YOUTUBE VIDEO: Rising to the Challenge at Stormwater Australia 2016 – introduction to the British Columbia vision for "Sustainable Watershed Systems" (Module 4)
Note to Reader:
The keynote presentation by Kim Stephens at the 2016 Rising to the Challenge Conference organized by Stormwater Australia was structured in five parts: a front-end that set the context, followed by four ‘modules’ that elaborated on the theme “parallel journeys” and provided perspective regarding and insight into the “top-down & bottom-up” approach that characterizes collaboration in the British Columbia local government setting.
Module 4, Sustainable Watershed Systems, is the subject of the YouTube video presented below.
Sustainable Watershed Systems,
through Asset Managemen
Launched by the province and Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM) in 2015, Asset Management for Sustainable Service Delivery: A BC Framework is a game-changing initiative. It is a game-changer because it links directly to the requirements for grants under the Canada-BC Gas Tax Agreement.
Along with the new Water Sustainability Act and Develop with Care 2014, the BC Framework points the way to Sustainable Watershed Systems. This outcome would result from a “whole systems” approach to community development and infrastructure servicing. Implementation of “whole systems” thinking would include incorporating the benefits provided by nature into the delivery of local government services.
The vision for Sustainable Watershed Systems is the culmination of a building blocks process which cross-pollinated Washington State and BC experience. In the mid-1990s, Washington State research established the primacy of hydrology in either protecting or impacting stream health. In BC, this finding spurred development and evolution of the Water Balance Methodology.
To Learn More:
Download Parallel Journeys to a Resilient Future: Water Cycle / Water Balance Approaches in Australia and British Columbia – 2001 to 2016 and Beyond to view a PDF copy of the entire PowerPoint presentation by Kim Stephens.
Visit Sustainable Watershed Systems, through Asset Management for additional information
Below, the set of 5 slides from Module 4 are presented for convenience of reference when the reader views the YouTube video (5:50 minutes).