The Water Balance Model: A Tool for Designing with Nature Douglas College Rain Conference

‘Designing with Nature’ means:  Create Greener Communities  Strive for a Lighter ‘Hydrologic Footprint’  Achieve Higher Levels of Stream Protection

Drainage Planning in BC Has Been Over the Decades Drainage Planning in BC Has Been Evolving Over the Decades 1960s: Pipe and Remove 1970s: Detain Peak Flows 1980s: Reactive Mitigation 1990s: Stream Stewardship* 2000s: Sharing a Vision** * Proactive Management ** Watershed-Based Rainwater Management

The “Trickle-Down” Evolution of Watershed Management in BC (How the Past is Influencing the Present) 1970s - society’s reaction to the “dam builders” redefined the engineer’s role, and resulted in an “interdisciplinary and ecosystem approach” to watershed management outside the urban regions is similarly being translated into an “integrated approach” to urban watershed management at the local government level 2000s - society’s reaction to the “pipe sizers”

Inter-Governmental Partnership: Vision To promote changes in land development practices so that: The built environment will preserve and/or restore the natural water balance over time Performance targets will be achieved for rainwater runoff volume and flow rate reduction at the source, where rain falls

The Mission is to Create a Legacy 1.Influence choices by individuals and organizations 2.Use the term “sustainability” as a lens for considering approaches that influence choices

Water Sustainability Action Plan for British Columbia

The Goal is Full Integration of Philosophy  Tool  Standards To Achieve the Desired Outcome

The Missing Link in Watershed Planning has been... A tool that quantifies the benefits – in terms of reducing rainwater runoff volume - of installing source controls under different land use, soil and climate conditions

 Planners: Tool for Better Use of Space  Engineers: Tool for Pre-Design  Landscape Architects: Tool for Green Solutions  Ecologists: Tool for Watershed Function  Educators: Tool for Social Marketing Water Balance Model promotes Integration of Perspectives

How the Water Balance Model can be used to make better decisions:  Local Governments - when communicating with the public  Planners and Engineers – when setting performance targets  Developers and their Consultants - when testing scenarios  Environmental Agencies - when monitoring watershed health

The Water Balance Model can be applied at three scales: SiteSubdivisionWatershed

Site Scale Community Liveability WBM Building size Hard surface Landscaping

What was a conversation… becomes interaction!

Subdivision Scale: Community Liveability WBM Lot size Road Design Green space Landscaping

Watershed Scale: WBM Zoning Road Design Green space Landscaping‘BMPs’ Community Liveability

Graphic from Smart Growth BC Actions on the Ground… … Will Result in Cumulative Benefits Over Time!