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“The Stormwater Guidebook and Water Balance Model initiatives link directly to land use planning, policy, and regulation,” stated Mayor Barry Janyk. “Use of the Water Balance Model promotes a watershed-based approach that recognizes the relationships between the natural environment and the built environment, and manages them as integrated components of the same watershed.”

The goal is to change land development practices so that sites and subdivisions function hydrologically like a natural forest. “By developing the Water Balance Model, the IGP is meeting its mission of providing local governments and landowners with a ‘decision support and scenario modeling tool’ that is interactive and scientifically defensible,” stated Laura Maclean. “This will help them meet performance targets for runoff volume reduction.”

The ‘date of record’ for formal launch of the Inter-Governmental Partnership (IGP) to ‘make real’ the vision for the WBM initiative is July 17, 2002. On that date the Greater Vancouver Regional District (now known as Metro Vancouver) convened a meeting of representatives from three levels of government. “The defining outcome of that inaugural Water Balance Partners Forum was the decision to fund and proceed with WBM development,” stated Kim Stephens.

“The WBM can be applied to evaluate the hydrologic performance of stormwater source
controls (e.g. bioretention, infiltration facilities, rainwater capture and re-use, green roofs)
and stormwater detention,” stated Dr. Dan Medina. “The output hydrograph generated by the WBM can become an input to a wide range of hydraulic routing models. WBM hydrographs represent a major improvement over conventional hydrologic simulation of urban runoff.”

“Despite some state government opposition, there is a great case for making stormwater resources that hit the ground on the property of local councils. This could incentivise councils to treat, harvest and sell water resources to industries or direct to citizens for non-potable uses,” stated Grant Duthie. “If water authorities were required to engage councils, as the owners of stormwater resources, there would likely become far more incentive to co-develop WSUD principles.”

“The draft City-Wide Green First Plan will guide where green infrastructure will be installed to achieve the most cost-effective and beneficial results to the residents of Pittsburgh,” stated Mayor Bill Peduto. “The draft plan analyzed 13,700 acres in the City and proposes to manage runoff from 1,835 acres with green infrastructure over the next twenty years. “Going ‘Green First’ means improving the resiliency of our communities to disaster during extreme weather.”

“In British Columbia, we have made considerable progress over the past 10 to 15 years. We are on the right track,” stated Kim Stephens. “By 2017 we would hope that everyone is beginning to understand where we need to go next. We are tying the process to asset management because we have a provincial initiative that is a factor in what everyone in local government does in their day job. Through sharing and learning, ensure that where we are going is indeed the right way.”

“Urban land use has been degrading the natural environment for more than 100 years. Sit on that for a while. 100 years, perhaps more. Holy smokes,” wrote Marie Savage. “So what’s all this talk about developers and builders, the ultimate urban land users, protecting watersheds? It’s true. All it took was a twist and a twirl and the connection between runoff, sewers, and the resulting stress on natural systems came out of the pipework.”

“During the late 1960s, BC began its multi-faceted and ongoing journey towards sustainability,” stated Erik Karlsen. “In the early 2000s, inter-governmental partnerships were formed to address environmental challenges; and were supported by protocol agreements between the Province and the Union of BC Municipalities.” Watershed / Landscape-Based Approach to Community Planning, a landmark document, was developed by an intergovernmental working group.

“We are using the slogan The New Business As Usual to convey the message that, for change to really occur, practices that until now have been viewed as the exception must become the norm moving forward. We have to build regulatory models and develop models of practice and expertise,” stated Dale Wall, Deputy Minister.