DOWNLOAD A COPY OF: Living Water Smart in British Columbia: “Financial Case for Bowker Creek in the Capital Region” – released by the Partnership for Water Sustainability in October 2021
Note to Reader:
“SHARE INFORMATION. INFORM DECISIONS.” This soundbite lines up nicely with the mission of Waterbucket eNews which is to help its readers make sense of a complicated world. Waterbucket eNews celebrates the leadership of individuals and organizations who are guided by the vision for Living Water Smart in British Columbia to build greener communities and adapt to a changing climate; and embrace “design with nature” approaches to reconnect people, land, fish, and water in altered landscapes.
The edition of Waterbucket eNews published on October 26, 2021 featured EAP, the Ecological Accounting Process, as applied to the 100-Year Action Plan for daylighting Bowker Creek in the Capital Regional District.
On this date, the Partnership released Bowker Creek – A Natural Commons in the Capital Regional District: Using the Ecological Accounting Process to Establish the ‘Financial Case for the Stream’, the sixth in the series of EAP demonstration applications to be completed in a 3-stage, multi-year program of applied research.
Financial Case for Bowker Creek in the Capital Region
“Bowker Creek originates at the University of Victoria on southern Vancouver Island and flows for 8 km through three municipalities – Saanich, Victoria and Oak Bay. The creekshed is completely urbanized. The impervious area coverage is 56%. Over 30,000 people reside in the surrounding creekshed,” continued Kim Stephens.
“The Bowker Creek Blueprint is a 100-year action plan to create islands of nature within the urban environment, daylight a creek where it is enclosed in a pipe for two-thirds of its original channel length, and restore a continuous stream corridor. Applying EAP adds to the conceptual framework for stream daylighting with new insights about metrics.”
Application of FCM’s Asset Management Readiness Scale
“The Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) has developed a self-evaluation tool called the Asset Management Readiness Scale (AMRS). The 5-part tool defines five levels of competency and readiness. Currently, it is applied to maintenance and management (M&M) of constructed assets. However, it has value as a conversation starter with local government asset managers about M&M of natural assets.”
“The process for understanding how EAP might be applied to AMRS by local governments involved conversational interviews with asset managers in the three Bowker Blueprint partner municipalities. Their responses yielded insights into how the EAP case study aligned with and/or fitted into the big picture which is their organization’s approach to asset management planning for sustainable service delivery.”
TO LEARN MORE:
To read the complete story published on October 26, download a PDF copy of Living Water Smart in British Columbia: Financial Case for Bowker Creek in the Capital Region.
