2016 BCIT Guest Lecture Series – introduced a new generation of graduating civil engineers to the "Beyond the Guidebook Continuum"

Note to Reader:

In March 2016, the instructor of the Stormwater Management course at BC Institute of Technology in the department of Civil Engineering invited Kim Stephens (Executive Director, Partnership for Water Sustainability in British Columbia) to deliver a guest lecture about Beyond the Guidebook 2015: Moving Towards “Sustainable Watershed Systems, through Asset Management”, a deliverable under the Georgia Basin Inter-Regional Education Initiative (IREI).

The guest lecture introduced the “Beyond the Guidebook Continuum” to the graduating students. This was presented in the context of the Water Sustainability Action Plan and the mission of the Partnership in building capacity to effect changes in practice vis-a-vis the way land is developed and serviced.

students in the 2016 civil engineering graduating class at BCIT

students in the 2016 civil engineering graduating class at BCIT

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Moving Along the
“Beyond the Guidebook” Continuum

“For the purposes of the lecture, and in order to provide the students with context, I introduced them to the notion of a continuum,” explains Kim Stephens. “My objective was to impart a simple message, and that is – knowledge, and our understanding of what that knowledge means, is expanding and becoming clearer over time.”

Kim Stephens_DSC_0011_trimmed1_120pBeyond the Guidebook 2015 is the third in a series. It builds on the foundation provided by Stormwater Planning: A Guidebook for British Columbia, released by the Province in 2002. It is a snapshot in time.”

“Local government leaders have made substantial progress since 2002, and Beyond the Guidebook 2015 showcases and celebrates five ‘regional stories’ as told in the words of the champions in each region – Metro Vancouver, Capital Region, Cowichan Valley, Nanaimo Region and the Comox Valley.”

To Learn More:

Download a PDF copy of the PowerPoint presentation that provided the basis for the guest lecture by Kim Stephens: Beyond the Guidebook 2015: Moving Towards “Sustainable Watershed Systems, through Asset Management”.

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Genesis for Water Balance Methodology

Mimic-Water Balance_Feb-2014The ‘salmon crisis’ throughout the 1990s decade galvanized awareness in BC that the ecological baseline was shifting, suddenly and dramatically. The ecosystem value of small, headwater streams had not been fully appreciated. The result: streams were being lost as a consequence of rapid population growth and land development.”

“In response, governments recognized the need to restore and protect watershed and stream health. This was the genesis for the Water Balance Methodology. This  set in  motion a chain of actions and events. The ripple effects are reverberating through time.”

Restore Water Balance to Re-Set Ecological Baseline

“By 2002, looking at rainfall differently led the Province to adopt the Water Balance Methodology as the technical foundation for Stormwater Planning Guidebook, initiate a performance target approach to capturing rain where it falls, and initiate changes in the way rainwater runoff is returned to streams.”

“The Guidebook vision is that community development activities and further alteration of the Built Environment will result in cumulative benefits, not impacts. In 2002, the Guidebook identified a path forward for local governments,” emphasized Kim Stephens in his remarks to the students.

To Learn More:

Download a copy of the 158-page Beyond the Guidebook 2015https://waterbucket.ca/viw/files/2015/11/Beyond-Guidebook-2015_final_Nov.pdf

RDN_3rd in series_May2016