“We value water and we’re changing the traditional way stormwater is managed between homes, businesses and the environment. We are taking that (old, grey infrastructure) barrier down, and are stopping the water from ever hitting the system,” stated Howard Neukrug. "And so we’re leading the way, we’re demonstrating, we’re innovating, putting things in place.
“We want folks to understand that stormwater and stormwater management and infrastructure are just a derivative of rain. Stormwater starts as rain. And if we can deal with it at that level on each site, our infrastructure will last longer and it will cost our communities less in terms of direct infrastructure. Also, there will be potentially less damage,” stated Kate Miller.
“A new community is emerging in northeast Coquitlam at Burke Mountain. A key feature of planned development at Burke Mountain is a low impact, ‘natural systems approach’ to rainwater management. This approach will strive to preserve the natural water balance. In simple terms this means designing to get stormwater into the ground and to keep it out of the pipes,” stated Don Moore.
“Many agencies now recognize this commonsense approach to rainwater management as having triggered one of the most significant advances in urban hydrology in a generation. This was a deciding factor in the decision by the Real Estate Foundation to fund initial development of the Water Balance Model, and then to fund the Outreach and Continuing Education Program that supports the model,” wrote Tim Pringle in 2003.
“Rain gardens at elementary schools improve fish habitat in Delta’s waterways by promoting infiltration of rainwater runoff. A ‘Rain Gardeners’ curriculum-based education program for Grade 4 and 5 students accompanies the rain garden construction. These ‘rain gardeners’ connect to their local watershed and raise awareness as to how everyday actions may impact nearby watercourses,” states Sarah Howie.
The project, “Storm Water Goes Green: Investigating the Benefit and Health of Urban Trees in Green Infrastructure Installations,” will study the impact of trees on storm water management. “There is a critical need to understand the role of trees in urban areas in terms of natural storm water treatment. The knowledge we gain will allow planners and engineers to better understand how to control floodwaters naturally,” said Jon Hathaway.
“Capturing rainwater where if falls offers appealing technical alternatives to stormwater runoff capture than conventional end-of-pipe measures. Decentralized controls have the potential to reduce the frequency and volume of CSO events. In addition, a decentralized approach to stormwater management allows communities the flexibility to respond to everchanging economic and environmental conditions,” stated Neil Weinsten.
“The goal of Blueprint Columbus is to ‘treat the cause, not the symptom’, This means working with residents to improve drainage from homes by installing sump pumps, redirecting roof run-off and repairing ‘laterals’, the pipes that carry wastewater from houses. And on a larger scale, it involves building a system of green infrastructure to keep excess stormwater from entering the sanitary system in the first place,” says Dax Blake.
Soil is a vital component in landscape architecture, from providing the material to create artificial hills to the planting medium that serves as the fundamental nutrition for our plants. “Soils support buildings and infrastructure. So it needs to be viewed in a kind of holistic way,” says Susan V Fisk.
“In Year 3, the program is built around an Inter-Regional Collaboration Workshop Series. The spotlight is on the Watershed Health issue and how to move forward with implementation and integration, really. This sharing and learning process aligns with
each region’s priorities and individual work plans. The deliverable is ‘Beyond the Guidebook 2015,” reports Peter Law.
