3 – LESSONS FROM THE PAST INFORM THE FUTURE IN METRO VANCOUVER: Floods create teachable moments
Note to Reader:
In November 2024, the Partnership for Water Sustainability in British Columbia released THE SYNOPSIS for the Chronicle of Green Infrastructure Innovation in Metro Vancouver. The Chronicle is a sweeping narrative of the 30-year period from 1994 through 2024. The Chronicle is a layered package comprising four documents: the Chronicle of the Journey, Stories Within the Story, Synopsis and Executive Summary. The target audience for each layer is different.
The Synopsis is the third layer in the cascade. It is oriented to senior managers who have limited time to absorb what they need to know to make informed decisions. The Synopsis is visual and so can easily be skimmed in 20 minutes or less! This extract is from page S2.
Metro Vancouver has fallen behind Washington State, Oregon and California
“Entering the 2020s, the Metro Vancouver region had regressed from a situation where many things were in alignment to one where few were in alignment. The pandemic then compounded the regression,” wrote Kim Stephens, Synopsis author and Partnership Executive Director.
“Why have practitioners of Rainwater Management in BC fallen behind the West Coast states in protecting streams and reducing risk?” asks Jim Dumont rhetorically. He is the water balance and engineering applications advisor to the Partnership.
“The needs of BC communities closely align with the other west coast areas that suffer from adverse stream flows rather than the degradation of water quality which is the case on the east coast. California, Washington, and the Oregon DOT require that stormwater management systems maintain stream flow duration to protect against stream erosion and flooding.”
“So, in British Columbia, we are on the right path with the Water Balance Methodology. But that path seems to be a pass less travelled. Few in BC realize that, just like many do not understand why mimicking flow duration is risk management. It baffles me why it is that way. Risk management is a really big deal,” concludes Jim Dumont.
Consequences of failing to get it right
“On election day in British Columbia, an atmospheric river deluged Metro Vancouver and parts of the province’s south coast. Flooding was widespread across the region,” continues Kim Stephens.
“The storm caused more than $110 million in insured damaged according to the Insurance Bureau of Canada, reported the Canadian Press on November 15, 2024. On top of this are the flood costs incurred by local governments.”
“The good news is that, in 2024, updating of the LWMP creates a fresh opportunity for the region to re-set in 2025. This essentially means embrace the intergenerational baton, apply lessons from the past, and overcome memory loss.”
To Learn More:
Download a copy of the Synopsis of the Chronicle of Green Infrastructure Innovation in Metro Vancouver from 1994 through 2024. released in November 2024. The Synopsis is structured as six sections.
DOWNLOAD A COPY: https://waterbucket.ca/gi/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2024/11/Metro-Van-Chronicle_Synopsis_DRAFT_Nov2024.pdf