Water Sustainability Action Plan for BC releases "Summary Report for ISMP Course Correction Series"

Note to Readers:

During the period November-December 2010, the Water Sustainability Action Plan for British Columbia released a 5-part series about considerations driving a course correction in the way ‘Integrated Stormwater Management Plans’ (ISMPs) are undertaken.

Now, this Summary Report for ISMP Course Correction Series provides a consolidated reference source to guide those about to embark upon an ISMP process. The Summary Report is a compendium: front-end plus all five documents in the ‘ISMP Course Correction Series’. The front-end is complete with a set of five recommendations.

Context for Doing Business Differently

Local governments in British Columbia are faced with this financial challenge: the initial capital cost of infrastructure is about 20% of the life-cycle cost; the other 80% largely represents a future unfunded liability. Thus, fiscal constraints provide a powerful impetus for doing business differently.

Ray fung (120p) - 2010“While developers may pay the initial capital cost of municipal infrastructure, local governments must assume responsibility for the long-term cost burden associated with operation, maintenance and replacement of infrastructure assets,’ states Ray Fung, Chair of the Green Infrastructure Partnership.

“In addition, local governments bear the entire financial burden to stabilize and restore watercourses impacted by increased rainwater runoff volume after land is developed. The challenge is to think about what infrastructure asset management entails BEFORE an asset is proposed and incorporated in a municipality’s capital plan.”

Linkage to Infrastructure Management

“This compendium draws attention to successful approaches and wisdom gained by local government leaders. Collectively, they have a wealth of ISMP or related and relevant experience. They are sharing so that others can benefit,” states Kim Stephens, Executive Director of the Partnership for Water Sustainability in British Columbia. Kim stephens - 2010 (120p)

“As an outcome of the ISMP Course Correction Series, the Partnership and Asset Management BC have aligned their efforts to achieve a shared goal: connect the dots between land use planning, watershed health AND infrastructure asset management.”

“Looking ahead, our vision is that this compendium will inform, educate and influence how infrastructure and land use professionals do business differently in a local government setting – that is, watershed protection and restoration is more likely to be achieved when land use planning and climate change adaptation are integrated with infrastructure asset management.”

Recommended Framework for Action

To guide those about to embark upon an ISMP or comparable watershed-based planning process, a recommended framework comprises these five actions:

  1. Re-Focus on Stream Health and Watershed Outcomes
  2. Capitalize on Green Infrastructure Opportunities to ‘Design with Nature’
  3. Apply a Knowledge-Based Approach to Focus on Solutions and Outcomes
  4. Move to a Levels-of-Protection Approach to Sustainable Service Delivery
  5. Apply Inexpensive Screening Tools to ‘Do More with Less’

“The linkage to infrastructure asset management is a way to (re)focus ISMPs on outcomes: create a vision of a future watershed complete with Ted van der gulik (120p)intact environmental values, healthy streams, abundant fishery resources, and a functional infrastructure,” states Ted van der Gulik, Chair of the Water Balance Model Partnership and Senior Engineer with the Ministry of Agriculture.

“By ‘designing with nature’, local governments could make a very strong case for a ‘sustainable drainage system’, at a lower life-cycle cost.”

To Learn More About the Series

Click here to download a copy of the compendium – that is, the Summary Report front-end PLUS the 5-part ISMP Course Correction Series.

To download a copy of the FRONT-END only, click here.

For more information on the 5-part series, click on Water Bucket publishes excerpts from “Beyond the Guidebook 2010” about why and how to re-focus ISMPs on outcomes — Outcome-oriented planning is a problem-solving PROCESS. It is not a procedure. It is not a matter of applying a regulation or a checklist. Participants have to be committed to the outcome.