Rainwater Management

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Pete Steblin

    CHRONICLE OF GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE INNOVATION IN METRO VANCOUVER: “Each new generation lacks direct knowledge of the historical condition of the environment. This lack of understanding plays out as a failure to notice change,” stated UBC’s Dr. Daniel Pauly, a global thought leader who coined the term Shifting Baseline Syndrome in 1996


    “Every generation is handed a world that has been shaped by their predecessors – and then seemingly forgets that fact. This blind spot is the reason why a baseline creeps imperceptibly over generations. We transform the world, but we don’t remember it. We adjust our baseline to the new level, and we don’t recall what was there. At the end you want to sustain miserable leftovers,” stated Daniel Pauly.

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    FLASHBACK TO THE 2000s: “The City of Coquitlam turned a crisis into a transformational outcome and emerged as a green infrastructure leader in the Metro Vancouver region,” stated Kim Stephens, Partnership for Water Sustainability


    “In 2003, the City was clearly visionary when it first embraced and then formalized a watershed-based approach as a foundation piece in the Official Community Plan. By the latter part of the decade, however, Coquitlam was viewed by others in the region as the example of what not do. A noteworthy aspect of the Coquitlam story is how quickly municipal staff learned from experience, adapted their approach, and successfully instilled a new way of doing business. Coquitlam is the model for keeping things simple, practical, and implementable,’ stated Kim Stephens.

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    KEEP IT SIMPLE, PRACTICAL AND IMPLEMENTABLE: “If people rely too much on standards, they park their brain at the door. Its much better to think about the principles behind the standards and use judgement in implementing them,” stated Pete Steblin, former City Engineer and City Manager


    “When I became City Manager, the City’s approach to watershed-based community planning, rainwater management and green infrastructure was quite idealistic. As a result, the city could not implement what was proposed. We had to do a re-think. That is when we came up with the monicker net environmental benefit. So, what we did was to re-think things and say something is better than nothing. When we made those changes to on-site rainwater management requirements, they were good changes, and they were well received,” stated Pete Steblin.

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