BC Environment Minister Strengthens Metro Vancouver's Visionary Plan for Managing Rainwater Resources
Integration with Land Use Planning is a Regulatory Driver for ‘ISMP Course Correction’
In May 2010, the Metro Vancouver region adopted a holistic strategy for managing liquid discharges and rainwater resources. Two years in the making, the Integrated Liquid Waste & Resource Management Plan (ILWRMP) established the framework for moving beyond regulatory compliance to transitioning Metro Vancouver to an approach where watershed-based planning is integrated within a broader, sustainability framework.
In February 2011, the Partnership for Water Sustainability in British Columbia released a guidance document to help municipalities implement a course correction in the way Integrated Stormwater Management Plans (ISMPs) are undertaken.
In June 2011, the Minister of Environment announced that the Province has approved Metro Vancouver’s visionary plan. He also strengthened the plan by imposing conditions that expand what is expected of Metro Vancouver’s member municipalities vis-à-vis rainwater management. The Minister’s conditions are aligned with the ISMP Course Correction.
Ministerial Conditions for Plan Approval
In a letter to the Metro Vancouver Board, BC Environment Minister Terry Lake commended the region’s plan while at the same time advising that it does not fully meet his requirements. So he has strengthened the plan by imposing conditions that expand the actions of the member municipalities vis-à-vis rainwater management.
“Member municipalities will develop a coordinated program to monitor stormwater and assess and report the implementation and effectiveness of Integrated Storm Water Management Plans (ISMP). The program will use a weight-of-evidence performance measurement approach,” stated the Environment Minister.
The Ministerial conditions link land use planning to the direction provided by the ISMPs. They also focus attention on how the degree, type and location of land development can affect the long-term health of the watershed.
To Learn More:
To download a report-style PDF document version of the complete article article posted on the Convening for Action community-of-interest, click on BC Environment Minister Strengthens Metro Vancouver’s Visionary Plan for Managing Rainwater Resources.
Then click on “ISMP Course Correction” aligns with Metro Vancouver’s proposed Ecological Health Plan to download a second article that elaborates on why the sum of the individual ISMPs would be an ecologically healthier region.
Posted June 2011