Rainwater Harvesting

Drawing on the experience of experts from Australia and Germany, workshops in Vancouver (May 31) and Victoria (June 20) connected the dots between WHY rainwater harvesting and HOW to cost-effectively implement rainwater collection, storage, treatment and delivery.

Click on Technical Program  for an overview of each presentation plus view a synopsis of the Water Sustainability Action Plan for British Columbia. The Action Plan provides context for the Workshop Series.

The Vancouver and Victoria workshops had different presentation teams. Although the titles of presentations were common to both, the content and emphasis of each venue was different. The workshops b brought together practitioner perspectives from different points along the water use continuum.

The workshops were accredited by the Architectural Institute of British Columbia (AIBC) and the Planning Institute of British Columbia (PIBC). See below for more information on Education Credits.

WHY RAINWATER HARVESTING?

The population of the Georgia Basin is anticipated to double within the next 50 years. Meanwhile, our traditional water supply and wastewater systems are already stretched to serve immediate needs. At the same time, rainwater runs off developed areas in large volumes, only to be promptly and wastefully whisked away by sewers.

The old approach of “super-sizing” infrastructure is no longer sustainable: We now recognize that total water resources are physically bounded. Rainwater harvesting is a potential “new” supply source to help accommodate population growth and meet agricultural irrigation needs.

THE WORKSHOP SERIES

The workshops explored rainwater harvesting from both the Green Buildings and Water Management perspectives.

The Workshop Series was presented by a Partnership comprising Canada Mortgage & Housing Corporation, Province of British Columbia (Ministry of Water, Land & Air Protection), the Water Sustainability Committee of the BCWWA, Capital Regional District, and the Canadian Water Resources Association.

The Workshop Series was organized as part of the Outreach and Continuing Education Program for the Water Sustainability Action Plan for British Columbia. Click here for an announcement by the Minister of Water, Land & Air Protection on the partnership between the Province and BCWWA.

EDUCATION CREDITS

Education credits were available through the Architectural Institute of British Columbia (AIBC), Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of British Columbia (APEGBC) and the Planning Institute of British Columbia (PIBC).

Each workshop provided 5 AIBC Core Learning Units (LUs) and 5.25 PIBC LUs.