Coquitlam River Watershed Roundtable: Collaboration benefits all

aerial view, looking north from the Fraser River, of the Coquitlam River watershed

Overcoming Barriers to Watershed Plan Implementation

As an important drinking water source providing over one third of the water to the Metro Vancouver region, and a significant source of hydropower, the pristine and protected upper Coquitlam River watershed is vastly different from the 264+ hectares of heavily developed lower watershed.

Over 156,000 people reside in the lower watershed, the area of focus for the Roundtable and its newly developed Lower Coquitlam River Watershed Plan to address key pressures that affect the health of the watershed.

Aligned by a common vision of a healthy watershed, the Roundtable began developing the watershed plan following an adaptive management model known as the Open Standards for the Practice of Conservation.

The Community Roundtable Meeting taking place on June 10, 2017 in Port Coquitlam will share multi-sector, public, and expert perspectives on local watershed governance, sustainable funding mechanisms, and collaborative decision-making. The Roundtable’s draft Business Proposal will be shared with the public for the first time.

Collaboration Benefits All

“One way to enhance the capacity of local governments to assess impacts is to work collaboratively, with other local governments, provincial and federal governments, government agencies, First Nations, the academic community and professional associations, many of which are already working to understand how the climate and ecosystems are changing and what the impacts will be. A number of these groups are already working with various local governments in BC,” states Deborah Carlson, Staff Counsel with West Coast Environmental Law.