Author Archives: Partnership for Water Sustainability

  1. EDUCATIONAL PROCESS BRIDGES GAP IN UNDERSTANDING IN ENGINEERING COMMUNITY: “The result is an approach where assumptions and simplifications are understood by both parties and where there is mutual agreement as to their applicability to development site characteristics and the rainwater management objectives,” stated Shelley Ashfield, Director of Operations with the Town of Comox

    Comments Off on EDUCATIONAL PROCESS BRIDGES GAP IN UNDERSTANDING IN ENGINEERING COMMUNITY: “The result is an approach where assumptions and simplifications are understood by both parties and where there is mutual agreement as to their applicability to development site characteristics and the rainwater management objectives,” stated Shelley Ashfield, Director of Operations with the Town of Comox

    Note to Reader:

    Waterbucket eNews celebrates the leadership of individuals and organizations who are guided by the Living Water Smart vision. The edition published on March 7, 2023 featured the Town of Comox on Vancouver Island. Town experience illustrates what it takes to successfully move the land development industry and engineering profession in a new direction. The Town is a beacon of inspiration for water balance approach to land development.

     

    Town of Comox has moved land development industry and engineering profession in a new direction

    Shelley Ashfield joined the Town of Comox in 2009 and is the Director of Operations. An early adopter of the Water Balance Methodology, she long recognized the need to reconnect hydrology and stream ecology to protect streams when land is developed. Otherwise, streams will degrade.

    “I am proud of what the Town has accomplished over the past decade. It took hard work though,” states Shelley Ashfield. “Now that the Northeast Comox rainwater management plan is in place, water balance modeling is a requirement, and supporting bylaws help us regulate what developers must do on the ground. All in all, it has been such a huge step for the Town to get to where we have arrived at.”

    The Town had to re-invent what have been accepted development practices. Historical failure by designers to apply the fundamentals of a water balance approach perpetuates degrading of urban streams. How water gets to a stream, and how long it takes, is generally not well understood among land and drainage practitioners.

    Bylaws underpin regulatory framework

    Two new bylaws underpin the Town’s regulatory framework for maintaining the water balance after land is developed. One is the Drainage Infrastructure Protection Bylaw and the other is the Runoff Control Bylaw. The former applies across the entire municipality whereas the latter is a soil depth requirement (absorbent sponge) that is presently limited to Northeast Comox.

    The flow of rainwater from cloud to stream is comprised of three water balance pathways: surface, shallow interflow, and groundwater. The latter two as well as time are routinely ignored by designers. The Comox regulatory framework remedies this situation.

    “The framework accounts for all three pathways, incorporates an Adaptive Management Plan, and is supported by a monitoring program. The plan identifies triggers that would lead to changes,” explains Shelley Ashfield.

     

    EDITOR’S PERSPECTIVE / CONTEXT FOR BUSY READER

    “In a 2019 presentation to Council, the Partnership formally recognized the Town of Comox as a beacon of hope for its water balance approach to land development. Now that the regulatory framework institutionalizes this approach, the Town is truly a beacon of inspiration. This is a giant step forward,” stated Kim Stephens, Waterbucket eNews Editor and Partnership Executive Director.

    “Shelley Ashfield and her colleague Marvin Kamenz are champions for a systems approach that reconnects hydrology and stream ecology. The Town’s regulatory framework makes this desired outcome possible.”

    “The break from historical drainage engineering practice commenced with a Council decision in April 2012. It then took a decade to implement all the pieces of the current framework which adheres to the direction provided by Stormwater Planning: A Guidebook for British Columbia.”

    Why Comox is a beacon of inspiration

    “The outcome of a decade of hard work is that Comox has established a provincial precedent. The Town is indeed walking the talk to enforce a whole-system, water balance approach to land development in two neighbourhood planning areas known as Northeast Comox and the Anderton Corridor, respectively.”

    “The Town of Comox journey demonstrates that it takes years of sustained commitment and grinding perseverance to bring about incremental changes in planning and engineering practices. There is no shortcut to ‘getting it right’.”

    “The Town’s experience also demonstrates the value of staff continuity, particularly when that continuity is coupled with an underlying passion for their work, guided by the common good. Also, continuity goes to the heart of the Town’s corporate memory.”

    “Another hallmark of the Comox experience is the Town’s willingness to be proactive in establishing expectations – for example, the Town undertook a training course for land development engineers to teach them hydrology fundamentals so that they would know how to design with nature.”

     

    STORY BEHIND THE STORY:  Town of Comox – a beacon of inspiration for a water balance approach to land development – conversational interviews with Shelley Ashfield and Marvin Kamenz 

    In 2012, Council established a direction that a decade later would change land development practices in the Town of Comox. Midway through the process, in 2018, the Town decided to organize a training course designed for local drainage and land development engineers. The need for proactive action was identified jointly by the engineering and planning departments.

    “The Town took on responsibility for this training because the planning and design process is becoming increasingly more complex, and with greater expectations than we have ever applied to drainage infrastructure,” reports Shelley Ashfield, Director of Operations.

    The Town’s challenge: Move an industry and a profession in a new direction

    “It took a huge investment of effort and collaboration between the Town and local development engineers to realize and then understand the different constraints, requirements and abilities of each party; and then, collaborate in the creation of a new approach.”

    “Taught by Jim Dumont, the course comprised six sessions over a 3-month period. 20 individuals attended. Voluntary participation required a major commitment of their time. The Town also extended the invitation to attend to all local governments on Vancouver Island.”

    Operationalizing new water balance requirements within the Subdivision and Development Servicing Bylaw

    “This training helped to lay the groundwork for the Drainage Infrastructure Protection and Runoff Control bylaws, a transformational shift.”

    “In addition, the Town amended both the Subdivision and Development Servicing Bylaw and the Storm Drain Connection Bylaw. Roof leaders must not be connected to the storm sewer system in Northeast Comox.”

    “The new, plus amended bylaws are designed to work together. This combination gives staff the tools to ensure that the Town can successfully implement and operate what is now required within the Subdivision and Development Servicing Bylaw. “

    “Jim Dumont had a key role in helping us think through the implementation details. Creating the bylaws definitely shows that the Town is serious. We have to follow our bylaws now. It’s the law!”

    Driver for action to develop land differently: Liability concerns over flooding

    “When I reflect on my journey with the Town over the past decade, I realize that flooding is a good thing when it triggers people to look into what is going wrong right now with how we design communities,” adds Marvin Kamenz, Director of Development Services. He has been with the Town since 2000.

    “The other fundamental is that you need a nurturing corporate environment. You need the direction to be able to look at the natural environment to mitigate risks as part of your job. And then, and this is key, you are allowed to explore what is necessary to do rather than carrying on with past standards.”

    What it means to walk the talk

    “Local government processes, such as an Official Community Plan, result in statements of good intent. It is then up to staff to say, this is how it can be done. That is what we did in Northeast Comox. We had to re-invent development practices.”

    “Jim Dumont’s approach is an intuitive lay person approach: where does the water go now; where will it go afterwards. That is the reframing. A technical person needs to be able to provide answers that make sense to a lay person.”

    “When you have a policy analysis background, you learn to look at the policy assumptions. They tell you everything. If the assumptions do not reflect reality, it does not matter what the report says,” Marvin Kamenz underscores.

    What are your assumptions?

    “The Town’s experience is that the weak link in drainage analyses is always the assumptions,” elaborates Shelley Ashfield.

    “A lack of explicit identification and justification of the assumptions and simplifications made in the analysis of stormwater impacts has resulted in stormwater systems that address hypothetical as opposed to actual site characteristics and development impacts.”

    “Learning from this experience, the Town now requires that assumptions be stated and explained. WHAT is your assumption, and WHY.”

    Communities are at a turning point: Climate change is the new reality

    “We were effectively implementing the Drainage Infrastructure Protection Bylaw before Council formally adopted it,” explains Shelley Ashfield.

    “Several years ago, we started educating developers and consultants about the requirement to have a biologist on board, along with sediment and erosion control plans, to ensure there would no negative impact on the Town’s infrastructure, including its natural assets.”

    “We do get pushback about the bylaws, but not as much as we would have seen a decade ago or even a few years ago. More frequent and intense droughts, severe storms, heat waves, rising sea levels, melting glaciers and warm oceans have everyone’s attention; we need to do things better.”

    The water balance message is getting out

    “With climate change, I believe communities are definitely at a turning point. We can no longer ignore the need to develop and drain land differently. We have no choice but to make changes on the ground,” emphasizes Shelley Ashfield.

    “In the Town of Comox, we now have some tools to implement those changes. To protect stream hydrology, we need to understand all three water balance pathways, not just surface flows.”

    “The message is getting out. It is now a 10-year journey. The local engineering culture is changing. A lot of the consultants do see that change is needed in the way flows are analyzed and where the flow from impervious areas is going to go. Engineers are asking for copies of the Northeast Comox report, as well as the Anderton Corridor reports.”

    “What is interesting about the story of the Northeast Comox water balance modeling approach, and how we are implementing it, is that you need a team to do it; you need more than just engineers,” concludes Shelley Ashfield.

     

    Did you enjoy this article? Would you like a PDF document version? Click on the image below to download your copy.

    DOWNLOAD A COPY: https://waterbucket.ca/wcp/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2023/03/PWSBC_Living-Water-Smart_Comox-beacon-of-inspiration_2023.pdf

     

  2. ASSET MANAGEMENT BC NEWSLETTER (January 2011):”Actions and targets in Living Water Smart encourage ‘green choices’ that will foster a holistic approach to infrastructure asset management. Protection of a community’s natural resources is emerging as an important piece in Sustainable Service Delivery,” foreshadowed Glen Brown

    Comments Off on ASSET MANAGEMENT BC NEWSLETTER (January 2011):”Actions and targets in Living Water Smart encourage ‘green choices’ that will foster a holistic approach to infrastructure asset management. Protection of a community’s natural resources is emerging as an important piece in Sustainable Service Delivery,” foreshadowed Glen Brown

    Note to Reader:

    In January 2011, the  second edition of the Asset Management BC Newsletter published the first of 26 articles contributed by the Partnership of Water Sustainability through 2022. The article in 2011 was a collaborative effort by eight individuals, including Glen Brown, the visionary and thought leader who coined the term “sustainable service delivery” a mere 12 years ago. This way of viewing the local government sphere of responsibility changes everything about how local governments do business in an era of rapid change.

     

    Integrated Rainwater Management: Move to a Levels-of-Service Approach to Sustainable Service Delivery

    “During the November-December 2010 period, the Water Sustainability Action Plan for British Columbia released a series of five articles that are designed to inform local governments and others about a ‘course correction’ for Integrated Stormwater Management Plans (ISMPs),” recalls Kim Stephens, Executive Director, Partnership for Water Sustainability. He was the lead author.

    “The fourth in the series of five introduced the ‘infrastructure deficit’ as a driver for the ISMP Course Correction. It connected the dots to Asset Management as a way to re-focus the ISMP process on what really matters. The article published in the Asset Management BC Newsletter in January 2011 was adapted from that series.”

    Prepare Communities for Change

    “Use of the ISMP term is unique to British Columbia. First used by the City of Kelowna in 1998, the term quickly gained widespread acceptance by local governments and environmental agencies to describe a comprehensive approach to watershed-based planning in an urban context. When the Province released Stormwater Planning: A Guidebook for British Columbia in 2002, the ISMP approach was expanded and became a recognized provincial process.”

    “Circa 2000, the approach reflected a significant shift in community values. The implicit goal was to build and/or rebuild communities in balance with ecology – that is, accommodate development while protecting property and aquatic habitat. By 2010, ‘climate change’ and ‘sustainable service delivery’ had also become integral parts of the goal.”

    Sustainable Service Delivery is Outcome-Oriented

    “The term Sustainable Service Delivery describes a life-cycle way of thinking about infrastructure needs and how to pay for those needs over time. The link between asset management and the protection of a community’s natural resources is emerging as an important piece in Sustainable Service Delivery,” wrote Glen Brown as part of his contribution to the 2011 article.

    “The Province’s Living Water Smart and Green Communities initiatives constitute an over-arching policy framework. They are preparing communities for change: start with effective green infrastructure and restore the urban fabric. Actions and targets in Living Water Smart encourage ‘green choices’ that will foster a holistic approach to infrastructure asset management.”

    “A watershed-based plan that is outcome-oriented is a potentially powerful tool to achieve a vision for ‘green’ infrastructure that: protects stream health, fish habitat and fish; anticipates climate change; connects the dots to Sustainable Service Delivery; is affordable, and is supported by the community.”

    Embrace a Level-of-Service Approach

    “Land use planning in British Columbia may be significantly improved when integrated with asset management planning in local governments. The legislative authority for integration of land use planning and asset management, including financial management, already exists within the Local Government Act and Community Charter,” added Glen Brown.

    “Level-of-Service is the integrator for everything that local governments do. What level of service does a community wish to provide, and what level can it afford? Everyone will have to make level-of-service choices. Thus, a guiding principle for a watershed-based plan could be framed this way: Establish the level-of-service that is sustainable to protect watershed health, and then work backwards to determine how to achieve that level of protection and level of drainage service.”

    To Learn More:

    To read the complete article published in January 2011, download a copy of Integrated Rainwater Management: Move to a Levels-of-Service Approach to Sustainable Service Delivery.

    Also, download Story #5 in the ISMP Course Correction Series. It is titled Integrated Rainwater Management Planning: Apply Inexpensive Screening Tools and ‘Do More with Less’ . The one-sentence abstract is: When the use of screening tools is coupled with the front-end effort to create a Watershed Vision, this stretches a local government dollar further.

     

  3. ASSET MANAGEMENT FOR SUSTAINABLE DRAINAGE SERVICE DELIVERY: “In the big picture, the last two decades have been characterized by an inability to act on the science. The consequence is a growing Riparian Deficit,” wrote Kim Stephens in an article published in the Asset Management BC Newsletter (October 2022)

    Comments Off on ASSET MANAGEMENT FOR SUSTAINABLE DRAINAGE SERVICE DELIVERY: “In the big picture, the last two decades have been characterized by an inability to act on the science. The consequence is a growing Riparian Deficit,” wrote Kim Stephens in an article published in the Asset Management BC Newsletter (October 2022)

    Note to Reader:

    The Fall 2022 issue of the Asset Management BC Newsletter includes an article by Tim Pringle and Kim Stephens about EAP, the Ecological Accounting Process. Previously published in the Summer 2022 issue, Asset Management BC decided to re-publish the article prominently as the lead article in the Fall 2022 issue. This decisive action was in recognition of the vital  importance to inform the ongoing local government conversation about “natural asset management”.

    Recognize there is an elephant in the room

    “In the 1990s, seminal research at the University of Washington on the science of land use changes produced a road map for protection of stream system integrity,” stated Kim Stephens, Executive Director, Partnership for Water Sustainability in British Columbia.

    “For the past generation of practice, then, communities and practitioners should have known what they ought to be doing. And some have made progress. But, in the big picture, the last two decades have been characterized by an inability to act on the science. The consequence is a growing Riparian Deficit which is an unfunded liability.”

    “Land use realities – master drainage planning, integrated stormwater planning, development pressures, etc. – push local government to pay lip-service to the role of the streamside protection zone.  There is scant understanding of a stream system context, the value of water balance pathways, the condition of native vegetation and woodlands cover, and the need for restoration.”

    Why aren’t these factors considered and given equal weight to engineering considerations?

    “An elephant in the room is the hollowing out of government capacity at all levels and the reliance on outside service providers,” continues Tim Pringle, a founding director of the Partnership, and Chair of the EAP Initiative.

    “The question is, how does one create a situation where the environmental perspective is on an equal footing with the engineering and accounting perspectives? Only then can there be a balanced and productive conversation about annual budgets for maintenance and management (M&M) of assets, whether those are constructed assets or the natural component of the Drainage Service.”

    “The growing cost due to neglect of the Drainage Service, combined with the urgency of the drainage liability issue, is the driver for linking municipal infrastructure asset management and stream health as cause-and-effect.”

    TO LEARN MORE:

    To read the complete article, download a copy of How much should local governments spend each year to reduce the Riparian Deficit?

    After that, download and read the Synthesis Report on the Ecological Accounting Process, a BC Strategy for Community Investment in Stream Systems, the 4th in the Beyond the Guidebook Series published by the Partnership for Water Sustainability in BC.

     

  4. ASSET MANAGEMENT FOR SUSTAINABLE DRAINAGE SERVICE DELIVERY: “Township staff are working on a long-term Ecological Services Initiative program. The Ecological Accounting Process analysis will be used to establish the baseline funding for payment to farmers,” stated Melisa Gunn, Agricultural Planner with the Township of Langley

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    Note to Reader:

    In June 2022, the Partnership for Water Sustainability released the 4th in the Beyond the Guidebook Series. Titled Synthesis Report on the Ecological Accounting Process, a BC Strategy for Community Investment in Stream Systems, it showcases collaboration in action. EAP methodology and metrics allow local governments to make a convincing financial case for annual investment in stream systems to reduce the Riparian Deficit

    DOWNLOAD A COPY OF Part C – Case Study Building Blocks Process. It introduces the nine case studies that are building blocks in the EAP program. Bertrand Creek in the Township of Langley is one of two Lower Mainland demonstration applications of EAP

    Part C is structured in three sections: 1) EAP Program, Processes and Outcomes; 2) Capsule Synopses; and 3), Reflections on the EAP Journey. A two-page summary for each case study highlights what stands out about the creek system, explains why it was included in the EAP program, elaborates on the context for each “big idea” that emerged from the EAP analysis, and identifies a case study outcome that is defining.

    EAP fits into local government Strategic Directions

    “When the Partnership embarked upon EAP Stage 3 in late 2019, there was no way for anyone to predict either how mainstreaming would unfold over a two-year period or who would be involved. The hope was that there would be sufficient interest for three case studies per year,” stated Kim Stephens, Partnership Executive Director.

    “By mid-2020, five willing local governments had stepped up to become project partners, representing a consortium of four regional districts and six municipalities. Each identified local streams for analysis.”

    “With the perspective of hindsight, each local government took a leap of faith that EAP would fit into their strategic directions. There was no guaranteed outcome. There was simply a recognition by all of the need to ‘just do it’. The program as a whole and the individual EAP processes have exceeded expectations.”

    “Every participating local government has benefitted from the building blocks approach to applied research. The sequencing of projects was fortuitous, resulting in insights which improved the research process. This energized the collaborative effort.”

    To Learn More:

    Table C2 presents capsule summaries which describe the outcomes for EAP projects. These highlight where and how EAP fits into strategic directions which represent a range of pathways. Click on the image to download a PDF copy of the table.

    More than Asset Management

    “A primary goal of the EAP program is to build support for the idea of operationalizing EAP within an Asset Management Strategy. This was the context for an initial Partnership objective in selecting case studies analyzing streams passing through a range of land use situations – from urban to suburban to rural – and in five South Coast regions,” continued Tim Pringle, EAP Chair.

    “The unexpected outcome is the realization that local government has multiple pathways to achieve the goal of ‘natural asset management’. These pathways are in the form of planning and environmental initiatives that are challenged to bridge from high-level policy statement to on-the-ground realities.”

    “Ultimately, the success of these initiatives would depend on having a measurable metric, the Riparian Deficit, a real number. This is what starts the conversation with engineering and finance about what must be in an Asset Management Budget if a local government is serious about a strategy for Sustainable Drainage Service Delivery.”

    To Learn More:

    To read the complete Synthesis Report, download a copy of Ecological Accounting Process, A B.C. Strategy for Community Investment in Stream Systems (2022) .

    The “story of EAP” is told in six parts. To download them individually, click on the links:

    Financial Case for the Stream – Executive Summary

    Part A – Synopsis for the Busy Reader

    Part B – Story Behind the Story of Sustainable Drainage Service Delivery

    Part C – Case Study Building Blocks Process

    Part D – Hydrology is the Engine that Powers Ecological Services

    Part E – A Stream is a Land Use

     

    DOWNLOAD A COPY OF https://waterbucket.ca/gi/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2022/06/EAP-Synthesis-Report-Beyond-the-Guidebook-2022_Jun-2022.pdf

     

     

  5. ASSET MANAGEMENT FOR SUSTAINABLE DRAINAGE SERVICE DELIVERY: “Nature appears more fragmented because we have to slice it into categories and dice those categories into bits before we can value bits of those bits,” stated John Henneberry (1952-2021) Professor of Property Development Studies, University of Sheffield, United Kingdom

    Comments Off on ASSET MANAGEMENT FOR SUSTAINABLE DRAINAGE SERVICE DELIVERY: “Nature appears more fragmented because we have to slice it into categories and dice those categories into bits before we can value bits of those bits,” stated John Henneberry (1952-2021) Professor of Property Development Studies, University of Sheffield, United Kingdom

    Note to Reader:

    John Henneberry’s pioneering work in the United Kingdom serves as validation of how EAP, the Ecological Accounting Process, looks at streams and water assets as a system. His eclecticism produced real insights into the operation of land and property markets, enabling all involved to see things more clearly and differently.

    John Henneberry’s interests lay at the interface between planning and property, and focused on the use of economic instruments in planning and the reproduction of the urban built environment. The work of Tim Pringle in British Columbia to develop EAP identified the same methodological problems that Professor Henneberry identified in his opinion piece published by The Convers

    Building Blocks and Big Ideas

    “What gets measured gets managed and determines whether a line item is included in a local government Asset Management Strategy. Competing priorities that local governments must constantly reconcile overshadow how one calculates a number. Yet, at the end of the day, it will be all about the number. The number must look right to be right,” stated Kim Stephens, Executive Director, Partnership for Water Sustainability in British Columbia.

    “Application of the initial EAP methodology through 9 case studies over a 6-year period of applied research led to refinements and a key finding. And that is, natural systems require a fundamental re-thinking of methodologies for financial valuation, especially for a system such as a stream. The financial value must refer to the physical asset and link it to the land uses that the community expects to enjoy due to the presence of the stream.”

    “EAP evolved as one ‘big idea’ led to the next one. We could not have made the leap directly from the first to the last. It required a building blocks process. This is the beneficial outcome of a systematic approach to applied research that tests and refines the methodology and metrics to get them right.”

    To Learn More:

    Download a PDF copy of Building Blocks in a Process. The table lists the nine EAP projects and consolidates 19 “big ideas” that are transformative in their implications for “why and how” local governments implement Asset Management for Sustainable Drainage Service Delivery.

    Use and Conservation of Land are Equal Values

    “EAP is a major milestone in a journey that had its’ genesis in 1991 when Tim Pringle, the Executive Director, convinced his Board of Governors at the Real Estate Foundation of British Columbia (REFBC) to adopt a philosophy that use and conservation of land are equal values,” continued Kim Stephens.

    “From that point forward, the REFBC funded work in the stewardship and conservation sectors applying this guiding philosophy. The notion of equal values launched Tim Pringle on a career trajectory that culminated with his pioneering work leading the EAP initiative. This is the context for the case study building blocks process.”

    Context is Everything

    “Early in the EAP journey, it became clear that ecological economics theory does not make sense when applied to the local government setting and asset management. Ecological economics determines general values for natural systems with emphasis on influencing policy and statistical measures. It does not drill down in a way that is helpful to local governments striving, under scrutiny, to make budget decisions,” continued Tim Pringle, EAP Chair.

    “To provide a relevant solution for local government, one must understand the local government context. EAP is unique because the methodology deals with the parcel. Case studies informed the research and validated the approach. The late John Henneberry was following a similar path in the United Kingdom.”

    “It is more than coincidental that he qualified both as a chartered planner and as a chartered surveyor, a rare but important combination. In other words, he understood the importance of the parcel, and this was one of his areas of research,” concluded Tim Pringle.

    TO LEARN MORE:

    For background on John Henneberry, his work and his contributions, click on this link: IN MEMORIAM: “The University of Sheffield’s John Henneberry (1952-2021) was a source of inspiration for me when we were initially developing the methodology and metrics for EAP, the Ecological Accounting Process. He identified the same methodological problems that we experienced in quantifying the financial value of ecological services. Natural systems do not dissect conveniently in order to be quantified and given financial value,” stated Tim Pringle, EAP Chair (October 2021)

    To read the complete story about EAP, download a copy of Ecological Accounting Process, A B.C. Strategy for Community Investment in Stream Systems (2022) – the Synthesis Report is a distillation of over 1000 pages of case study documentation into a storyline that is conversational and written for a continuum of audiences that includes land use practitioners, asset managers, stream stewards, and local government decision-makers.

  6. ASSET MANAGEMENT FOR SUSTAINABLE DRAINAGE SERVICE DELIVERY: “The BC Framework points the way to integration of natural systems and climate change thinking into asset management,” stated stated Liam Edwards, a former Executive Director with BC Ministry of Municipal Affairs, in 2015

    Comments Off on ASSET MANAGEMENT FOR SUSTAINABLE DRAINAGE SERVICE DELIVERY: “The BC Framework points the way to integration of natural systems and climate change thinking into asset management,” stated stated Liam Edwards, a former Executive Director with BC Ministry of Municipal Affairs, in 2015

    Note to Reader:

    Three landmark initiatives came to fruition in 2014. These initiatives enable local governments to achieve the vision for “Sustainable Watershed Systems, through Asset Management” as described in Beyond the Guidebook 2015. 

    WHAT – The ‘Water Sustainability Act’ connects land and water and makes the link to desired water balance outcomes (that would be achieved by integrating watershed systems thinking into asset management).

    SO WHAT – ‘Develop with Care 2014’ makes the link between environmental function and resilience as communities grow.

    THEN WHAT – ‘Asset Management for Sustainable Service Delivery: A BC Framework’ makes the link between local government services, the infrastructure that supports the delivery of those services, and watershed health.

    The 4Cs for Sustainable Service Delivery:  Collaboration, Capacity, Culture, and Council

    “It takes courage on the part of a Council or Regional Board members to look beyond the short-term, understand what sustainable funding entails over the long-term, and direct staff to get on with the job,” stated Christopher Paine, Director of Financial Services, District of Oak Bay.

    “Unless there is an inter-generational financial vision for sustainable funding, combined with a supporting culture, an incremental erosion of the service levels for constructed assets would inevitably result. This is the local government reality-check for integration of stream systems into asset management strategies and annual budgets,” added Kim Stephens, Executive Director, Partnership for Water Sustainability in BC.

    Timeline Context for EAP

    “Building on the science-informed foundation in Stormwater Planning: A Guidebook for British Columba, the Beyond the Guidebook Series documents the progress of local government leaders in implementing changes in practice. The timeline image (below) highlights milestones along the way. Beyond the Guidebook titles reflect incremental progress over time,” explained Kim Stephens.

    “The timeline image provides historical perspective for a building blocks process that began in 1992 with publication of guidelines for Liquid Waste Management Plans and continues with EAP.”

    Reconnecting Hydrology and Stream Ecology

    “Beyond the Guidebook 2015 introduced EAP as an idea with this statement of intent: EAP will address the challenge of determining financial values for goods and services drawn from natural systems. The Partnership made this commitment to support of the rollout of Asset Management for Sustainable Service Delivery: A BC Framework.”

    To Learn More:

    To read the complete story about EAP, download a copy of Ecological Accounting Process, A B.C. Strategy for Community Investment in Stream Systems (2022) – the Synthesis Report is a distillation of over 1000 pages of case study documentation into a storyline that is conversational and written for a continuum of audiences that includes land use practitioners, asset managers, stream stewards, and local government decision-makers.

     

     

  7. DOWNLOAD BEYOND THE GUIDEBOOK 2022: “Because local governments need real numbers to deliver outcomes, we landed on a concept which we call the Riparian Deficit. This is a measure of land use intrusion into the streamside protection zone,” stated Tim Pringle, Chair of the Ecological Accounting Process (released June 2022)

    Comments Off on DOWNLOAD BEYOND THE GUIDEBOOK 2022: “Because local governments need real numbers to deliver outcomes, we landed on a concept which we call the Riparian Deficit. This is a measure of land use intrusion into the streamside protection zone,” stated Tim Pringle, Chair of the Ecological Accounting Process (released June 2022)

    Note to Reader:

    In 2016, the Partnership for Water Sustainability in British  Columbia embarked upon a 6-year program of applied research to evolve EAP, the Ecological Accounting Process, through a 3-stage building blocks process of testing, refining, and mainstreaming the methodology and metrics for financial valuation of stream systems. The program involved 9 case studies and 13 local governments and yielded 19 “big ideas” or foundational concepts.

    In the edition of Waterbucket eNews published on June 14, 2022, the Partnership  announced release of its Synthesis Report on the Ecological Accounting Process, a BC Strategy for Community Investment in Stream Systems. This is the 4th in the Beyond the Guidebook Series.

    How much should communities invest in protection of stream systems?

    “Know your history. Understand the context. These are key thoughts, and they provide perspective for the story of EAP, the Ecological Accounting Process, as told in the Synthesis Report. EAP comprises five cascading concepts (image below),” wrote Kim Stephens, Executive Director of the Partnership for Water Sustainability, in the preface to Beyond the Guidebook 2022: EAP, a BC Strategy for Community Investment in  Stream Systems.

    Beyond the Guidebook Series

    Stormwater Planning: A Guidebook for British Columbia, released in 2002, is the foundation document for the Beyond the Guidebook Series of guidance documents. The titles themselves tell a story about the partnership journey in building on the Guidebook through case studies that showcase and celebrate good work, and advance implementation of science-informed approaches. The four documents in the series are:

    Building Blocks Process

    “The EAP story is about a journey, one that began circa 1990 for pioneers working on parallel stream protection and restoration initiatives in British Columbia and Washington State. Three decades later, these parallel tracks have converged in the form of EAP. It has been a building blocks process requiring commitment, patience, and perseverance by many,” continued Kim Stephens.

    “EAP provides local governments with the philosophy, methodology and metrics they need to make the financial case for stream systems. Maintenance and management (M&M) of stream systems can now be integrated into a Local Government Finance Strategy for sustainable infrastructure funding.”

    The Riparian Deficit

    “We can draw a direct line between EAP and the Fish Protection Act, passed in 1997 and re-named the Riparian Areas Protection Regulation Act in 2016. Circa 1990, Tim Pringle framed the challenge in terms that are still applicable:

    “If we know how to do a much better job of protecting ecological features in our communities and on our landscape, then why aren’t we doing a better job? Why are streams still being degraded? Why do we still see practices that are embedded in land use policy and regulation that are 50 years old in some cases? How do we change that?”

    “The philosophy that ‘use and conservation of land are equal values’ launched Tim Pringle on a career trajectory that has culminated with his breakthrough accomplishment in leading the EAP initiative. This 6-year program of applied research to test, refine and mainstream EAP provides local government with a path forward to address the Riparian Deficit.”

    “The Riparian Deficit is the environmental equivalent of the Infrastructure Funding Gap. It puts the environmental perspective on an equal footing with the engineering and accounting perspectives. This is game-changing.”

    “The Partnership mission is to develop tools and resources to help communities reconnect hydrology and stream ecology, by design. This includes a science-informed road map for restoring stream system integrity. Now it is up to communities to operationalize policy objectives spelled out in Living Water Smart, British Columbia’s Water Plan,” concluded Kim Stephens.

    EAP, a BC Strategy for Community Investment in Stream Systems

    “EAP uses real numbers. The methodology and metrics allow local governments to make a convincing financial case for annual investment in stream systems. The next step for them is to integrate budget line items for stream maintenance and management (M&M) into their Asset Management Strategies,” explains Tim Pringle, EAP Chair.

    “It is amazing that we have been able to produce a methodology that defines what a stream is, can find the value of the stream using impartial BC Assessment data, and add to that a riparian assessment that looks at the 30m zone and a further 200m upland area to evaluate the water balance condition and what is happening to water pathways.”

    “Now that we have landed on the Riparian Deficit concept, we are able to reflect on the two issues which provided context for the journey: first, engineering measures are insufficient for stream and riparian protection; and secondly, the link to municipal asset management has not been clear.”

    “To reach the destination, we had to address and show how to overcome four challenges: one, a lack of measurable metrics; two, confusion over what is an asset versus a service; three, ignorance about how to quantify the financial value of natural assets with real numbers; and four, numerous one-off projects that fail to build improved asset management practice.”

    To Learn More:

    Download a copy of Ecological Accounting Process, A B.C. Strategy for Community Investment in Stream Systems (2022) – the Synthesis Report is a distillation of over 1000 pages of case study documentation into a storyline that is conversational and written for a continuum of audiences that includes land use practitioners, asset managers, stream stewards, and local government decision-makers.

    DOWNLOAD A COPY OF https://waterbucket.ca/gi/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2022/06/EAP-Synthesis-Report-Beyond-the-Guidebook-2022_Jun-2022.pdf

     

  8. DOWNLOAD BEYOND THE GUIDEBOOK 2022: “Ecological Accounting Process, a BC Strategy for Community Investment in Stream Systems” (released June 2022)

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    Note to Reader:

    In 2016, the Partnership for Water Sustainability in British  Columbia embarked upon a 6-year program of applied research to evolve EAP, the Ecological Accounting Process, through a 3-stage building blocks process of testing, refining, and mainstreaming the methodology and metrics for financial valuation of stream systems.

    The program involved 9 case studies and 13 local governments and yielded 19 “big ideas” or foundational concepts. The findings and path forward are detailed in a Synthesis Report on the Ecological Accounting Process, a BC Strategy for Community Investment in Stream Systems, released in June 2022. This is the 4th in the Beyond the Guidebook Series.

    Story behind the Ecological Accounting Process

    Know your history. Understand the context. These are key thoughts, and they provide perspective for the story of EAP, the Ecological Accounting Process, as told in Beyond the Guidebook 2022: EAP, a BC Strategy for Community Investment in  Stream Systems, released on June 14, 2022 by the Partnership.

    EAP uses real numbers. The methodology and metrics allow local governments to make a convincing financial case for annual investment in stream systems. The next step for them is to integrate budget line items for stream maintenance and management (M&M) into their Asset Management Strategies.

    The “EAP story” is about a journey, one that began circa 1990 for pioneers working on parallel stream protection and restoration initiatives in British Columbia and Washington State. Three decades later, these parallel tracks have converged in the form of EAP.  It has been a building blocks process requiring commitment, patience, and perseverance by many.

    To Learn More:

    Download a copy of Ecological Accounting Process, A B.C. Strategy for Community Investment in Stream Systems (2022) – the Synthesis Report is a distillation of over 1000 pages of case study documentation into a storyline that is conversational and written for a continuum of audiences that includes land use practitioners, asset managers, stream stewards, and local government decision-makers.

    DOWNLOAD A COPY OF https://waterbucket.ca/gi/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2022/06/EAP-Synthesis-Report-Beyond-the-Guidebook-2022_Jun-2022.pdf

     

     

  9. BEYOND THE GUIDEBOOK 2022 / EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: If we know how to do a much better job of protecting ecological features and stream systems in our communities and on our landscape, then why aren’t we doing a better job? Why are streams still degrading?

    Comments Off on BEYOND THE GUIDEBOOK 2022 / EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: If we know how to do a much better job of protecting ecological features and stream systems in our communities and on our landscape, then why aren’t we doing a better job? Why are streams still degrading?

    Note to Reader:

    In June 2022, the Partnership for Water Sustainability released the 4th in the Beyond the Guidebook Series. Titled Synthesis Report on the Ecological Accounting Process, a BC Strategy for Community Investment in Stream Systems, it showcases collaboration in action. EAP methodology and metrics allow local governments to make a convincing financial case for annual investment in stream systems to reduce the Riparian Deficit.

    DOWNLOAD A COPY OF Financial Case for the Stream – Executive Summary. It provides a high-level overview for the extremely busy who just wants to understand “what I need to know” about EAP

    Now What: Train the next generation of land use, GIS and drainage professionals

    “An elephant in the room is the hollowing out of government capacity at all levels and the reliance on outside service providers. The ramifications of this dual concern provide the context for the Partnership’s observation that a lack of understanding of the science correlating changes in land use and the consequences for stream health is widespread,” stated Kim Stephens, Partnership Executive Director.

    “Following publication of Beyond the Guidebook 2015, the Partnership launched the 4-step process (conceptualized on the  image below) to develop and operationalize the EAP methodology and metrics. The Synthesis Report is Step Two. It is the springboard to Step Three, which we have framed as now what we can do.”

    “The process is in motion to operationalize a transition strategy over a 3-year period and initially embed the EAP program in the Mount Arrowsmith Biosphere Region Research Institute (MABRRI).

    “The Partnership’s objectives in embedding the EAP program with MABRRI are two-fold. First, provide the next generation of land use practitioners with real-world experience. Secondly, elevate the state of practice so that all local governments would know what they need to do to progress along the Asset Management Continuum.”

    To Learn More:

    To read the complete Synthesis Report, download a copy of Ecological Accounting Process, A B.C. Strategy for Community Investment in Stream Systems (2022) .

    The “story of EAP” is told in six parts. To download them individually, click on the links:

    Financial Case for the Stream – Executive Summary

    Part A – Synopsis for the Busy Reader

    Part B – Story Behind the Story of Sustainable Drainage Service Delivery

    Part C – Case Study Building Blocks Process

    Part D – Hydrology is the Engine that Powers Ecological Services

    Part E – A Stream is a Land Use

    DOWNLOAD A COPY OF https://waterbucket.ca/gi/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2022/06/EAP-Synthesis-Report-Beyond-the-Guidebook-2022_Jun-2022.pdf

     

     

  10. BEYOND THE GUIDEBOOK 2022 / PART A: “John Henneberry’s pioneering work in the United Kingdom serves as validation of how EAP looks at streams and water assets as a system,” stated Tim Pringle, Chair of the Ecological Accounting Process initiative, a BC strategy for community investment in stream systems

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    Note to Reader:

    In June 2022, the Partnership for Water Sustainability released the 4th in the Beyond the Guidebook Series. Titled Synthesis Report on the Ecological Accounting Process, a BC Strategy for Community Investment in Stream Systems, it showcases collaboration in action. EAP methodology and metrics allow local governments to make a convincing financial case for annual investment in stream systems to reduce the Riparian Deficit.

    DOWNLOAD A COPY OF Part A – Synopsis for the Busy Reader. It provides context for application of EAP to stream systems and water assets in nine case studies.

    Part A is structured in four parts: 1) Use of EAP to establish the  ‘Financial Case for the Stream System’; 2) Riparian Deficit: from Policy to Measurable Metric; 3) Historical Context for Twin Pillars Concept; and 4), Asset Management Context for EAP.              

    Building Blocks and Big Ideas

    “What gets measured gets managed and determines whether a line item is included in a local government Asset Management Strategy,” onserved Kim Stephens, Partnership Executive Director.

    “Competing priorities that local governments must constantly reconcile overshadow how one calculates a number. Yet, at the end of the day, it will be all about the number. The number must look right to be right.”

    “Application of the initial EAP methodology through 9 case studies led to refinements and a key finding. Natural systems require a fundamental re-thinking of methodologies for financial valuation, especially for a system such as a stream. The financial value must refer to the physical asset and link it to the land uses that the community expects to enjoy due to the presence of the stream.”

    Context is Everything

    “Early in the EAP journey, it became clear that ecological economics theory does not make sense when applied to the local government setting and asset management ,” continued Tim Pringle, EAP Chair.

    “Ecological economics determines general values for natural systems with emphasis on influencing policy and statistical measures. It does not drill down in a way that is helpful to local governments striving, under scrutiny, to make budget decisions.”

    “To provide a relevant solution for local government, one must understand the local government context. EAP is unique because the methodology deals with the parcel. Case studies informed the research and validated the approach.”

    “The late John Henneberry was following a similar path in the United Kingdom. It is more than coincidental that he qualified both as a chartered planner and as a chartered surveyor, a rare but important combination. In other words, he understood the importance of the parcel, and this was one of his areas of research.”

    To Learn More:

    To read the complete Synthesis Report, download a copy of Ecological Accounting Process, A B.C. Strategy for Community Investment in Stream Systems (2022) .

    The “story of EAP” is told in six parts. To download them individually, click on the links:

    Financial Case for the Stream – Executive Summary

    Part A – Synopsis for the Busy Reader

    Part B – Story Behind the Story of Sustainable Drainage Service Delivery

    Part C – Case Study Building Blocks Process

    Part D – Hydrology is the Engine that Powers Ecological Services

    Part E – A Stream is a Land Use

     

    DOWNLOAD A COPY OF https://waterbucket.ca/gi/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2022/06/EAP-Synthesis-Report-Beyond-the-Guidebook-2022_Jun-2022.pdf