Municipal responsiblity for ensuring effective Rainwater Management to achieve Watershed Health

 

In British Columbia, the Local Government Act vests the responsibility for drainage with municipalities, and British Columbia case law makes clear the responsibility of municipalities to manage runoff volume to prevent downstream impacts.  An increasingly important corollary to that responsibility is the need to work from the regional down to the site scale, to maintain and advance watershed health to ensure that both water quantity and quality will be sustained to meet both ecosystem and human health needs.

 

Reference Document

British Columbia municipalities exerts control over rainwater runoff volume through their land development and infrastructure policies, practices and standards. To assist municipalities understand what this means, the Green Infrastructure Commentary on effective rainwater mgmt - april. 2008 (300p)Partnership has prepared a Commentary that identifies specific actions and commitments for protecting watershed health. The Commentary is part of the curriculum for the Learning Lunch Seminar Series, a precedent-setting approach to delivering continuing education to local government practitioners in the places where they work. Vancouver Island is the pilot region.

“We have emphasized the connections surrounding ‘why we do it’ – watershed Susan rutherford - june 2008 (80p)health and all that entails (quantity and quality) and the need for drainage actions to be integrated with all of the other policy and actions, to truly be effective – that is, thinking and integrating regionally down to the site scale”, states Susan Rutherford, speaking on behalf of the Green Infrastructure Partnership.

To download a copy of the Commentary, please  either click on the image above or on the following link to Commentary on Effective Rainwater/Stormwater Management and Green Infrastructure to Achieve Watershed Health .

 

Learning Lunch Seminar Series

The Learning Lunch Seminar Series promotes a consistent provincial approach to rainwater management and green infrastructure. The Cowichan Valley Regional District and City of Courtenay are the host local governments for Learning Lunch Seminar Series in the Spring and Fall of 2008, respectively. In total, the Vancouver Island local governments that will be participating represent some 250,000 people.

The Learning Lunch Seminar Series is the first step in building a regional team approach so that there will be a common understanding and consistent messaging regarding on-the-ground expectations for rainwater management and green infrastructure. The Seminar Series is part of the implementation program for  Beyond the Guidebook: The New Business As Usual.

 

Learning lunch seminar series - june 2008 (version 1 - 360p)

 

Posted June 2008