LID Center – Neil Weinstein (160p)
Low-impact development is an approach to stormwater management and site design that uses natural hydrologic processes to preserve or recreate that hydrology at the site level, or to meet goals.
Rain gardens are a core element of the Design with Nature strategy for the Island Highway Enhancement Project through the Town of View Royal. Homeowners fronting on the old Island Highway will be involved in the decision-making for rain garden plant selection. The Town of View Royal has constructed a portable rain garden to demonstrate how dirty runoff is cleansed
The City of Langford was an early proponent of rainwater infiltration – in fact, its Subdivision Bylaw calls for 100% on-site rainwater management. The Langford experience serves as a case study application of how to implement Adaptive Management as envisioned in Stormwater Planning: A Guidebook for British Columbia.
If we view innovative rainwater management comprehensively, it starts with an understanding of site processes, systems and context. At a November 2007 workshop, Paul de Greef provided a landscape architect's perspective.
Local governments in British Columbia have extensive and very specific tools available to them to implement rainwater management solutions. They also have the discretion to use them or not.
Carol Brzozowski, in the July/August 2008 issue of Stormwater Magazine, elaborates on the reasons why a host of developers are incorporating an increasing number of 'sustainable stormwater designs' into their developments. This feature article on Building Green notes that rainwater/stormwater is the major site issue confronting municipalities across the United States.
“Circa 2000-2001, the mantra in BC was “overcoming fear and doubt” in order to move ahead with projects such as the East Clayton Sustainable Community in Surrey, and UniverCity at Simon Fraser University on Burnaby Mountain. Translating high expectations into practical design guidelines meant revisiting accepted drainage engineering practice,” stated Kim Stephens.
Because regulatory agencies are actively pursuing the implementation of 'impact neutral' infrastructure projects and urban development, the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of British Columbia has undertaken a province-wide program of seminars on rainwater management.
“Most communities have developed in similar ways regardless of climate. Design principles have facilitated swift conveyance of stormwater and the pollutants it carries into receiving waters. This practice and other unfortunate consequences of past design must change,” says Tom Liptan.
The Greater Vancouver Regional District (GVRD) – commissioned a research project to create “Stormwater Source Controls Design Guidelines 2005”. The objective of this project was to promote effective implementation of rainwater source controls in the Georgia Basin region of British Columbia.
