ARTICLE: On Sharing a Vision for “Sustainable Watershed Systems, through Asset Management” (published in Asset Management BC Newsletter, June 2016)
Note to Reader:
The Summer 2016 issue of the Asset Management BC Newsletter includes an Op-Ed co-authored by Kim Stephens and Wally Wells.
In the beginning……
“Collaboration between Asset Management BC and the Partnership for Water Sustainability in British Columbia had its genesis in a workshop hosted by the Regional District of Nanaimo in September 2010,” wrote the authors.
“In the years since, we have aligned efforts to advance our shared vision for sustainable service delivery. The journey is ongoing. Our shared mission is to champion standards of practice that will create a water-resilient future. The branding for this desired outcome is:
Sustainable Watershed Systems,
through Asset Management
“Today, it is no accident that asset management and water sustainability are both top priorities for local governments not only on Vancouver Island but across the Province and gaining traction in the rest of the country.”
Get It Right at the Front-End
“Choice of words can make or break one’s ability to open minds to a new or different way of thinking. Commencing with the 2011 Comox Valley seminars, we changed HOW we communicate with our local government audiences. Emphasis on the 80-20 life-cycle rule for infrastructure costs proved very effective in capturing and focussing attention. It was a ‘watershed moment’ in our history.”
“As early as 2011, it was becoming clear that protection of a community’s natural resources would emerge as a foundation piece for Sustainable Service Delivery. To promote a holistic approach to infrastructure asset management, the Partnership framed three objectives for Sustainable Service Delivery: 1) pay down the legacy cost of engineered infrastructure; 2) reduce the life-cycle cost of new infrastructure; and 3) mimic the natural Water Balance to forestall life-cycle liabilities.”
To Learn More:
Download OP-ED: On Sharing a Vision for “Sustainable Watershed Systems, through Asset Management” to read the article co-authored by Kim Stephens and Wally Wells.
