MILESTONE RECOGNITION – ‘Stormwater Planning: A Guidebook for British Columbia’ has proven to be a catalyst for action over the past decade

In BC, headwater tributary streams are a predominant feature; and watershed health is very much about protection of aquatic habitat. The critical issue is the damage to and loss of habitat caused by land use change and resulting erosion of the headwater streams.

The Goal – Protect Stream Health

Looking back, the salmon crisis of the 1990s was the catalyst for action. The goal of protecting stream health became a driver for action in BC. By 2002, as an implementation action resulting from enactment of the Fish Protection Act (1997), the Province released Stormwater Planning: A Guidebook for British Columbia.

A decade ago, looking at rainfall differently led the Province of BC to develop the Water Balance Methodology, and initiate a paradigm-shift in the way rainwater is managed. The Province:

• Formalized the performance target methodology in Stormwater Planning: A Guidebook for British Columbia.
•  Translated science-based understanding so that local governments could establish achievable and affordable performance targets for rainfall capture and runoff control.

BC was the first provincial or state government in North America to implement the Water Balance Methodology.

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To read the complete story, click on Released in 2002, ‘Stormwater Planning: A Guidebook for British Columbia’ has proven to be a catalyst for action