Integated rainwater management planning is an approach that recognizes the complex relationship between the built and natural environment. This new planning approach integrates rainwater management with engineering, planning and the environment to reflect the values of each watershed and community.
Properly designed “rain gardens” can effectively trap and retain up to 99 percent of common pollutants in urban storm runoff, potentially improving water quality and promoting the conversion of some pollutants into less harmful compounds. This is according to new research scheduled for publication in the February 15, 2006 issue of the American Chemical Society journal, “Environmental Science and Technology”. The affordable, easy-to-design gardens could help solve one of the nation’s most pressing pollution problems.
The Water Balance Model for BC demonstrates how to achieve significant progress towards sustainability in a number of categories. While the focus is on integration of land use planning with stormwater management for urban watershed protection, the vision is to facilitate a closed loop approach to management of the urban water cycle. The objective is that stormwater volume reduction will be seamlessly integrated with land use planning and site development practices.
DEFRA is responsible for all aspects of water policy in England, including water supply and resources, and the regulatory systems for the water environment and the water industry. These include: drinking water quality,
the quality of water in rivers, lakes and estuaries, coastal and marine waters, sewage treatment, and reservoir safety.
