Application of the "DFO Urban Stormwater Guidelines" has evolved over the past decade to protect stream health

 

“DFO Guidelines” Set a Direction in 2000

“We are moving from guidelines to tools,” states Corino Salomi of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) . He is Area Manager, Oceans, Habitat & Enhancement Branch, Lower Fraser Area.

Corino salomi (120p) - 2010“It helps to look back to understand how we got to here. In November 2000, DFO released the 4-page Urban Stormwater Guidelines and Best Management Practices for Protection of Fish and Fish Habitat, Draft Discussion Document. That document set a direction.”

“By 2007, however, we had concerns about how the document was being interpreted and applied. The Beyond the Guidebook initiative initiated a course correction that will help local governments and the development community establish what level of rainwater runoff volume reduction makes sense at the site, catchment and watershed scales.”

“The objective is protect stream health, which is broader than how much volume one can infiltrate on a particular development.”

To Learn More:

To read the complete story posted on the Green Infrastructure Community-of-Interest, click on Application of the “DFO Urban Stormwater Guidelines” has evolved over the past decade to protect stream health.

Beyond the Guidebook 2010

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’.

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 download a copy, click on Beyond the Guidebook 2010: Implementing a New Culture for Urban Watershed Protection and Restoration in British Columbia