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Asset Management for Sustainable Drainage Service Delivery

ASSET MANAGEMENT BC NEWSLETTER (September 2015) – Feast AND Famine: Moving Towards “Sustainable Watershed Systems, through Asset Management”


“British Columbia local governments are sharing and learning from each other. The province is at a tipping point. Water balance tools and case study experience are in place. It is within the grasp of local governments to move beyond traditional infrastructure asset management. They can account for nature’s services by implementing Sustainable Watershed Systems, through Asset Management,” wrote Kate Miller.

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WATERMARK MAGAZINE (cover story in Summer 2015 issue): Asset Management for Sustainable Service Delivery: Supporting the Vision for Integration of Natural Systems Thinking into “The BC Framework”


“Coined in 2010, the term Sustainable Service Delivery was introduced by the Province to integrate financial accountability, infrastructure sustainability and service delivery. While the BC Framework was only launched in early 2015, it has garnered both national and international attention. Other provinces, as well as the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, are integrating the BC Framework into their respective work,” wrote Glen Brown.

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ASSET MANAGEMENT BC NEWSLETTER (January 2015) – Watershed Health, Resilient Rainwater Management, and Sustainable Service Delivery: How they are Connected


“The unfunded ‘infrastructure liability’ is a driver for local governments to consider longevity, focus on what happens after developers hand-off municipal infrastructure, get it right at the front-end, and prepare for the future. Climate change is part of the liability equation – adaptation has level-of-service implications for infrastructure,” wrote Derek Richmond, CAVI Chair.

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DOWNLOADABLE RESOURCE: Cross-border collaboration would enhance water resources research and practice in North America – Moving Towards “Sustainable Watershed Systems, through Asset Management” in British Columbia (released April 2017)


“The Partnership for the Water Sustainability is excited to enter into an agreement with the Urban Watershed Research Institute. The focal point for this collaboration is found at ncimm.org,” states Ted van der Gulik. “This is a mutually beneficial strategic partnership founded on strong human links.” The Partnership develops online tools and delivers capacity-building programs on behalf of government. In particular, the Partnership is responsible for the Water Sustainability Action Plan.

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SUSTAINABLE WATERSHED SYSTEMS, THROUGH ASSET MANAGEMENT: Governments of Canada and British Columbia fund Georgia Basin Inter-Regional Education Initiative


“Successful implementation provincewide of ‘Sustainable Watershed Systems, through Asset Management’, would represent an evolution in how infrastructure is planned, financed, implemented and maintained in British Columbia,” stated the Hon. Peter Fassbender, Minister of Community, Sport and Cultural Development. “Work needs to be done today to ensure we have a secure water future. Benefits are long-term.”

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SUSTAINABLE WATERSHED SYSTEMS, THROUGH ASSET MANAGEMENT: “Collaboration is leading to precedents for integrating watershed systems with land use and infrastructure decisions,” stated Jon Lefebure, Chair of the Cowichan Valley Regional District


“Local government collaboration under the umbrella of the Georgia Basin Inter-Regional Educational Initiative (IREI) is producing tools and resources that will help communities integrate watershed systems with land use and infrastructure decisions. There is no reason for any of us to re-invent the wheel. We are sharing and learning from each other. We are cross-pollinating our experience,” stated Jon Lefebure.

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SUSTAINABLE WATERSHED SYSTEMS, THROUGH ASSET MANAGEMENT: “Restorative development is within your grasp. You know what to do. Go do it,” urges Bob Sandford, EPCOR Chair for Water and Climate Security, United Nations University Institute


“One of the things that I have learned over the last two days is that something really good is happening in British Columbia,” stated Bob Sandford when he provided a closing perspective at the Comox Valley Symposium. “I travel widely, but I have never heard a conversation like what I have heard at the Symposium. And while I am often part of very positive conversations, what was unique (about the Symposium) was the atmosphere of possibilities and hope that I have witnessed here.”

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DOWNLOAD ARTICLE: Comox Valley Eco-Asset Symposium shines spotlight on "Sustainable Watershed Systems, through Asset Management" (March 2017)


The Symposium will introduce participants to a whole-system, water balance approach for restoration of watershed health. “The purpose of the Symposium is to build local knowledge and interest in how to apply eco-asset management principles at the local level,” stated Tim Ennis, Executive Director, Comox Valley Land Trust. “The Symposium is very much about setting in motion a mind-set change. It is therefore essential that everyone steps back and sees the big picture.”

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ARTICLE: "Early uptake of the vision for Sustainable Watershed Systems has exceeded our expectations," wrote Kim Stephens, Partnership for Water Sustainability in British Columbia (Asset Management BC Newsletter, Winter 2017)


“At the dawn of 2017, the purpose of this article is two-fold: take stock of our progress in 2016 to inform and educate; and foreshadow where we may be at year-end,” stated Kim Stephens. “Other regions recognize BC as a leader. They perceive BC moving in the right direction with integration of watershed systems thinking and asset management. International exposure allows us to judge how BC stacks up against the rest of the world.”

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“Sustainable Watershed Systems, through Asset Management” – local stream stewardship volunteers may yet be the difference-maker


The influence of community-based community groups is expanding beyond the creek channel. “The stewardship and conservation sector has traditionally focused on habitat restoration and protection of lands with high ecological values,” states David Stapley. “With cumulative impacts from climate change, urban and resource development escalating, these groups have now become community leaders in educating and supporting improved land use practices.”

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