“When we gather, it is for a purpose. There must be an action item or an outcome. Our aim is to move from talk to action by developing tools, providing training, and building capacity,” stated Kim Stephens. “Beyond the Guidebook 2010. This is the telling of the stories of how change is being implemented on the ground by local governments and community partners.”
“The report by the Environmental Law Clinic documents how 'green' rainwater management has now been adopted by engineers, developers, planners and governments across North America,” reports Calvin Sandborn.
“The evolution of the capabilities of the web-based Water Balance Model 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,” stated Jim Dumont.
“A policy and legal tool called the 'Shared Responsibility Matrix' identifies the actors along with the various instruments that govern their actions. This provides the frame of reference for the Topsoil Primer Set,” explained Deborah Carlson. ‘Focusing on a single type of project—in this case, ‘topsoil requirements’ – can make it easier to map out the actors involved and the various decisions, actions and regulatory tools required and available to make the project a reality.”
“The dramatic change in site characteristics meant rainwater runoff had to be captured to maintain a before development hydrologic regime, if the project was to avoid downstream impacts,” stated Kevin Lagan. “Home Depot established a BC precedent when it implemented a deep deep-well system for injecting rainwater runoff and recharging the underlying groundwater aquifer.”
The South Okanagan Regional Growth Strategy provided the first opportunity to test the ‘convening for action’ approach. That experience has been adapted in Metro Vancouver and on Vancouver Island. The cross-fertilization process has now come full circle. “Convening for Action’s influence was apparent in documentation (including graphics) and corporate knowledge used in producing the Regional Growth Strategy plan,” reported Bryn White.
“The WATER Institute promotes understanding of the importance of healthy watersheds to healthy communities. It is emphasizes that land-use management strategies must thoroughly analyze the impact of human activities on the hydrologic cycle, and how these activities affect species, community and ecosystem dynamics,” explains Brock Dolman. Asserting that it is “better to be safe than thirsty,” the WATER Institute advocates the use of the Precautionary Principle in decisions about water-use policy.
“There is now clear guidance in BC for aligning local actions with provincial and regional goals to ‘design with nature’; so that we can create greener communities, live water smart and prepare for climate change. BC is now at a tipping point. Implementation of a new culture for urban watershed protection and restoration is within our grasp. Beyond the Guidebook 2010 sets the stage for settlement change that is in balance with ecology,” stated Kim Stephens.
“The Okanagan Rainwater Workshop is important. It was one of three regional events that served as high-profile platforms for rollout of Beyond the Guidebook 2010: Implementing a New Culture for Urban Watershed Protection and Restoration in British Columbia,” stated Mike Tanner. “As the series unfolds, Water Bucket stories will be placing particular emphasis on those members of the ‘convening for action team’ who are contributing program content at the Okanagan Rainwater Workshop.”
“We anticipate that this workshop will be of interest to people who put rainwater management techniques and products into practice, such as planners, engineers, and landscape architects from government and private industry, and to those that develop policy around rainwater management, such as elected officials and municipal senior staff,” stated Nelson Jatel.
