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