Kim Stephens (Partnership for Water Sustainability):
By 2007, we had become concerned about the way MAR was either being misinterpreted or misunderstood by various regulators and drainage practitioners in British Columbia
“The language used by drainage practitioners around the world has been changing. Unfortunately, there does not yet appear to be a common set of definitions or vocabulary, with each region of the English speaking world using different terms. It is important to use descriptions which are linked more closely with the objectives and ideas. Ideally, the right choice of wording will frame the concepts clearly, and provide the terminology with some longevity. Clarity will help with uptake – jargon and anachronism needs to be avoided as they can obscure the objectives and ideas,” stated Robert Hicks.
“A Regional Commission is necessary to overcome the main barrier to rational rainwater management: the fragmented jurisdiction over runoff in the region. We envision that the new Commission would create a long-term Regional Integrated Watershed Management Plan with a number of mandatory targets,” states Calvin Sandborn.
When the SmartStorm Forum Series introduced the term 'smart development' a decade ago, the goal was to advance implementation of an integrated and balanced approach to land use. “When we decided to host the second event on the Sunshine Coast, the skeptics asked me who would come. Well, they did come and they came from far and wide, including a representative of the Ontario Ministry of Environment,” stated Barry Janyk.
“By 2014, municipalities will be required to develop and implement integrated stormwater management plans (ISMPs) at the watershed scale that integrate with land use to manage rainwater runoff,” states Kim Stephens.
“The critical issue in British Columbia is the damage and loss of habitat caused by development and erosion of the headwater streams. The focus is in direct response to Canada’s Fisheries Act that prohibits damage of fish habitat.”,” stated Jim Dumont. “The United States EPA, on the other hand, has focussed upon water quality in the main stems and coastal waters and seeks to restore the resources of those waters through the goals and objectives of the Clean Water Act.”
“The overall buzz of the conference was that the stormwater industry is changing. And as one of the panelists stated, this change needs to move towards MBP, that is, ‘more benign planning’ ….instead of more BMPs or ‘best management practices’,” reports Thomas Low.
”People eagerly embrace the opportunities for engagement and education. They really want to share their thoughts and experiences. Residents have a stake in restoring watershed health. There is so much experience that we can mine. We who live in the watershed are the experts,” stated Soren Henrich.
“What is it that we really want to solve? Where are we driving this? We are trying to come up with a solution. Once we have figured out the solution that we need, we need to come up with tools that do that and no more and no less,” stated Dr. Charles Rowney.
“I do a lot of talking around North America and elsewhere about models and model requirements. As a result, I have been able to distil a synthesis of the opinions of several hundred people from all around the world who have done a lot of modelling.” – Charles Rowney
