Category:

“The Environmental Managers Association hosted a session titled Water Scarcity in British Columbia because communities can no longer count on a predictable snowpack and reliable precipitation to maintain a healthy water balance in their watersheds. It has been difficult even for experts to grasp the extent of what the loss of relative hydrological stability means. We discussed the drought that occurred throughout BC in the summer of 2015, and the future of water in the “Wet Coast” including the new Water Sustainability Act, watershed planning, climate change and law reform,” stated Stephanie Voysey.

“For my Stormwater Management course at BCIT in the department of Civil Engineering, I created a guest lecture series to expose my students to the real-world experience of practitioners. Kim Stephens customized and adapted his contents for the purposes of a 2-hour conversation with your students. He and I collaborated to develop a PAST-PRESENT-FUTURE approach that addressed three theme areas: provincial overview; voodoo hydrology; change the mindset of the engineering profession. Kim emphasized challenging assumptions, a habit I try to encourage in my students,” stated Laith Furatian.

Structured in four parts, ‘Beyond the Guidebook 2015’ meets the information needs of different audiences. “Local government case study experience provides guidance for a collaborative approach to developing integrated solutions that are effective and affordable, create a legacy, and achieve three cascading objectives for watershed health, resilient rainwater management and sustainable service delivery,” states Peter Law.

Watershed Health, Rainwater Management and Sustainable Service Delivery are related priorities for communities on the east coast of Vancouver Island and in the Metro Vancouver region. “Inter-regional sharing, collaboration, alignment and consistency will accelerate effective implementation of watershed protection objectives within each regional district. The regions are linked by common interests, but are not dependent on each other,” stated Edwin Grieve, former Chair of the Comox Valley Regional District.

The Province has many different programs that provide local governments with guidance to achieve their community goals. “Develop with Care 2014, for example, brings together information and guidance from several provincial ministries. The document takes an integrative and collaborative approach so that the information and guidance is all in one place,” states Maggie Henigman, Ministry of Forests, Land and Natural Resource Operations.

According to Angus McAllister, pollster and researcher, water brings people together. “Through my polling research, I have learned that people are hardwired to water, at both the functional and emotional levels. It is no accident that we like to gather around water coolers and watering holes. Water brings people together. It is a natural starting point for any conversation about common interests, and by extension, our shared future,” he says.

Local governments are developing integrated solutions. “It is exciting to see local governments acting creatively to address the pressing environmental challenges of our time. Good work in planning, service delivery and infrastructure development – that fits the unique context of individual communities – is contributing to making our communities not only more sustainable but also better places to live,” states Dale Wall.

The seminar was structured in three parts to deal with the Why, What and How in going Beyond the Guidebook. The seminar also enabled the Green Infrastructure Partnership to report out on provincially funded programs and tools. “The response by the engineering community and others was overwhelming, and came as a welcome surprise,” reported Paul Ham.

Where a local government regulates land use, a watershed is an integral part of the drainage infrastructure assets of the local government. “Implementation of asset management along with the associated evolution of local government thinking is a continuous process,” stated Glen Brown. “The continuum bridges to integration of natural capital, natural assets and watershed systems thinking.”

“There is a provincial story. But nobody has been telling it. Part B of Beyond the Guidebook 2015 is intended to fill that gap. It connects the dots. It does this by linking the landmark initiatives that have been spearheaded by different divisions within different ministries. This should help convey how mandates, roles and responsibilities are aligned to achieve the Watershed Health Goal in BC,” writes Kim Stephens.