Beyond the Guidebook: Context for Rainwater Management and Green Infrastructure in British Columbia

Published in 2002, “Stormwater Planning: A Guidebook for British Columbia” was a catalyst for change that has resulted in British Columbia achieving international recognition as a leader in implementing a natural systems approach to rainwater management. “Beyond the Guidebook” is an initiative that builds on this foundation by advancing a runoff-based approach and tool – the ‘Water Balance Model powered by QUALHYMO' – to help local governments achieve desired urban stream health and environmental protection outcomes at a watershed scale. The Inter-Governmental Partnership and the Green Infrastructure Partnership have collaborated to produce Beyond the Guidebook: Context for Rainwater Management and Green Infrastructure in British Columbia. This guidance document provides context for comprehensive rainwater management by connecting the dots between Stormwater Planning: A Guidebook for British Columbia, published in 2002, and: – the rainfall spectrum; – performance targets; – adaptive management; – the Water Balance Model; – the Green Infrastructure Partnership; – the UBC Tree Canopy Research Project; and – the Beyond the Guidebook initiative. The Guidebook's premise that land development and watershed protection can be compatible represented a radical shift in thinking in 2002. Through implementation of ‘green infrastructure' policies and practices, the desired outcome in going Beyond the Guidebook is to apply what we have learned at the site scale over the past five years…so that we can truly protect and/or restore stream health in urban watersheds.

Author Inter-Governmental Partnership & Green Infrastructure Partnership

Date June 2007