TIER ONE CHAMPION FOR AN ECOSYSTEM-BASED APPROACH IN BRITISH COLUMBIA: Bill Derry, one of the first stormwater utility managers in the USA, convinced his local government colleagues to co-fund creation of the Center for Urban Water Resources Management at the University of Washington
Note to Reader:
Published by the Partnership for Water Sustainability in British Columbia, Waterbucket eNews celebrates the leadership of individuals and organizations who are guided by the Living Water Smart vision. Stories are structured in three parts: One-Minute Takeaway, Editor’s Perspective, and the Story Behind the Story.
The edition published on October 28, 2025 featured the third installment of the Chronicle of Green Infrastructure Innovation in Metro Vancouver. Part C covers the period 1997 through 2005. It tells the story of what led up to publication of Stormwater Planning: A Guidebook for British Columbia in 2002, and the impact of what followed in the wake of publication.
Ninety-eight pages long, Part C is a sweeping narrative weaves quotable quote to bring to life an era. It is included as an attachment to of Living Water Smart in British Columbia: Leaps of faith and calculated risks – convening for action in Metro Vancouver.
Bill Derry, Washington State
“In the 1980s, Bill Derry was the inaugural manager of the Snohomish County Stormwater Utility, one of the first in the USA. For 20 years, he chaired the Washington State stormwater committee,” wrote Kim Stephens, author of the Green Infrastructure Chronicle and Executive Director with the Partnership for Water Sustainability in BC.
“He convinced his local government colleagues to co-fund creation of the Center for Urban Water Resources Management at the University of Washington. Bill Derry was a founding director in 1990.
Land use impacts on stream condition
“Bill Derry and his committee colleagues framed eight key questions. These defined areas of research by graduate students under the guidance of Dr. Richard Horner. Chris May then pulled together this original research in his seminal PhD dissertation.”
“When the Horner and May findings were published in 1996, they shook conventional stormwater management wisdom to its foundation. Around this time, Bill and my cross-border collaboration began. By 2001, we had tag-teamed to deliver 20-plus workshops and forums around British Columbia. In so doing, we facilitated a paradigm-shift.”
“The moment that changed everything occurred at Vancouver International after Bill and I had flown back from a meeting in Kelowna. Bill had a couple of hours before his flight to Seattle. We had time to think. Bill told me about the Horner and May paper that was about to be published and reflected on the implications for drainage practice.”
“Before we knew it, we were busy brainstorming and sketching out a way to present the information visually. That is the moment when the idea for the first of the fish pictures came into focus!”
The fish pictures explained the science
“Bill Derry and I translated the science into a set of visual tools. We demystified the science in a way that a range of audiences could share a common understanding of cause and effect. All of a sudden, Bill and I were in demand to explain the science. And that is how our paths crossed with Erik Karlsen on October 10, 1997. It was at a focus group consultation workshop hosted by UBCM.”
“The Fish Protection Act had passed a mere three months earlier and it was early days in the development of the streamside protection regulation. Opposition was building because developers were unhappy and they were lobbying municipal councils. That was the context when Glen Carlson and Erin Stoddard of BC Environment came to me and said we need your help. Please bring the fish pictures to the workshop.”
“The UBCM workshop was the springboard to the SmartStorm Forum Series (1999-2001). This led to Stormwater Planning: A Guidebook for British Columbia in 2002 and ultimately to Living Water Smart in 2008.”
To Learn More:
Waterbucket eNews stories are structured in three parts: One-Minute Takeaway, Editor’s Perspective and Context for Busy Reader, and the Story Behind the Story. To read the complete 3-part storyline, download a PDF copy of Living Water Smart in British Columbia: Leaps of faith and calculated risks – convening for action in Metro Vancouver.
DOWNLOAD A COPY: https://waterbucket.ca/wcp/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2025/10/PWSBC_Living-Water-Smart_Leaps-of-Faith-and-Calculated-Risks-Part-C_2025.pdf