Water Balance Model Retrospective: A Decade Ago, City of Kelowna Case Study Validated the Methodology for Interior BC Conditions
Note to Reader:
In February 2011, the Okanagan Basin Water Board released a report that summarizes a comprehensive set of 16 recommendations that came out of the 2-day From Rain to Resource Workshop: Managing Stormwater in a Changing Climate.
Held in Kelowna in October 2010, the event brought together twenty-two expert speakers and panellists and more than 100 delegates from across British Columbia. Delegates included mayors and councillors, administrative staff, planners, engineers and consultants from around the province.
One of the key recommendations for local government is to incorporate the Water Balance Model in planning. Application of this scenario modelling tool was a recurring theme throughout the workshop.
This recommendation has drawn attention to the leadership provided by the City of Kelowna a decade ago as a founding Water Balance Model Partner. The following article elaborates on the City’s significant contributions in the early years. These contributions helped to ensure the success of this provincial initiative.
Kelowna – An Early Adopter
In her welcoming remarks at the From Rain to Reource 2010 workshop, Kelowna Mayor Sharon Shepherd provided this context — “In 2006, I was a member of a Mayors and Chairs Focus Group that yielded insights regarding how to lead and implement green infrastructure changes. Also, Kelowna was one of four cities – the others being Chilliwack, Surrey and 
Courtenay – that were early adopters of the Water Balance Model. Beyond the Guidebook 2010: Implementing a New Culture for Watershed Protection and Restoration in British Columbia was an outcome of this related initiative. The Water Balance Model tool is extremely helpful as we all look at the process for developing urban watershed plans that are outcome-oriented.”
To Learn More:
Click on In 2006, Mayors and Chairs Focus Group yielded insights about HOW to lead and implement “green infrastructure change” in BC — What has been lacking is this – written information on green infrastructure from the perspective of elected officials, for elected officials.
Guidebook Genesis
“The Water Balance Model was developed as an extension of Stormwater Planning: A Guidebook for British Columbia, released by the Province in June 2002. The Guidebook applied a science-based understanding, developed the water balance 
methodology to establish performance targets for rainfall capture, and demonstrated that urban watershed restoration could be accomplished over a 50-year timeframe as and when communities redevelop,” recalls Peter Law, Guidebook Chair. At the time, he was with the Ministry of Environment. Now retired from government, he is a Director of the Partnership for Water Sustainability in British Columbia.
Kelowna Case Study
“When we initiated development of Stormwater Guidebook, a key consideration in the minds of the Steering Committee was that this guidance document be applicable province-wide relevance. This meant that the water balance methodology had to be 
validated under both coastal and interior conditions. Thanks to the leadership of John Vos and Alan Newcombe in the Engineering Department, the City of Kelowna provided a case study application,” continues Kim Stephens, Kim Stephens, Executive Director of the Partnership. He was project manager and principal author of the Guidebook.
Universal Rainfall Relationships
“By going back to basics and examining the frequency and volume distributions of annual rainfall in different regions, we ascertained what proved to be universal relationships. The number of events and the total volume might vary regionally, but the distributions fell into a consistent pattern.”
“A decade ago, understanding these relationships was the key to the paradigm-shift from conventional stormwater management to holistic rainwater management. Once the light-bulb went on, we were able to confirm the universality of the relationships, whether in Calgary, Alberta or Atlanta, Georgia or Sydney, Australia,” concludes Kim Stephens.
Founding Water Balance Model Partners
“Following release of the Stormwater Guidebook in June 2002, an Inter-Governmental Partnership was formed to evolve the original Water Balance Model into a web-based scenario modelling and decision support tool. The City of Kelowna was one of the founding partners,” states Ted van der Gulik, Chair of the Water Balance Model Partnership.
Water Balance Model Launch
“In September 2003, we launched the Water Balance Model with high level political endorsement at the annual convention of the Union of British Columbia Municipalities.”
“The City of Kelowna assisted with the rollout of the Guidebook and pre-launch of the Water Balance Model in Spring 2003 in communities such as Penticton and Prince George. The participation of the City’s Alan Newcombe (Drainage Manager) in our road show added credibility; and City case study experience provided on the ground examples that reassured participants about the paradigm-shift.”
Early Outreach in the Okanagan
“In 2005, the City of Kelowna (John Vos) was the catalyst for a series of events that broadened the reach of the Water Balance Model. First, the City connected us with the EMCO Corporation (Keith Lumby). This industry collaboration provided us with access to a new audience when EMCO organized a trade event in Kelowna. Success led to an event in Kamloops.”
“Capitalizing on the momentum created by this success, the City and APEGBC jointly sponsored a Water Balance Model seminar. In turn, this set the stage for 4-way collaboration with UBC-Okanagan. Thanks to Dean Bernie Bauer, we held a training workshop at the university in February 2006. This reinforced the early support that the City’s John Vos provided.”
Design with Nature Game Show
“The success of these four events exceeded our expectations. Okanagan audiences were receptive and responsive to our messaging,” continues Richard Boase, Water Balance Model Chair. “The APEGBC events provided us with a window of opportunity to experiment and engage audiences with the Design with Nature Game Show.”
“The ‘game show’ was similar to the TV show Jeopardy. Participants worked in teams and were asked to respond to photographs by stating ‘What design with nature means is…’ It was a way of having some fun at the start of the day. It loosened the group up.”
“It got them thinking about real things, on the ground, so that they could begin to see how use of the Water Balance Model would help them in their day jobs. It was fascinating to see how excited and ‘into it’ people get after a few minutes. If people have fun, perhaps some of the philosophical stuff will actually stick.”
To Learn More:
Click on Chilliwack, Surrey, Kelowna and Courtenay: Four cities in four regions of British Columbia were early adopters in embracing the Water Balance Model — The City of Kelowna assisted with the WBM pre-launch in Spring 2003. City case study experience provided on the ground examples that reassured participants about the paradigm-shift.
Posted March 2011