Green Infrastructure

The Surrey Forum was a first step in advancing a regional team approach to rainwater management and green infrastructure that will align local actions in Metro Vancouver with desired outcomes identified by the Province's Green Communities Initiative.

“We organized the roundtable event to engage the major Vancouver Island developers in a conversation about the factors that facilitate or hinder their efforts to design, plan for and implement development incorporating Green Value Strategies on Vancouver Island,” said Jack Hall, REFBC Chair.

The approach to stormwater management in the United States has evolved from a focus on rapid conveyance and disposal of runoff to anemphasis on using natural systems to minimize hydrologic and pollutant impacts from developed areas. A project undertaken by the Water Environment Research Foundation and titled “Using Rainwater to Grow Livable Communities”, explored the benefitsand key factors influencing the success of stormwater best management practices. In addition, the project developed a website.

The Gaining Ground Leadership Summit in Victoria was the venue for an announcement that the change-over to the Water Balance Model powered by QUALHYMO was completed in May 2008. “We are using the slogan The New Business As Usual to convey the message that, for change to really occur, practices that until now have been viewed as the exception must become the norm moving forward,” stated Dale Wall, Deputy Minister. “We have to build regulatory models and develop models of practice and expertise to support The New Business As Usual.”

“Two rainfall-runoff tools have been merged to create a new tool, the Water Balance Model powered by QUALHYM, that integrates the site with the stream and watershed,” stated Ted van der Gulik. In 2002, Stormwater Planning: A Guidebook for British Columbia articulated a principle that performance targets at the watershed scale provide a starting point to guide the actions of local government in the right direction. The objective is to translate those targets into appropriate site design criteria that then provide local government staff and developers with practical guidance for achieving the goal of stream protection.

Because the Ministry of Community Services and Fisheries and Oceans Canada are on the Steering Committee for the Green Infrastructure Partnership, the Beyond the Guidebook Seminar in Novmber 2007 provided a timely opportunity to inform local government and land use practitioners regarding the emerging policy framework and senior government expectations for applying a 'Beyond the Guidebook' approach to land development and watershed management. A key message was: today's expectations are the standards of tomorrow.

'Runoff' is the newletter for the British Columbia Branch of the Canadian Water Resources Association. The April 2008 issue included an article about the launch of the “new Water Balance Model”. The article highlighted several key messages regarding the significance and relevance of integrating the Water Balance Model with QUALHYMO to achieve provincial policy objectives.

The current Liquid Waste Management Plan for the Metro Vancouver region was approved in 2002 and is to be updated every five years. Updating the Plan offers the opportunity to consider past progress and include actions to address new issues and opportunities.

Vancouver Island is the pilot region for implementing Beyond the Guidebook: The New Business As Usual through a precedent-setting approach to continuing education for local government practitioners, namely the Learning Lunch Seminar Series. This provincial initiative builds on the foundation provided by Stormwater Planning: A Guidebook for British Columbia, published in 2002, and incorporates lessons learned over the past six years.

Over the past three decades, water and drainage engineers have witnessed a vast change in the practice, design methodologies and regulatory framework encompassing the discipline of stormwater management. The engineering profession is at a crossroads: How will we apply a science-based understanding to truly achieve integrated solutions for protecting life, property and the aquatic environment?