Beyond the Guidebook 2007 connects the dots between the water balance methodology and stream health protection. “Through implementation of ‘green infrastructure’ policies and practices, the desired outcome in going Beyond the Guidebook is to apply what we have learned at the site scale over the past five years…so that we can truly protect and/or restore stream health in urban watersheds”, stated Paul Ham.
“Within the Cowichan Valley Regional District, there are five local government jurisdictions; and the same group of developers and development consultants have projects in all or most of those jurisdictions,” stated Peter Nilsen. It therefore becomes essential that developers and their consultants hear a consistent message regarding rainwater management and green infrastructure expectations when doing business at the front counters in each of those jurisdictions.”
The pilot for Beyond the Guidebook is the City of Surrey’s Fergus Creek Watershed Plan. The plan is precedent-setting because there will be no large-scale storage ponds. “Rather, rainwater runoff volume will be managed through constructed facilities and the creation of contiguous large-scale greenways that have been integrated into the area’s land use plan”, stated Remi Dube.
“We are using the slogan The New Business As Usual to convey the message that, for change to really occur, practices that until now have been viewed as the exception must become the norm moving forward. We have to build regulatory models and develop models of practice and expertise,” stated Dale Wall, Deputy Minister.
The Guidebook’s premise that land development and watershed protection can be compatible represented a radical shift in thinking in 2002. “Through implementation of ‘green infrastructure’ policies and practices, the desired outcome in going Beyond the Guidebook is to apply what we have learned at the site scale over the past five years…so that we can truly protect and/or restore stream health in urban watersheds”, states Paul Ham,
“Beyond the Guidebook takes the Guidebook innovation to the next level of evolution, Now that practitioners are becoming comfortable with what ‘rainfall capture’ means in practice, local governments and the development community are in a position to turn their attention to what is an achievable outcome that makes sense and results in a net environmental benefit at the watershed scale,” stated Laura Maclean.
“Beyond the Guidebook will take the Guidebook innovation to the next level of evolution. Now that practitioners are becoming comfortable with what ‘rainfall capture’ means in practice, local governments and the development community are in a position to turn their attention to what is an achievable outcome that makes sense and results in a net environmental benefit,” stated Kim Stephens.
“There is a need for a new approach to hydrologic design. A key message is that a rainfall-based approach does not work effectively. This is why I advocate a runoff-based approach. Duration of discharge is important because it links directly to stream health. The ‘runoff-based approach’ holds the key to assessing environmental impacts in watercourses and the effectiveness of mitigation techniques”, stated Jim Dumont.
In undertaking the Fergus Creek Integrated Stormwater Management Plan, the City of Surrey is pushing the envelope in pioneering the application of innovative approaches that it believes will achieve noticeable benefits over a 50-year planning horizon. The Fergus ISMP “goes beyond the Guidebook” because it is built around a science-based methodology that correlates runoff volume with stream health, reported Paul Ham.
