Stormwater Magazine showcases BC approach to "Rainwater Management in a Watershed Context"
Rainwater Management in a Watershed Context – What’s the Goal?
“ln 2010, several presentations at the StormCon Conference and Exposition dealt with stormwater management in a larger community context. Several of the speakers expressed interest in writing articles on the topic for Stormwater magazine. This initiated the idea that became our Green Infrastructure & Community Design Series,” recalls Janice Kasperson, Editor
“Colorado-based engineer Paul Crabtree coordinated the effort. Martin Dreiling kicked off the series with an article in Stormwater’s November/December 2010 issue. We’ve also run articles this past year authored by Tom Low, Paul Crabtree, John Jacob, Lisa Nisenson, and several others – all of whom who are prominent and active in the Rainwater-in-Context Initiative; as well, we’ve run guest editorials by John Norquist (Congress for the New Urbanism) and Lynn Richards (of EPA).”
“The article by Kim Stephens and Jim Dumont, published in November 2011, makes important comparisons between stormwater management in the US and Canada. Although both are moving toward greater use of green infrastructure, the differences in approach are significant. I believe it’s important to consider the context in which decisions about water quality are made, and practitioners in the US can learn a great deal from BC’s approach,” concludes Janice Kasperson.
Why the Approach in British Columbia Differs
“The approach we have taken in British Columbia differs from that of the EPA due to the nature of the root problems being solved,” continues Jim Dumont. ”The critical issue in British Columbia is the damage and loss of 
habitat caused by development and erosion of the headwater streams. The focus is in direct response to Canada’s Fisheries Act that prohibits damage of fish habitat.”
“EPA has focussed upon water quality in the main stems and coastal waters and seeks to restore the resources of those waters through the goals and objectives of the Clean Water Act.”
Green Infrastructure & Community Design Series
The Stormwater magazine series seek to shed light on the project of building community and the relationship between that task and rainwater/stormwater management. The first article in the series offered a general framework for the issues that the Rainwater-in-Context Initiative finds relevant to that task.
The latest article in the series, by Canadians Kim Stephens and Jim Dumont is described as a thoughtful review of the divergent goals of rainwater management in the US and Canada written from a British Columbia perspective. “This is a bountiful article with a number of provocative statements,” comments Laurence Aurbach, a founding member of the Rainwater-in-Context Initiative. He is an independent editor and researcher specializing in urban planning and design, new urbanism, and smart growth topics.
To Learn More:
To read the article as published in Stormwater magazine, click on Rainwater Management in a Watershed Context – What’s the Goal? For background on the article, click here to read a story posted on the Rainwater Management community-of-interest.
To download all the articles in the Green Infrastructure & Community Design Series, click here to access a second story posted on the Rainwater Management community-of-interest.