Rainwater/Stormwater Management in the City of Surrey: An Historical Perspective

Moving Beyond Pilot Projects

Hosted by the City of Surrey, the Metro Vancouver Water Balance Model Forum attracted an audience of 90-plus on March 12, 2009. The Forum program was built around the HOW question as it pertains to green infrastructure:

  • HOW will the City of Surrey get it built right;
  • HOW will a consistent regional approach be achieved in Metro Vancouver?

The Forum was co-sponsored by the Water Balance Model Inter-Governmental Partnership and the Green Infrastructure Partnership, with a goal of moving beyond pilot projects to a watershed-based approach to achieving performance targets for rainwater management and green infrastructure.

At the Forum, Remi Dubé, Drainage Planning Manager with the City of Surrey, described the evolution of drainage practice in Surrey over the decades.

Key Message

A decade of experience has enabled the City of Surrey to move beyond pilot projects to a broader watersheds objectives approach to rainfall capture and green infrastructure. To learn more, click on Convening for Action in Metro Vancouver: Moving Beyond Pilot Projects to a Broader Watersheds Objectives Approach.

Historical Perspective

Remi Dubé provided an historical perspective on how drainage planning in Surrey has evolved since the 1970s, and how key neighbourhoods embody the Surrey sustainability vision. To view his PowerPoint slides, click on Historical Perspective.

“On the matter of implementing on-site rainfall capture, there is a fundamental difference between Surrey and other Metro Vancouver municipalities,” states Remi Dubé.  “Surrey has moved beyond pilot projects; we are moving to a broader watershed objectives approach to capturing rain where it falls to protect our streams.”

On-Site Requirements Applied City-Wide

“As we move forward, the new Drainage By-Law endorsed by Council in 2008 is the tool that will enable the City to establish watershed-specific targets for rainwater runoff volume and rate reductionat the development site scale. Now we can determine what makes sense, meets multiple objectives, and results in net environmental benefits at a watershed scale,” adds Remi Dubé,

Links to YouTube Videos:

To hear what Remi had to say, click on Part 1 – Where We Came From and on Part 2 – Where We Are Going to access the videos posted on YouTube.