Mayor Lois Jackson
To download a PDF copy of Delta’s story, click on Creating the Future in The Corporation of Delta: Rain Gardens Help Restore Nature.
To read the story about the “letter of recognition” from the Partnership to Delta, click on Champion Supporter: recognition of the Corporation of Delta.
The Champion Supporter category of membership is the way in which the Partnership for Water Sustainability formally recognizes agencies and organizations that are playing a leadership role in assisting the Partnership with implementation of the Water Sustainability Action Plan for British Columbia.
Moving Towards Sustainable Watershed Systems
“There is a bigger picture context, and that is the Georgia Basin Inter-Regional Educational Initiative. It is a unique collaboration, with five regions working together, and sharing and learning from each other. In April of this year, we went back to all the Regional Boards and asked them to reaffirm commitment to building of capacity and talent in the local government sector.”
“Looking ahead to 2017, we have a 2-year mind map. We are not trying to change the world over night. The goal is actually pretty modest. If we can just get everybody in local government understanding HOW to achieve sustainable watershed systems, that will be the measure of success. That is why it is so important to have the success stories like the Delta rain garden program. Now that you have been doing it for a decade, it is a way to show other local governments that one can make a difference, one municipality at a time.”
To Learn More:
To download a copy of the accompanying PowerPoint presentation by Kim Stephens, click on Rainwater Management in a Watershed Sustainability Context: Delta is a Leader by Example (0.7 MB).
What Happens on the Land Matters!
The ‘new normal’ in British Columbia is floods and droughts. The summer dry season has extended on both ends and we can no longer count on a predictable snowpack and reliable rain to maintain a healthy water balance in our watersheds. Annual volumes of water entering and exiting our regions are not necessarily changing; instead, what is changing is how and when water arrives – it is feast AND famine.
A systems approach to watershed health and protection recognizes that actions on the land have consequences for the three pathways to streams and hence the water balance of the watershed. Those consequences are felt in both dry weather and wet weather – too little or too much water, respectively.
Local governments regulate how land is developed, drained and serviced. This means local governments have the authority and ability to determine and implement watershed-based volume targets that would help to prevent drainage impacts in wet weather and also maintain an adequate water supply in dry weather for human and/or ecosystem needs.
To Learn More:
To download a copy of Beyond the Guidebook 2015, click on this link: https://waterbucket.ca/viw/files/2015/11/Beyond-Guidebook-2015_final_Nov.pdf
Visit the Beyond the Guidebook homepage on the Rainwater Management community-of-interest for a comprehensive set of posts that present the content in digestible bites, CLICK HERE.
