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Convening for Action in the Okanagan Basin

From Stormwater Management to RAINwater Management: Implementing a Course Correction in Metro Vancouver


“The Integrated Plan for liquid waste and resource management provides a framework for developing and implementing outcome-oriented watershed plans that have clear linkages with municipal land use planning and development approval processes. Local watershed planning and on-site rainwater management are plan requirements. The Integrated Plan is written as a regulatory document. This limits the extent to which it is able to ‘tell a story’ that will resonate with the public,” stated Kim Stephens.

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OKANAGAN RAIN TO RESOURCE WORKSHOP: Water Balance Model facilitates adaptive management approach to implementation of alternative green infrastructure techniques – Jim Dumont


“The evolution of the capabilities of the web-based Water Balance Model (WBM) has arisen in response to the need to embrace adaptive management in the creation of watershed objectives and to quickly test alternative green infrastructure techniques prior to implementation,” states Jim Dumont. “The easy access and calculation speed combined with the embedded data and information allows the user to easily and effectively plan and design green infrastructure techniques which will achieve the vision and objectives established for the Site, the Development, or the Watershed.”

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OKANAGAN RAIN TO RESOURCE WORKSHOP: The Bowker Creek Blueprint demonstrates what can be accomplished through a vision, alignment and collaboration – Jody Watson


“The Bowker Creek Urban Watershed Renewal Initiative, known by the acronym BCI, is a multi-jurisdictional collaborative effort between local government, community groups, post-secondary institutions and private citizens to improve the health of Bowker Creek and its watershed. The BCI has developed a 100-year action plan to restore the Bowker Creek Watershed,” stated Jody Watson.

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OKANAGAN RAIN TO RESOURCE WORKSHOP: Topsoil Technical Primer provides framework for implementation, enforcement and long-term viability of absorbent landscape features – Rémi Dubé


“The Green Infrastructure Partnership published two primers to assist local government staff and designers in developing absorbent landscape regulations and design standards and ensuring their proper implementation. The Technical Primer provides design steps and highlights implementation issues that will help lead to the successful application of an ‘on the ground’ low impact development strategy,” stated Remo Dube.

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OKANAGAN RAIN TO RESOURCE WORKSHOP: East Clayton ‘Green’ Development in Surrey established BC precedent for implementation of ‘Low Impact Development’ techniques and facilities


Looking back, application of the water balance methodology to East Clayton can now be seen as the genesis for the Stream Health Methodology that is embedded in the Water Balance Model powered by QUALHYMO. “With hindsight, the significance of East Clayton is two-fold. It was an early application of performance targets at a neighbourhood scale. Also, and most importantly the analysis combined mass balance and flow duration to test the achievability of performance targets,” stated Jim Dumont.

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OKANAGAN RAIN TO RESOURCE WORKSHOP: District of North Vancouver experience in applying the Water Balance Model to develop a watershed restoration vision – Richard Boase


“We saw the Water Balance Model as an important tool that would help us to work within our developed community to restore function and value based on the premise that developed land can contribute to watershed restoration. “Using the Mackay Creek Watershed as a case study, we have demonstrated to Council that the importance of hydrologic function associated with lands removed from the stream corridors is not only being overlooked but is contributing to the erosion of stream health,” stated Richard Boase.

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Bigger Pipes or Greener Communities: A Hydrological Assessment of using Low Impact Development to Mitigate Future Flooding


“Climate change significantly raises the risk of rain-generated floods and infrastructure failure. To maintain current levels of service, drainage infrastructure will need to be modified and upgraded,” stated Chris Jensen. “The research will help determine whether LID offers a viable solution for adapting to climate change, both within the unique case study area and potentially, in similar rainfall-dominated, urbanized watersheds.”

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Rollout of ‘Beyond the Guidebook 2010’ will continue at the ‘From Rain to Resource Workshop’ in Kelowna


“A decade ago, British Columbia made a conscious decision to follow an educational rather than prescriptive path to change the way that land is developed and water is used. The Province has provided a ‘design with nature’ policy framework that enables local governments to build and/or rebuild communities in balance with ecology,” stated Ted van der Gulik.

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