Rainwater Management

“In terms of educational dollars per unit of knowledge, I found the Water Balance Model workshop to be astounding value,” reports Michelle Sorensen. “The graphical results allow me to communicate relevant information about the effectiveness of rainwater capture options.”

“Metro Vancouver has contributed $50,000 to fund further enhancement of the Water Balance Model because widespread use of this decision tool will help Metro Vancouver and members fulfil our regulatory commitments, in particular those related to integrated rainwater management,” stated Port Coquitlam Mayor Greg Moore, Chair of the Metro Vancouver Board.

“Those who are experienced and already comfortable using the Water Balance Model will be able to transition smoothly into the new version. While the look-and-feel is essentially unchanged, a big difference is performance: the rebuilt Water Balance Model is so much quicker,” states Ted van der Gulik.

Developed as an extension of Stormwater Planning: A Guidebook for British Columbia, this web-based tool is the shared legacy of a team of senior practitioners. The tool is the outcome of a building block process that has depended on the commitment of a number of organizations, and especially the efforts of the champions within those organizations, to produce a series of deliverables that successively advanced the practice of rainwater management within British Columbia.

“During the 2000-2001 period we had to overcome fear and doubt in order to move ahead with projects such as the East Clayton Sustainable Community in Surrey, and UniverCity on Burnaby Mountain. It was David Reid who coined the overcoming fear and doubt mantra; it stuck and became an integral part of the UniverCity story,” Kim Stephens told a 2007 conference..

“The ongoing evolution of the Water Balance Model has enabled us to move beyond the simplistic MAR concept and address the interaction of runoff – both volume and duration – with the physical aspects considered important to the aquatic environment,” states Kim Stephens.

“The rebuilt scenario comparison tool is tailored to multiple levels of users who have a wide range of technical backgrounds, from hydrology experts to stewardship groups. The model now has launch buttons at three scales of investigation,” reports Richard Boase.

“Watersheds are not all created equal. And when we begin to examine them, we find that they function in all kinds of different ways. And what I often see missing in most engineering methodologies is an understanding of how a particular watershed actually functions,” states Will Marsh.

“The real problems and solutions come together when you look at the site and the data you have to represent what you have. How do you compare the future condition that is very undefined with a calibrated tool that is very well defined? There is much that we do that has a place and purpose, BUT sometimes what we do is questionable,” states Dr. Charles Rowney.

“Rooftops to Rivers II profiles the approaches taken by 14 cities in the US and Canada, revealing just how far the use of green infrastructure has spread and just how adaptable it is,” writes Noah Garrison.