Beyond the Guidebook 2010: Paradigm-shift from ISMP to 'Integrated Rainwater Management Plan'
Note to Reader:
The following story is extracted from Chapter 7 of Beyond the Guidebook 2010, released in June 2010. This water-centric guidance document tells the stories of how change is being implemented on the ground in British Columbia.
From Stormwater to RAINwater
The graphic above is reproduced and updated from Stormwater Planning: A Guidebook for British Columbia, released in 2002. The comparison and contrast of ‘traditional’ versus ‘integrated’ captures the evolution of drainage planning in British Columbia over the past 30 years.
The Guidebook elaborates on how to develop and implement an ISMP – that is, an Integrated Stormwater Management Plan.
“The time is now right to make the break from ‘ISMP’ and instead use ‘IRMP’ – that is, Integrated Rainwater Management Plan, “states Peter Law, Chair of the original Guidebook Steering Committee.
Historical Context
Beyond the Guidebook 2007 initiated the paradigm-shift from the single-function view of traditional ‘stormwater management’ to the holistic, integrated and landscape-based perspective that is captured by the term ‘RAINwater Management’.
“When we were developing the Guidebook a decade ago, Ted van der Gulik coined the line on the first page that says ‘stormwater is the component of runoff that is generated by human activities’. We considered the distinction important,” recalls Peter Law.
“We also weighed whether the title should be ‘stormwater’ or ‘watershed-based’ planning. To provide practitioners with a point of departure that they understood in 2002, we opted for ‘stormwater’ in the Guidebook title.”
Beyond the Guidebook 2010 describes the evolution of an integrated approach, one that envisions achieving water sustainability through implementation of green infrastructure policies and practices.
To learn more:
To read the complete story posted on the Convening for Action Community-of-Interest, click on Beyond the Guidebook 2010: Paradigm-shift from ISMP to ‘Integrated Rainwater Management Plan’
and
Click on Beyond the Guidebook 2010: Implementing a New Culture for Urban Watershed Protection and Restoration in British Columbia to download the document.
