Greening the Urban Environment & Protecting Stream Health:& Protecting … · & Protecting Stream...
Transcript of Greening the Urban Environment & Protecting Stream Health:& Protecting … · & Protecting Stream...
Greening the Urban Environment Greening the Urban Environment & Protecting Stream Health:& Protecting Stream Health:& Protecting Stream Health:& Protecting Stream Health:
Context for the Water Balance ModelContext for the Water Balance Model
University of the Fraser Valley:University of the Fraser Valley:University of the Fraser Valley:University of the Fraser Valley:Geography Geography -- Principles of HydrologyPrinciples of Hydrology
Kim A Stephens, MEng, PEng, Water Sustainability Action PlanWater Sustainability Action PlanNovember 23, 2009
Partnerships Better
A Call to ActionPartnerships
Legislation
Information
IncentivesLegislation Incentives
Living Water Smart, BC’s Water Plan and the Green Communities Initiativeand the Green Communities Initiative provide a vision of what the regions of our province
can look like if local governments…..
prepare communities for climate change, choose to live water smart and choose to live water smart, and strive to build greener communities
Shared Responsibility
“While legislative reform is a foundation piece
Shared Responsibility
While legislative reform is a foundation piece, collaboration takes place outside the legislative framework.
At the end of the day, planners and engineers and other disciplines must come together to determine the issuesdisciplines must come together to determine the issues and solutions. No statute alone will help them do that.”
Lynn Kriwoken, DirectorWater Stewardship Division
Ministry of EnvironmentSeptember 2009
Mind Map
Living Water SmartLiving Water Smartgg Design with NatureDesign with Nature Provincial GuidebookProvincial Guidebook Water Balance ModelWater Balance Model Water Balance ModelWater Balance Model
This policy statement on page 43 isThis policy statement on page 43 is the lynch-pin of Living Water Smart:
“By 2012, all land and water managers will know what makes a stream healthy, and therefore
be able to help land and water users factor in new approaches to securing stream health and the full range of stream benefits.”
Desired Outcome: Create liveable communities; es ed Outco e C eate eab e co u t es;Protect stream health!
The Ultimate Goal
No impact results from development
Rainwater Management is about ‘doing business differently’ to reduce riskdoing business differently to reduce riskFrom engineered solutions
To designing with natureg g
Dealt with Consequences:Was Reactive in Solving Problems
Eliminates the Causes:Is Proactive in Preventing Problems
In 2000, we went back to basics and developed the concept of a Rainfall Spectrum
Understanding rainfall patterns resulted in theI t t d St t f M i R i f ll S tIntegrated Strategy for Managing Rainfall Spectrum
from Stormwater Management t RAIN t M tto RAINwater Management
From TRADITIONAL to INTEGRATED:From TRADITIONAL to Drainage Systems
INTEGRATED: Ecosystems
Reactive (Solve Problems) Engineer-Driven
P t t P t
Proactive (Prevent Problems) Interdisciplinary Team-Driven
P t t P t d H bit t Protect Property Pipe and Convey
Limited Consultation
Protect Property and Habitat Mimic Natural Processes
Inclusive Consultation Limited Consultation Local Government Ownership Extreme Storm Focus
Inclusive Consultation Partnerships with Others Rainwater Integrated with Land Use Extreme Storm Focus
Peak Flow Thinking! Rainwater Integrated with Land Use
Volume-Based Thinking!
Mind Map
Living Water SmartLiving Water Smartgg Design with NatureDesign with Nature Provincial GuidebookProvincial Guidebook Water Balance ModelWater Balance Model Water Balance ModelWater Balance Model
The New Business As Usual:The New Business As Usual:The New Business As Usual:The New Business As Usual:Visualize What We Want British Columbia to Look Like in 50 years
“Design with Nature to create liveable communitiescreate liveable communities and protect stream health”
Collaboration, a ‘Design with Nature’ approach, and re-use of resources are keys to climate change adaptation
Develop compact, complete communitiesp p p Increase transportation options Re-use and recycle water, energy and nutrients
from liquid wastes Protect and restore urban ‘green’ space Strive for a lighter ‘hydrologic footprint’ Strive for a lighter hydrologic footprint Achieve higher levels of stream, wetland
and marine environment protectionp
The New Business As Usual:The New Business As Usual:The New Business As Usual:The New Business As Usual:Visualize What We Want British Columbia to Look Like in 50 years
“Water sustainability will be achieved by implementing green infrastructureby implementing green infrastructure
policies and practices”
Soil depth after land is developed for Soil depth after land is developed for p pp purban uses will have a bearing on….urban uses will have a bearing on….
How water is used for irrigation How water is used for irrigation sustainability of supply
How water runs off the land How water runs off the land sustainability of aquatic habitat
Mind Map
Living Water SmartLiving Water Smartgg Design with NatureDesign with Nature Provincial GuidebookProvincial Guidebook Water Balance ModelWater Balance Model Water Balance ModelWater Balance Model
The New Business As Usual:The New Business As Usual:The New Business As Usual:The New Business As Usual:Create Liveable Communities & Protect Stream Health
“Stormwater Guidebook and Performance Targets
Because the Guidebook is outcome-oriented, this sets it apart from output-oriented approachesfrom output oriented approaches
What we want: Create liveable communities; protect stream health!
When it was published in 2002, p ,the Guidebook …
• Provided– Direction – Science-based principles and objectives– Guidance on how to do integrated planning
• Introduced these core concepts:– Rainfall spectrum– The “retain, detain, convey” integrated strategy– Water balance methodology
Performance targets– Performance targets– A “learn by doing” framework
For a performance target to be implemented and effective, it must:
S t d i d t• Support a desired outcome• Synthesize complexity
B tifi bl• Be quantifiable• Be practical• Be flexible• Be flexible• Have a feedback loop• Incorporate ‘learn by doing’• Incorporate learn by doing
Runoff percentage is the performance target becausebecause ….
…. local government exerts control over runoff volume through its landrunoff volume through its land
development and infrastructure policies, practices and actionspractices and actions
The Guidebook’s ‘Build a VisionThe Guidebook s Build a Vision, Create a Legacy’ paradigm means…
Apply a science-based approach to createApply a science based approach to create a shared vision of achievable goals
Facilitate a participatory decision Facilitate a participatory decision process to build stakeholder consensus and agree on expectationsg p
Obtain commitment from everyone to truly integrate RAINwater managementtruly integrate RAINwater management with land development practices
‘Beyond the Guidebook’ is aboutBeyond the Guidebook is about changing the way we develop land:
T t li bl itiTo create livable communities & protect stream health!
The Beyond the Guidebook initiativeThe Beyond the Guidebook initiative builds on the Guidebook foundation:
• Guidebook emphasis is on rainfall capture• Guidebook emphasis is on rainfall capture (volume control) at the site scale
• Beyond the Guidebook focus is on the relationship between volume control and resulting flow rates in streams
Mind Map
Living Water SmartLiving Water Smartgg Design with NatureDesign with Nature Provincial GuidebookProvincial Guidebook Water Balance ModelWater Balance Model Water Balance ModelWater Balance Model
A ‘made in BC’ tool is the web-based Water Balance Model…
Thi l i d d i t l d t tThi l i d d i t l d t tThis planning and design tool demonstrates This planning and design tool demonstrates how to achieve a ‘light hydrologic footprint’how to achieve a ‘light hydrologic footprint’
Launched in 2003Launched in 2003, the Water Balance Model calculates
annual runoff volumes under differentannual runoff volumes under different combinations of:
• Building coverageRainfall• Rainfall
• Soil type and depth• Source controls• Source controls• Tree canopy coverage
www.waterbalance.ca
When you go to waterbalance.ca, click on the map of Canada to access the BC homepagemap of Canada to access the BC homepage
Three scales of application
We are incorporating all the lessonswe have learned to date…
The ‘new Water Balance Model’The new Water Balance Model integrates the Site with the
Watershed and the Stream…www.waterbalance.ca
13% B ildi F t i t13% Building Footprint
53% Tree Canopy
19% Hard Surface
53% Tree Canopy
15% Landscaping
1950s site development: 32% “hard surfaces”
24% Building Footprint
d f25% Hard Surface 23% Tree Canopy(only because of creek covenant!)
28% Landscaping
1990s site development: 49% “hard surfaces”
The model enables users to buildThe model enables users to build a scenario comparison
Runoff from 1950s d l t
Runoff from 1990s developmentdevelopment development
Runoff if 1990s hadSource Controls
A P ti Cli t ChA Perspective on Climate Change
"If mitigation is about CARBON, then adaptation is about WATER "then adaptation is about WATER.
Jim Mattison, Assistant Deputy MinisterW t St d hi Di i iWater Stewardship DivisionMinistry of EnvironmentApril 2008