ARTICLE: Watershed Moment: How British Columbia has incorporated watershed thinking into its asset management (Water Canada magazine, Sep/Oct 2016)

A creek near author Kim Stephens' property on Bowen Island, BC

A creek near author Kim Stephens’ property on Bowen Island, BC

Hydrology Rules!

kim-stephens_sep2016_120p“The goal in restoring the hydrologic integrity of a watershed is to forestall an unfunded taxpayer liability flowing from changes in hydrology,” wrote Kim Stephens, Executive Director with the Partnership for Water Sustainability in BC, in an article published in Water Canada magazine. “A cornerstone of this approach is the legacy work of Richard Horner and Chris May. Their research made it clear that stormwater management is as much, or more, about land use decisions as engineering solutions.”

Whole System Services

“The water balance of a watershed needs to be protected and managed in the same way that engineered assets and the services they provide are managed. Failure to protect the hydrologic integrity of water balance pathways has financial, level-of-service, and lifecycle impacts, as well as implications for taxpayers.”

“A legacy of past community planning and infrastructure servicing practices is the water balance of urban watersheds is out of balance. Asset management is the lens for bringing land development and infrastructure servicing practice into line with science-based understanding,” concluded Kim Stephens.

To Learn More:

Download Watershed Moment: How British Columbia has incorporated watershed thinking into its asset management to read the complete article published in the September-October issue of Water Canada magazine.

'FISH PICTURE' BASED ON WASHINGTON STATE RESEARCH - This Demonstrates the impact of increasing impervious area on species diversity. Based on research findings for lowland streams in the Puget Sound region. It is intended for  conceptual purposes only.

‘FISH PICTURE’ BASED ON WASHINGTON STATE RESEARCH – This Demonstrates the impact of increasing impervious area on species diversity. Based on research findings for lowland streams in the Puget Sound region. It is intended for conceptual purposes only.