Comments Off on DOWNLOAD BEYOND THE GUIDEBOOK 2010: “It is captivating with the stories, quotes and pictures,” stated Kathy Bishop, Curriculum Chair for Leadership BC – Central Vancouver Island (June 2010)
Land Development & Watershed Protection Can Be Compatible
In 2002, Stormwater Planning: A Guidebook for British Columbia advanced this provocative premise: land development and watershed protection can be compatible. This radical shift in thinking resulted from recognition of HOW a science-based understandingcould bridge the gap between high-level policy objectives and site design practices.
Released in June 2010, ‘Beyond the Guidebook 2010′ connects the dots between RAINwater Management and Drought Management and shows how to achieve water sustainability through outcome-oriented urban watershed plans.
“It is a great resource, well written. Down to earth, and in line with what the Water Sustainability Action Plan speaks about… the new business as usual, connecting the dots and giving useful tools and roadmaps for success. It is an easy read, and captivating with the stories, quotes and pictures,” states Kathy Bishop, Curriculum Chair for Leadership BC – Central Vancouver Island.
“In October 1997, a focus group workshop convened by the Union of British Columbia Municipalities set in motion a chain of outcomes that culminated in release of Stormwater Planning: A Guidebook for British Columbia in June 2002,” state the six “Convening for Action” Chairs in the preface to “Beyond the Guidebook 2010″.
Catalyst for Change
“Looking back, the Guidebook was a catalyst for change that has resulted in British Columbia achieving international recognition as a leader in implementing a green infrastructure approach to rainwater management. In 2002, the Guidebook advanced this premise: land development and watershed protection can be compatible. In 2002, this represented a radical shift in thinking.”
“Living Water Smart and Green Communities together establish an over-arching provincial policy framework. There is now clear guidance for aligning local actions with provincial and regional goals to ‘design with nature’ so that we create greener communities, live water smart and prepare for climate change.”
“A decade ago, we made a conscious decision to follow an educational rather than prescriptive path in BC. We realized that changing the way we develop land depends on establishing higher expectations and challenging practitioners to embrace shared responsibility.”
“We branded this as The New Business As Usual. We knew it would take time to change the culture. We now have the tools and the case study experience to ‘design with nature’.”
“We believe that BC is now at a tipping point. Implementation of a new culture for urban watershed protection and restoration is within our grasp. Beyond the Guidebook 2010 sets the stage for development that is in balance with ecology.”
Comments Off on IMPLEMENTATION OF WHOLE-SYSTEM, WATER BALANCE APPROACH: “The challenge is to move from stop-gap remediation of in-stream problems to long-term restoration of a properly functioning watershed,” stated Peter Law, Vice-President of the Mid Vancouver Habitat Enhancement Society
Note to Reader:
In 1999 the Englishman River on the east coast of Vancouver Island was declared an endangered river. Extinction of the salmon resource was viewed as a very real possibility. This catalyst for action resulted in two transformational outcomes: implementation of the Englishman River Watershed Recovery Plan (2001); and creation of the Mid Vancouver Island Habitat Enhancement Society (MVIHES).
Fast forward to the present. Shelly Creek, a tributary of the Englishman River that flows through the City of Parksville, is important to salmonids. MVIHES has established a provincial precedent with the Shelly Creek Water Balance & Sediment Reduction Plan; and this will have reverberations as the “Shelly Creek story” becomes well-known.
The Shelly Creek experience foreshadows that an informed stream stewardship sector may prove to be a difference-maker that accelerates implementation of the ‘whole-system, water balance’ approach in British Columbia.
Over the past two decades, the evolving role of stream steward groups in British Columbia is exemplified by Englishman River experience. In the1990s, the ‘Coho salmon crisis’ raised the alarm and galvanized action to tackle the impact of human activities on stream health and fish survival in urbanizing watersheds.
Across Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland, salmon enhancement stewardship groups formed. Many volunteer groups had their beginnings in small stream salmon enhancement projects.
Look Beyond the Creek Channel
A generation later, most community-based groups still exist. They provide thousands of volunteer hours to restore aquatic habitats. From (salmon egg) incubation boxes to habitat restoration, they partner with fisheries agencies to restore salmonid populations. Now the scope of stewardship sector involvement and influence is expanding beyond the creek channel.
“Over time, MVIHES has morphed from Stewards of the Plan to Stewards of the Watershed. Beginning in 2011, the MVIHES action plan has concentrated on Shelly Creek. One of five Englishman River tributaries, it is the last fish-bearing creek flowing through the City of Parksville,” states Peter Law, MVIHES Vice-President & Director, Partnership for Water Sustainability in BC.
Mid Vancouver Island Habitat Enhancement Society – Stewards of the Watershed
What the Community Watershed Monitoring Network has revealed
In 2011, the Regional District of Nanaimo Drinking Water and Watershed Protection Program partnered with the Ministry of Environment, MVIHES and nine other stewardship groups to implement the Community Watershed Monitoring Network.
Erosion is the Issue
“Shelly Creek turbidity measurements were two times higher than the value established for acceptable sediment runoff in the Englishman River,” reports Peter Law.
“In fact, Shelly Creek’s turbidity numbers were the highest in the region (as reported in 2013). This was the alarm bell that alerted us to a serious problem with watershed health. By 2014, efforts to identify sediment sources and their causes, and then develop solutions, were underway.
”MVIHES secured funding from multiple agencies, in particular the Pacific Salmon Foundation, and developed the Shelly Creek Water Balance & Sediment Reduction Plan. Now, the challenge for MVIHES is to facilitate the community’s journey from awareness to action, expressed as follows:
Once a community as a whole acknowledges that there is a problem, and also understands why there is a problem, what will the community do about it?
“By sharing the story of Shelly Creek, we want readers to recognize that erosion is a common issue impacting salmon and trout habitats in small streams, draining into the Salish Sea,” states Peter Law.
“Existing standards of practice have resulted in negative impacts. Continuing to use those standards will result in further environmental degradation of the watershed and loss of stream productivity.
“Building support for action starts with community engagement. Over the coming year, we hope to engage property owners along the stream at kitchen table discussions about what is happening, and focus on possible in-stream and off-stream solutions.
“They are seeing the impacts now, and will suffer in the future. It will require a bottom-up approach to inform, educate and inspire City and Regional District governments to implement 21st century policies for rainwater and development.”
A Funder’s Perspective
In addition to the Pacific Salmon Foundation, four other organizations provided funding, namely: MVIHES, Regional District of Nanaimo, City of Parksville and the Partnership for Water Sustainability.
“As a co-funder, the Partnership is thrilled to have contributed to the Shelly Creek Plan,” stated Kim Stephens, Executive Director, Partnership for Water Sustainability in BC.
“We all learn from stories and the most compelling ones are based on the experiences of the champions who are leading by example in their communities.
“Our commitment to the Shelly Creek stream stewardship volunteers is to tell their story far and wide.”
Engage the Community
All of us have an impact on the land, on the water, and on the way things look. Restoring watershed hydrology and aquatic habitat depends on all the players embracing shared responsibility. There are solutions to be found if we communicate, cooperate, coordinate and collaborate. Commitment to action must be inter-generational. The Shelly Creek Water Balance & Sediment Reduction Plan is a starting point for ‘getting it right’.
Shared and Inter-Generational Responsibility
“MVIHES is a small group of community volunteers with limited resources. So the challenge is daunting. Yet someone has to spark a consensus in our community that: we must implement ‘state-of-the-art’ Rainwater Management practices ASAP, or we will lose what remains of fish values in Shelly Creek,” states Peter Law.
“The goal of restoring a healthy watershed with viable fish-bearing flows and habitats would take at least 50 years. Over the coming months, MVIHES will meet with owners of large land holdings about projects that could be implemented in the stream channel. Because stream channel restoration is costly and time consuming, our message will be that effectiveness depends on preventing erosion.
“We had better get busy,” concludes Peter Law.
Table of Contents
The table is a synopsis. It distills the essence of each section into a succinct statement. These create a storyline. Readers are asked to pause and reflect on them before reading the story itself.
Comments Off on Watershed Case Profile Series: Shelly Creek is the City of Parksville's last fish-bearing stream! (October 2017)
Note to Reader:
In October 2017, the Partnership for Water Sustainability in British Columbia released the 6th in the Watershed Case Profile Series. It tells the story of how the Mid Vancouver Island Habitat Enhancement Society is leading by example.
Restore Watershed Hydrology, Prevent Stream Erosion,
Ensure Fish Survival
“Context is everything!,” wrote Kim Stephens, Partnership Executive Director, in the preface to Shelly Creek is the City of Parksville’s last fish-bearing stream!
The Partnership is one of five organizations that co-funded development of the Shelly Creek Water Balance & Sediment Reduction Plan. The Pacific Salmon Foundation was the primary funder. The other three funders comprised the Mid Vancouver Island Habitat Enhancement Society, City of Parksville and the Regional District of Nanaimo.
Englishman River / Shelly Creek
“Shelly Creek is a tributary of the Englishman River, a major watershed system on the east coast of Vancouver Island. Shelly Creek is important to salmonids, and this is why it is necessary to understand what is causing the Shelly Creek stream channel to fill with sediment, as well as what can be done to ensure fish survival over time.
“In 1999 the Englishman River was first declared to be one of the most endangered rivers in BC. Extinction of the fisheries resource was viewed as a very real possibility. This was the catalyst for action. It resulted in two transformational outcomes: implementation of the Englishman River Watershed Recovery Plan (2001); and creation of the Mid Vancouver Island Habitat Enhancement Society (MVIHES).”
A Voice for the Community
“Fast forward to the present. Through their involvement in MVIHES, community stewardship volunteers are demonstrating what it means to embrace ‘shared responsibility’ and take the initiative to lead by example,” continued Kim Stephens.
“A paramount goal is to “get it right” in the stream channel. Their challenge is to move from stop-gap remediation of in-stream problems to long-term restoration of a properly functioning watershed.
“The Shelly Creek experience foreshadows that an informed stream stewardship sector may prove to be a difference-maker that instigates and accelerates implementation of the ‘whole-system, water balance’ approach in the Georgia Basin region and beyond,” concluded Kim Stephens.
“As a co-funder, the Partnership is thrilled to have contributed to the Shelly Creek Plan. Our commitment to the Shelly Creek stream stewardship volunteers is to tell their story far and wide. This Watershed Case Profile is the launch of the storytelling process!”
INFORM, EDUCATE, INSPIRE: Apply the “BC Process” for moving from awareness to action.
Table of Contents
The table is a synopsis. It distills the essence of each section into a succinct statement. These create a storyline. Readers are asked to pause and reflect on them before reading the story itself.
Comments Off on GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE INNOVATION IN THE TOWNSHIP OF LANGLEY: A decade ago, three neighbourhood developments in Langley established successive provincial precedents that informed the evolution of the Water Balance Methodology
Note to Reader:
The Langley Township story is the fifth in a series of Watershed Blueprint Case Profiles published by the Partnership for Water Sustainability.
The series showcases and celebrates successes and long-term ‘good work’ in the local government setting.
The purpose of the series is to inform and facilitate inter-regional collaboration in the Georgia Basin.
By telling the stories of those who are spearheading changes in practice, this helps other local governments eliminate the “disconnect between information and implementation” that may otherwise hold them back.
Langley: A Leader by Example
“In 2002, Stormwater Planning: A Guidebook for British Columbia established a new direction for drainage engineering. This is known as the Whole-System, Water Balance Approach. Over the past 15 years, the Township has established important precedents that demonstrate how to implement this approach,” wrote Kim Stephens, Partnership Executive Director and author of Green Infrastructure Innovation in Langley Township.
“The Township was an early adopter of the Guidebook philosophy, and was one of the first municipalities to apply the Water Balance Methodology. The methodology provides the technical foundation for the Whole-System, Water Balance Approach. In 2005, the Township became a partner in the Water Balance Model initiative.
“Three neighbourhoods in the Willoughby Development Area – Routley, Yorkson and Northeast Gordon Estates – established successive provincial precedents that informed the evolution of the Water Balance Methodology.”
Green Infrastructure Precedents
Each neighbourhood features a different innovation in order to ‘design with nature’:
Routley: A multi-purpose greenway and shallow infiltration systems on individual properties.
Yorkson: A third-pipe system for roof drainage connects to a sand filtration treatment system, with provision for future deep-well injection for aquifer recharge.
North East Gordon Estates: Truly ‘green’ streets!
These three neighbourhoods allowed the Township to learn by doing and adapt. Staff continue to build on this early experience.
DFO Approvals:
“Langley is unique in that DFO (Department of Fisheries & Oceans) approved the water balance strategy at a neighbourhood scale for each of Routley, Yorkson and Northeast Gordon,” stated Jim Dumont, Engineering Applications Authority, Partnership for Water Sustainability in British Columbia. He is the engineer of record for the Routley, Yorkson and Northeast Gordon water balance implementation plans
“This meant that design standards were applied uniformly across each neighbourhood. This was a time-saver for everyone. The approach resulted in consistency of implementation.
“The online Water Balance Express, a tool for use by homeowners, is a natural progression of this experience. The tool would enable easier implementation of water balance requirements.”
Water Balance Methodology
As understanding has grown, the Water Balance Methodology has evolved; and this is reflected in the successive rainwater management plans for the Routley, Yorkson and Northeast Gordon neighbourhoods.
In 2003, Routley showed that something could be done to protect the fisheries resource. The Routley experience demonstrated how to reduce rainwater runoff volume. It pre-dated East Clayton in Surrey. Routley was the first application of the Water Balance Methodology in its original form as laid out in the Guidebook.
Yorkson was the first application of the Water Balance Methodology as it evolved after 2003 to incorporateflow-duration. This is important because the critical parameter for stream stability is the number of hours per year of erosion-causing streamflow rates. The flow-duration relationship is the cornerstone of the methodology.
The Table of Contents below is a synopsis. It distills the essence of each section into a succinct statement. These create a storyline. Readers are asked to pause and reflect on them before reading the story itself.
Comments Off on Watershed Case Profile Series: Green Infrastructure Innovation in Langley Township – 'Design with Nature' to Create Liveable Neighbourhoods
We all learn from stories and the most compelling ones are based on the experiences of champions who are leading by example in their communities. The story of green infrastructure innovation in Langley Township is indeed compelling.
In 2007, the Township chose Harmony and Integration as its theme. A decade later, how have things played out? Is the Township accomplishing what it set out to achieve with its bold vision for an attractive and liveable community? Is the land and water stewardship ethic deeply instilled in the corporate culture? What is next on the horizon?
These questions provided a focus for storytelling and created the storyline for Green Infrastructure Innovation in Langley Township, released today by the Partnership for Water Sustainability in British Columbia.
2007 Showcasing Program – first, the project review; then, the site visit.
Cathedral Thinking
The stewardship ethic for creating liveable neighbourhoods in Langley is shaped by “cathedral thinking”, that is – a far-reaching vision, a well thought-out blueprint, and a shared commitment by elected representatives, staff and community to long-term implementation.
Celebrate ‘Good Work’
Design with nature, a whole-system approach, learn by doing and adapt. These three phrases capture the essence of how the Township builds neighbourhoods. The record of success to date is impressive.
This Watershed Case Profile celebrates the ‘good work’ done by the Township. By showcasing and sharing the ‘story behind the story’ of green infrastructure innovation, the Partnership for Water Sustainability hopes is that other communities will learn from Township experience. Langley is demonstrating the critical success factors that must be in play to achieve a vision for Sustainable Watershed Systems, through Asset Management.
Integration in Action
“When the previous General Manager of Engineering retired in 2011, our Chief Administrative Officer listened when I presented the case for doing both jobs – Engineering and Community Development,” stated Ramin Seifi.
“The Township needed more integration to respond to the demands on infrastructure and the risks to the environment resulting from rapid population growth. Achieving integration depended on the Township having a better structure.
“Replacement of curb-and-gutter with a ‘blue link’ rain garden is a perfect illustration of integration in action. Everyone could see that it made sense. Because I could see the need from all angles, I said to staff ‘just do it’. Integration helps everyone get it.”
The ‘blue link’ is the new drainage standard in Langley. It replaces the traditional curb-and-gutter detail for all but arterial roadways.
Going Beyond Staff
“The adaptive process for implementing green infrastructure is ongoing. Each time we learn. We strive to find better ways to mimic nature and protect the natural water balance in Langley’s watersheds,” states Ramin Seifi.
Educate the Community
“But the public does not see integration. This means the next step is to educate the community as a whole so that everyone understands the importance of green infrastructure and protecting the water cycle. Buy-in has to be from everyone.
“Time is of the essence to get buy-in, especially with the population currently projected to double. People are attracted to Langley because it is a community of choice. Protecting the natural values that make Langley attractive underscores the importance of going beyond staff to inform and educate homeowners. Achieving this outcome will require that we go door-to door.”
Rain Gardens on 208A Street at 69A Avenue, Langley
Table of Contents
The table is a synopsis. It distills the essence of each section into a succinct statement. These create a storyline. Readers are asked to pause and reflect on them before reading the story itself.
Comments Off on DESIGN WITH NATURE BECAUSE: "The reality of climate change has exposed the hubris of the pave, pipe and pump mentality that has dominated urban development for over a century," wrote Sophie Knight in an article for the Guardian newspaper's resilient cities page
Note to Reader:
The wetter the better. From sponge cities in China to ‘berms with benefits’ in New Jersey and floating container classrooms in the slums of Dhaka, Sophie Knight looks at a range of projects that treat storm and rain water as a resource rather than a hazard. Her article first appeared on Guardian Cities in England’s Guardian Newspaper.
Guardian Cities is supported by the Rockefeller Foundation which is behind the 100 Resilient Cities initiative. “100RC” is dedicated to helping cities around the world become more resilient to the physical, social and economic challenges that are a growing part of the 21st century.
“They call it ‘pave, pipe, and pump’: the mentality that has dominated urban development for over a century,” wrote Sophie Knight.
“Along with the explosion of the motorcar in the early 20th century came paved surfaces. Rainwater – instead of being sucked up by plants, evaporating, or filtering through the ground back to rivers and lakes – was suddenly forced to slide over pavements and roads into drains, pipes and sewers.
“Their maximum capacities are based on scenarios such as 10-year storms. And once they clog, the water – with nowhere else to go – simply rises.
“The reality of climate change and more frequent and intense downpours has exposed the hubris of this approach.”
To Learn More:
Read the complete article by Sophie Knight for descriptions of projects in Chicago, China and the New York-New Jersey region. Download What Would an Entirely Flood-proof City Look Like?, published September 2017 by the Guardian newspaper.
Acknowledgment: The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars is the living, national memorial to President Wilson established by the United States Congress in 1968
Comments Off on Interview offers insight into ‘watershed / stream’ approach: What makes BC’s stormwater approach different than other jurisdictions in North America?
from the keynote address by Kim Stephens at ‘Rising to the Challenge’, the 2016 annual conference of Stormwater Australia, held in Queensland
Watershed objectives start with the stream and end with the stream, say Jim Dumont & Kim Stephens
In May 2016, writer James Careless interviewed Kim Stephens and Jim Dumont, two experienced water resource practitioners, about the hydrology-based approach to rainwater (stormwater) management that has been evolving in British Columbia over the past two decades.
The British Columbia approach, with its emphasis on the water balance, contrasts with a water quality oriented approach in the rest of Canada. James Careless posed a set of five questions, with the objective of informing a national audience about what makes the BC approach different.
Kim Stephens is the Executive Director, Partnership for Water Sustainability in British Columbia. Jim Dumont is the Partnership’s Engineering Applications Authority.
Five Questions
What makes BC’s stormwater approach different than other jurisdictions; particularly the U.S.?
Why did BC take this different approach?
What is the fallout from only focusing on water quality, as opposed to the impact on eco-systems as well?
What are the challenges in implementing BC’s approach?
Are other jurisdictions doing something similar to BC?
Q1 – What Makes British Columbia Different?
“The difference in British Columbia is that the stream is included in the Water Balance Methodology, whereas many other jurisdictions simplify the problem to the site of the development, with an emphasis on creating rainwater gardens and similar measures to infiltrate and reduce surface runoff volumes,” explained Jim Dumont.
“Protection of streams and fish habitat has become an important public expectation which created a driving force altering perceptions, aspirations, and treatment of the urban landscape.”
“The objectives of the Water Balance Methodology start with the stream and end with the stream, providing a true measure of success in achieving environmental protection,” emphasized Jim Dumont.
“We were focused upon the loss of salmon in our streams and built on the science and research from Washington State. The research established that the loss was due to damages to habitat resulting from ‘changes in hydrology’ and stream erosion that result from urban development, rather than toxic pollutants,” stated Jim Dumont.
Primacy of Hydrology
Kim Stephens continued as follows in elaborating on why this research is so significant:
“In 1996, Richard Horner and Chris May (University of Washington, Seattle) published their seminal research on the cumulative impacts of land use change on stream health. Their findings shook conventional stormwater management wisdom in the Pacific Northwest to its very foundation.”
“The legacy of Horner & May resides in their science-based ranking of four limiting factors, with ‘changes in hydrology’ being #1 and water quality #4.”
“In British Columbia, we translated science-based understanding into a road map for science-based action to restore watershed health. The work of Horner & May is integrated into Stormwater Planning: A Guidebook for British Columbia (2002) and their findings drive the Water Balance Methodology.”
Q3 – What is the fallout from only focusing on water quality, as opposed to the impact on ecosystems as well?
“The loss of aquatic habitat and fish populations resulting from urban impacts to streams is ignored when the focus is solely upon runoff water quality. This will result in the ongoing loss of fish populations and aquatic habitat in clean urban streams,” answered Jim Dumont.
Shifting Baseline Syndrome
Kim Stephens then provided this background understanding to provide relevance for the above assessment by Jim Dumont:
“Dr. Daniel Pauly (University of BC) developed the concept of the Shifting Baseline Syndrome to describe why each new generation lacks direct knowledge of the historical condition of the environment, and how this lack of understanding plays out as a ‘failure to notice change’.”
According to Daniel Pauly: “We transform the world, but we don’t remember it. We adjust our baseline to the new level, and we don’t recall what was there.”
“Awareness of shifting baselines in BC has been reflected in a number of landmark processes, with the most recent being the Water Sustainability Act (2014),”: noted Kim Stephens.
http://mission-blue.org/2012/03/shifting-baselines-daniel-paulys-ted-talk/ [ Daniel Pauly tells the story of how he came to coin the phrase “Shifting Baseline Syndrome” in 1995 ]
Q4 – What are the challenges in implementing BC’s approach?
“The principal challenge is in widening the view of regulators and practitioners to include the stream and aquatic habitat when it is so easy for them to focus solely upon the development site and creation of rain gardens to reduce surface runoff,” stated Jim Dumont upon reflection.
It Takes Time to Turn Ideas Into Action
“The Province of BC enables local government. It does not prescribe solutions,” continued Kim Stephens. “The regulatory focus is on outcomes – such as, shift the ecological baseline upwards. This bottom-up approach relies on education, enabling tools and consensus to turn ideas into action.”
“The power of the enabling approach is that it encourages innovation and makes it possible to leapfrog ahead when the science leads us to a better way. However, the challenge lies in the investment of effort it takes to inform, educate and build capacity among land and water practitioners to understand and apply ‘watershed systems thinking’ and then implement ‘design with nature’ standards of practice that will actually restore hydrologic integrity and hence stream health.”
Progress in Addressing the Educational Challenge
“Recognition of this education challenge/reality was an underlying consideration during development of Asset Management for Sustainable Service Delivery: A Framework for BC (2014). This is a game-changer because it provides a financial incentive for local governments to do business differently.”
“It does this by connecting the dots between eligibility for provincial grants, local government services, the infrastructure that supports the delivery of those services, and the health of watershed systems.”
“BC is at a tipping point. Our challenge, and hence our opportunity in the coming years, is to progressively move towards Sustainable Watershed Systems, through Asset Management.”
“Success will result in a blend between engineered assets and nature’s services. When we are successful, we will have restored hydrologic integrity and we will have avoided expensive fixes.”
Q5 – Are other jurisdictions doing something similar to BC?
“The analytical approach used in the Water Balance Methodology is verifiable, and allow the mitigation works to be optimized for size and cost while achieving the watershed objectives,” emphasized Jim Dumont.
“Both Washington State and California have adopted a very similar flow duration analysis as part of their mandated National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Stormwater Permits applications that are required under the Clean Water Act.”
Comments Off on SUSTAINABLE WATERSHED SYSTEMS: “The Gibsons Eco-Asset Strategy allows the Town to bring the value of nature into the DNA of municipal decision-making,” states Emanuel Machado, Chief Administrative Officer
Note to Reader:
In British Columbia, Asset Management for Sustainable Service Delivery: A BC Framework sets a strategic direction for looking at infrastructure differently. The BC Framework encourages communities to refocus business processes to account for natural infrastructure within the built environment. The Town of Gibsons is an early adopter of the paradigm-shift:
Council has declared that Nature is a community’s most valuable infrastructure asset.
Furthermore, Gibsons is leading by example in successfully implementing its visionary Eco-Asset Strategy, adopted in 2014. The Town is the Living Laboratory for the Municipal Natural Assets Initiative. It is also a demonstration application for Sustainable Watershed Systems, through Asset Management. The Town of Gibsons brings added depth of policy development.
Aerial view of the Town of Gibsons on the Sunshine Coast, British Columbia
Making Nature Count in the Town of Gibsons – celebrating and showcasing 5 years of leading by example
“The Partnership for Water Sustainability for British Columbia welcomes the Town of Gibsons as a member,” states Ted van der Gulik, Partnership President.
“We are especially pleased that the Town recognizes the educational value of the online Water Balance Express as an element of a climate adaptation strategy. This tool aligns well with the Town’s objectives for community engagement.
“The Partnership values the Town’s commitment to walking the talk. Adapting to the new normal of floods and droughts starts with actions today.”
“The Town of Gibsons is a leader in policy and management of eco-assets, and is sharing its experience through the Municipal Natural Assets Initiative,” added Tim Pringle, Partnership Past-President and Chair, Ecological Accounting Protocol.
“Gibsons membership in the Partnership strengthens the bonds of collaboration because the Partnership and Municipal Natural Assets Initiative have committed to cooperate in areas of complementarity.
“We have shared objectives concerning recognition and valuation of natural assets as part of optimum asset management undertakings by local government.”
North America’s First Natural Asset Policy
“The Town of Gibsons eco-assets journey began in 2012,” recalls Emanuel Machado, Chief Administrative Officer. “The triggering event was the release of the Gibsons Aquifer Mapping Study. Shortly afterwards the Town changed the definition of infrastructure and formally acknowledged the need to understand and manage (eco)systems and not simply individual infrastructure assets.
“This action led directly to the Gibsons Eco-Asset Strategy, which recognizes the role of nature as a fundamental component of the municipal infrastructure system.”
Establish Budget Line Items:
“At the heart of the strategy is North America’s first natural asset policy. This directs the municipality to consider the role of natural assets within our overall asset management strategy. What gives life to the policy is the fact that, once the natural asset is within the policy, a budget is set aside for its ongoing management and maintenance, and town staff work together to preserve its integrity.
“The innovation in this strategy is that it helps to explain the value of natural assets in terms of financial and management strategies. It takes Gibsons beyond just making an environmental case for preserving nature.”
Putting the Eco-Asset Strategy into Action
“Over the past five years, the Town’s staff have been learning by doing, and adapting. Since declaring Nature its most valuable infrastructure asset, and to instil the stewardship ethic across the organization, the Town has integrated the Eco-Asset Strategy into everything that the municipality does,” continues Emanuel Machado.
Policies & Plans All Recognize the Role of Nature:
“To fully integrate nature’s services into its decision making, both financial and planning, and operations, the Town has updated its Asset Management Policy, Official Community Plan, including Development Permit Area guidelines, Strategic Plan, Financial Plan(s), Subdivisions Standards Bylaw, Development Cost Charges Bylaw, Integrated Stormwater Management Plan (in progress), and Human Resources Plan. All recognize the role of nature as a fundamental component of the municipal infrastructure system.
“To share our experience with other local governments, the Town is presently developing a Guidance Document for the Financial Planning of Natural Assets. We expect to release it later in 2017. The document will inform and support the work of the Municipal Natural Assets Initiative, currently piloting the ‘Gibsons approach’ in five communities in BC and Ontario, with five more projects across Canada expected in 2018.”
Design with Nature to Sustain the Natural Flow of Water to and in Streams
The Town of Gibsons is the latest local government to become a sustaining member of the Partnership for Water Sustainability in British Columbia. Collaboration and the resulting cross-fertilization of experience would benefit two programs; these are complementary in terms of desired outcomes (valuation of natural assets):
Municipal Natural Assets Initiative (MNAI), of which the Town is a convening partner; and
Sustainable Watershed Systems, through Asset Management, led by the Partnership.
The Partnership develops approaches, tools and resources to build practitioner capacity within local government to implement a whole-system, water balance approach branded as Sustainable Watershed Systems, through Asset Management. Under this umbrella, tools include the Ecological Accounting Protocol for valuing watersheds as infrastructure assets; and the interactive Water Balance Express to help homeowners understand what they would need to do to achieve a water balance on their properties.
Engage Community with Water Balance Express:
“The Town has joined the Partnership for Water Sustainability due, in part, to its contributions towards helping local governments in the integration of natural asset considerations into sustainable asset management, including planning and financial decisions and municipal operations,” explains Emanuel Machado.
“The Town is a demonstration application for the Water Balance Methodology through our participation in the Water Balance Express Cost-Sharing Incentive Program. The Partnership is supporting the Town by providing us with performance targets so that, in future, design of our drainage infrastructure would replicate the flow-duration pattern characteristic of natural conditions in our streams.
“The Town commits to implementing the Water Balance Express tool because it allows property owners/developers to simulate their own property and demonstrate how best to slow, sink and spread rainwater runoff.”
Two initiatives – Municipal Natural Assets Initiative (MNAI) and Ecological Accounting Protocol (EAP) – have the potential to achieve complementary outcomes, albeit at different scales
Comments Off on BACKGROUNDER SERIES ON SUSTAINABLE WATERSHED SYSTEMS: Governments of Canada and British Columbia fund water balance tools and resources for climate adaptation action (September 2017)
Note to Reader:
Inter-governmental collaboration and funding enable the Partnership for Sustainability in British Columbia to collaborate with others to develop approaches, tools and resources; as well as provide teaching, training and mentoring. In September 2017, the Partnership announced that eleven (11) decision support tools are now accessible from the re-built and re-launched waterbalance.ca website.
Visit the rebuilt waterbalance.ca website to learn more about the 11 water balance tools and calculators
“The warming of the planet’s atmosphere is causing water to move more quickly and disruptively through the global water cycle. Flood, drought, fire, wind and cold – extreme events are becoming the norm. Instabilities in the water cycle are increasingly apparent,” stated Kim Stephens, Executive Director, Partnership for Water Sustainability in British Columbia.
“The situation calls for a whole-systems approach to managing the water balance distribution where people live.
“Comprehensive and coordinated use of the 11 decision support tools accessible from waterbalance.ca, would assist communities on their journeys to a water-resilient future.
“A new tool is the Water Balance Model Desktop. It provides an advanced problem-solving capability. Its appeal is that the process for applying it would help communities create a vision of the desired future water balance for a watershed, and the steps to achieve it.”
The Challenge
“Opportunities for land use and infrastructure servicing practitioners to make a difference are at the time of (re)development. To those individuals the Partnership says: share and learn from those who are leading change; design with nature; ‘get it right’ at the front-end of the project; build-in ‘water resilience’; create a lasting legacy,” concluded Kim Stephens.
Comments Off on ANNOUNCEMENT: Partnership for Water Sustainability in British Columbia re-builds and re-launches waterbalance.ca website for easy access to an array of online tools that support the vision for "Sustainable Watershed Systems, through Asset Management" (Sept 2017)
Note to Reader:
Inter-governmental collaboration and funding enable the Partnership for Sustainability in British Columbia to collaborate with others to develop approaches, tools and resources; as well as provide teaching, training and mentoring.
The educational goal is to build practitioner capacity within the local government setting to implement a whole-system, water balance approach branded as Sustainable Watershed Systems, through Asset Management. Comprehensive and coordinated use of the eleven (11) decision support tools accessible from the waterbalance.ca website would help communities achieve this desired outcome.
Tools and Resources for
Climate Adaptation Action
“The current industry-wide move to on-line computation, propelled by changing approaches to software delivery as a multitude of enterprises commit to The Cloud, is hugely important,” states Dr. Charles Rowney, the Partnership’s Scientific Authority for the Water Balance Model family of tools.
As the Director of Operations for the new US-based Center for Infrastructure Modeling and Management, Charles Rowney is a driving force behind ncimm.org.
Under an agreement with the US Environmental Protection Agency, ncimm.org has been created to provide sustainable research, development and outreach for water infrastructure modeling, initially focusing on two foremost modelling tools – known around the world by the acronyms EPA SWMM and EPANET.
Online Computation:
“The leadership shown by the Partnership for Water Sustainability in decisively moving in this direction well over a decade ago has led to a body of knowledge from which others can learn,” continues Dr. Rowney.
“We will certainly tap into the Water Balance Model experience as the Center explores options for SWMM and EPANET deployment beyond the desktop.
“The Partnership understanding of hydrology and watershed management issues in the Pacific Northwest provides some intriguing insights into new diagnostics, targets and interpretation needs for watersheds, and the tools we develop will very likely need to embrace those ideas,” concludes Dr. Rowney.
North American Leaders in Flow-Duration Analysis
“The Partnership for Water Sustainability is evolving online tools that support implementation of the whole-system, water balance approach. British Columbia, Washington State and California are leaders. We are moving forward in parallel on this journey,” states Jim Dumont, the Partnership’s Engineering Applications Authority.
“A commonality is that all three regions are addressing impacts to the stream. Washington State and California have gone a step further than BC and mandated Flow-Duration Analysis as a regulatory requirement.
Over time, Jim Dumont has evolved the Water Balance Methodology to synthesize watershed hydrology and stream dynamics.
“The innovation in BC’s Water Balance Methodology is found in the integration and application of proven scientific and engineering principles,” emphasizes Jim Dumont.
“The methodology provides a logical and straightforward way to assess potential impacts resulting from urban development; and analytically demonstrate the effectiveness of the methods proposed for preventing and/or mitigating those impacts.”
“Real-world success would be defined as reduced stream erosion during wet weather, and sustained ‘environmental flows’ during dry weather,” concludes Jim Dumont.
Comprehensive and coordinated use of the 11 decision support tools listed below, and accessible from waterbalance.ca, would assist communities on their journeys to a water-resilient future:
Water Balance Model Desktop (NEW) – Facilitates application of the Water Balance Methodology (WBM) to establish watershed-specific performance targets. In turn, this would support use of EAP. These are the twin pillars of the whole-system, water balance approach.
Water Balance Model Online (ENHANCED) – A planning tool for assessing green infrastructure effectiveness at neighbourhood or individual property scales. Compare scenarios for runoff reduction. Modules include: Climate Change, Stream Erosion, Tree Canopy Rainfall Interception, Rainwater Harvesting.
Water Balance Express (ENHANCED) – An interactive tool for homeowners. Created to spur changes in practice. Click and drag components. Learn what it means and how to slow, spread and sink rainwater that runs off hard surfaces.
QUALHYMO Engine – Powers the Water Balance family of tools. Continuous and multi-year simulation modelling of hydrologic processes and water quality. Model has watershed, receiving stream and BMP components.
Drainage Infrastructure Screening Tool – Assess level-of-service for conveyance systems. Consider impact of both climate change and land use change at the same time, and with the same tool.
BC Water Conservation Calculator – Developed to support provincial grant applications, this tool is used by communities to demonstrate how fiscal and water savings would be achieved.
BC Agriculture Water Calculator – Developed to support the BC Groundwater Regulation, helps agriculture water users estimate annual irrigation or livestock water demands for farms.
Agricultural Irrigation Scheduling Calculator – Uses real-time evapotranspiration (ET) data from climate stations to determine drip irrigation run times and sprinkler irrigation schedules for agriculture.
Landscape Irrigation Scheduling Calculator – Uses real-time ET data for climate stations across Canada to determine landscape irrigation system run times.
Soil Hydraulic Properties Calculator – Useful for irrigation design. Select soil type to determine field capacity, wilting point, saturated hydraulic conductivity and maximum water content.
Evapotranspiration Calculator – Obtains real-time ET data for climate stations across Canada. A crop’s water requirement or water usage is directly related to ET.
A Look Ahead
A foundation piece for the Whole-System, Water Balance Approach is understanding how water gets to a stream, and how long it takes.
British Columbia’s new Water Sustainability Act will establish regulations pertaining to stream health and aquatic environments. The environmental flows objective may open the door to requiring Flow-Duration Analysis. This would then be a regulatory driver for use of the Water Balance Model Desktop.
“It is a great resource, well written. Down to earth, and in line with what the Water Sustainability Action Plan speaks about… the new business as usual, connecting the dots and giving useful tools and roadmaps for success. It is an easy read, and captivating with the stories, quotes and pictures,” states Kathy Bishop, Curriculum Chair for Leadership BC – Central Vancouver Island.
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