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“That the stream can sometimes support salmon and trout in an urban environment is just magic,” Robert Deane, president of the Brooklyn Creek Watershed Society. But it’s more than magic, it’s long hours of hard work by a dedicated group of volunteers. “The town has been a good partner. Our aims and the town’s aims are aligned,” Deane said. He has a vision that could save Brooklyn Creek from dying the “death by a thousand cuts” that has killed other urban streams.

“Among many people who study these things, it’s a given that adopting a ‘whole-system, water balance’ approach to rainwater management and creekshed restoration is our best chance at both reestablishing healthy, ecologically sound waterways and mitigating the many impacts of climate change,” wrote Elizabeth Quayle. “One of the primary challenges local governments face is that there are often multiple organizational bodies operating across a single watershed, each with their own, misaligned, policies.”

“The Water-Wise Guide can be viewed as a communication tool,” stated Nancy Gothard, City of Courtenay environmental planner. “But more than that, it is both a call to action (for the community, but also for us) as well as a road map for that action. So, our goal is to begin to brand the story and depict visually that we are developing a consistency in expectations as to how development would address environmental concerns. Having the Water-Wise Guide available on every front counter and every website is a first step.”

A 3rd party review determined that “the work of the program to date has been nothing less than remarkable and highly successful”. That is attributed in large part to the vital partnerships with other agencies, industry and not-for-profit sector, the sustainable funding model in place for the program and the unique and integrated nature of the program. “Looking forward, the Action Plan update in 2019 will serve to build on the foundational work completed and initiated to-date, and chart the course for the next decade of innovative and collaborative watershed protection activities in the region,” states Julie Pisani.

“It is the combination of diverse needs, ideas and solutions that will make the vision for the Center work,” stated Dr. Rowney. “That is one of the reasons we’re so pleased with the agreement just reached with the British Columbia Partnership for Water Sustainability. We have many needs in common, and many ideas to share. The leadership shown by the Partnership has led to a body of knowledge from which others can learn. BC’s Water Balance Model is an outstanding initiative, and I think it is clearly unique in the way it has delivered technology on-line dating back to 2003.”

“Since 2007, the Beyond the Guidebook initiative has been building on the technical foundation created a decade ago when the Province and Environment Canada jointly released Stormwater Planning: A Guidebook for British Columbia,” stated Kim Stephens. “Beyond the Guidebook provides local governments and practitioners with tools, resources and understanding to integrate the Site with the Watershed and the Stream.”

“Started in 2011, the long-term goal of the Community Watershed Monitoring Network is to identify trends in water quality to assist in regional land use planning and restoration decisions. The sampling is done by trained volunteers from 13 stewardship groups,” stated Julie Pisani. “For the years 2011-2017, statistical modelling of water quality in the summer and fall sampling periods indicated that land use types associated with human disturbance were important predictors of dissolved oxygen, temperature, turbidity and specific conductivity.”

The Partnership for Water Sustainability in British Columbia partnered with Forester University to share, via webcast, the BC innovation and experience that has resulted in the whole-system, water balance approach. “We are delighted to have Kim Stephens and Jim Dumont share British Columbia’s cutting-edge continuous simulation model, known as the Water Balance Methodology,” stated Emily Shine. “At Forester University, we aim to position ourselves at the forefront of innovation in rainwater management and green infrastructure, and that is why we are calling Water Balance Methodology a webinar that cannot be missed.”

“The challenge is to move from stop-gap remediation of in-stream problems to long-term restoration of a properly functioning watershed,” stated Peter Law. “Through their involvement in MVIHES, community stewardship volunteers are demonstrating what it means to embrace ‘shared responsibility’ and take the initiative to lead by example. A paramount goal is to ‘get it right’ in the stream channel,” stated Peter Law. “The survival of Coho salmon in the Englishman River depends on a healthy Shelly Creek.”

In his 1969 book, Design With Nature, Ian McHarg pioneered the concept of environmental planning. “So, I commend Design with Nature to your sympathetic consideration. The title contains a gradient of meaning. It can be interpreted as simply descriptive of a planning method, deferential to places and peoples, it can invoke the Grand Design, it can emphasize the conjunction with and, finally it can be read as an imperative. DESIGN WITH NATURE!,” wrote Ian McHarg.