Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Light Imprint Handbook Integrates Sustainable Green Infrastructure and Community Design


Light Imprint is a design methodology that combines ecologically sensitive rainwater management techniques with community design principles. The Light Imprint tool set is used at the regional, neighbourhood, and block scale.

"The basic premise is to recover and maintain the pre-development natural hydrology of the site when land is developed or redeveloped,” states Thomas Low, author of the Light Imprint Handbook and a partner in the firm of Miami-based Duany Plater-Zyberk & Company, Architects and Town Planners.

“Established in 2006, the Light Imprint methodology has become a recognized rainwater mitigation practice.  Recent advancements showing great promise for the Light Imprint methodology include design and development approaches with increased cost savings and compelling engineering metrics."

"Light Imprint green infrastructure is compatible with urban design that emphasizes compact, mixed-use, pedestrian-oriented design, and environmental efficiency. It is designed to reduce community infrastructure costs.".
 
To learn more about the Light Imprint Handbook, click here to read a story posted on the Water Bucket website.

News Release #2011-25
May 31, 2011

Thursday, May 26, 2011

”Watersheds Are Not All Created Equal,” states Will Marsh at Seminar #2 in the 2011 Comox Valley Learning Lunch Series

Source: Basins of Relations: A Citizen's Guide toProtecting and Restoring Our Watersheds

Comox Valley Local Governments Showcase “A Regional Response to Infrastructure Liability”

In April, Seminar #1 in the 2011 Comox Valley Learning Lunch Series painted a picture of the ‘legacy liability’ of existing hard infrastructure (i.e. roads and pipes). On May 19, Seminar #2 dealt with green infrastructure and ‘sustainable urban drainage’. On June 23, Seminar #3 will focus on floodplain and flooding issues.

Will Marsh, author of the classic textbook Landscape Planning: Environmental Applications, introduced the natural science perspective during the town-hall sharing and learning at Seminar #2.

"We need to understand the sub-systems that are in play between the time that rainfall is received at the top of the tree canopy and the time that it actually gets to the stream as streamflow or other kinds of releases. THAT’S THE KEY TO THE WHOLE SYSTEMS APPROACH. If we unlock that key, if we can just begin to get a handle on that, then we can then begin to put in place the appropriate kinds of measures (to protect watershed health),” stated Will Marsh.

To learn more, click on "Watersheds are not all created equal," states Will Marsh at the second in the 2011 Comox Valley Seminar Series and read the complete story posted on the Water Bucket website. 

THINKING LIKE A WATERSHED: Conservation Hydrology is an applied science being pioneered by the Occidental Arts and Ecology Center in Northern California. It emphasizes the need in many areas for human development designs to move from drainage to retainage. To learn more, click here.


Comox Valley Update #2011-07
May 26, 2011

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

District of Sooke establishes British Columbia precedent with its ‘Liquid Waste Management Plan for Rainwater’


The District of Sooke on Vancouver Island has exceeded provincial requirements for liquid waste management and created a rainwater management plan that makes protecting water quality a guiding principle in land use decisions.

The Liquid Waste Management Plan for Rainwater works on three principles: protect existing water quality, prevent future damage, and remediate areas that may already be damaged.

“Sooke is proud of its natural environment. And as the first community in British Columbia to integrate both rainwater and sanitary in a liquid waste management plan, we now have the tools to protect the watersheds and the Sooke Harbour and Basin for future generations,” states Mayor Janet Evans. 

To learn more, click on Sooke is first community in British Columbia to integrate both rainwater and sanitary in a Liquid Waste Management Plan to read a supporting story posted on the Water Bucket website.

CONVENING FOR ACTION IN BRITISH COLUMBIA: The Sooke accomplshment is one of many "convening for action" case studies featured in  Beyond the Guidebook 2010: Implementing a New Culture for Urban Watershed Protection and Restoration in British Columbia, released in June 2010. There is now clear guidance for aligning local actions with provincial and regional goals to ‘design with nature’ so that British Columbians can create greener communities, live water smart and prepare for climate change.

News Release #2011-24

May 24, 2011

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

United States Environmental Protection Agency launches green infrastructure drive



The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has launched an initiative to promote the use of “green infrastructure” by cities and towns, in an effort to reduce rainwater runoff.

On April 29, 2011 Deputy Administrator Bob Perciasepe announced the release of EPA’s new Strategic Agenda to Protect Waters and Build More Livable Communities through Green Infrastructure. This outlines the activities that the Agency will undertake to help communities implement green infrastructure approaches.

“Through this agenda, we’ll help cities and towns across the nation clean up their waters and strengthen their communities by supporting and expanding green infrastructure,” said Bob Perciasepe. “Green infrastructure changes improve the health of our waters while creating local jobs, saving communities money and making them healthier and more prosperous places to raise a family and start a business.”

THE VIEW FROM BRITISH COLUMBIA: "From a British Columbia perspective, it is great to see the EPA brand their Strategic Agenda as 'protect waters and build more livable communities'," states Kim Stephens, Executive Director of the Partnership for Water Sustainability in British Columbia. "We have been using almost identical branding since 2008 when the Province released Living Water Smart, British Columbia's Water Plan. Our mantra is: create liveable communities and protect stream health. If we design with nature, the latter will be an outcome of the former."

To learn more, click on United State EPA’s Strategic Agenda to Protect Waters and Build More Liveable Communities Through Green Infrastructure to read a supporting story posted on the Water Bucket website.

News Release #2011-23
May 17, 2011

Friday, May 13, 2011

Sustainable Service Delivery: ‘Design with Nature’, Protect Stream Stability, and Save Money



The initial capital cost of municipal infrastructure is about 20% of the life-cycle cost; the other 80% largely represents a future unfunded liability. Each year, the funding shortfall grows. Fiscal constraints provide a driver for a change in the way local governments plan, finance, implement and over time replace infrastructure.

Through a program of professional development, the four Comox Valley local governments are striving for a consistent regional approach to Sustainable Service Delivery. The focus of the 2011 Seminar Series is on how all those involved in land development have a role to play.

In April, Seminar #1 painted a picture of the ‘legacy liability’ of existing hard infrastructure (i.e. roads, water, sewers).

On May 19, Seminar #2 will deal with green infrastructure and ‘sustainable urban drainage’. Jim Dumont will explain the water balance methodology and demonstrate how to establish performance targets for rainfall capture. A town-hall sharing session will then explore how to implement green infrastructure in Northeast Comox to protect the agricultural lowlands.

To learn more, click on Sustainable Service Delivery:  ‘Design with Nature’, Protect Stream Stability, and Save Money and read the complete story posted on the Water Bucket website.To download a PDF document version, click here.

Comox Valley Update #2011-06
May 12, 2011

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

'Comox Valley Regional Team' honoured with BCWWA Leadership in Water Sustainability Award



Comox Valley Local Governments Showcase "A Regional Response to Infrastructure Liability"

In April, the ‘Comox Valley Regional Team’ on Vancouver Island received the second annual Leadership in Water Sustainability Award. An initiative of the British Columbia Water & Waste Association (BCWWA), the award recognizes those who are leading the way and demonstrating overall commitment to water sustainability in their governance, administration, operations, education, culture and outreach.

Since 2007, four local governments and the Comox Valley Land Trust have been collaborating under the umbrella of CAVI-Convening for Action on Vancouver Island. A program goal is to showcase what can be achieved through a ‘regional team approach’. Annual seminar series focus on issues of regional concern, and are outcome-oriented.

"The learning opportunity for all of us is extraordinary at these CAVI seminars. Municipal and Regional District departments learning from each other, the various jurisdictions learning from each other, and the incredible opportunity for the Stewardship community to learn better how local government works; and for all practitioners to learn what the environmental constraints really are and what they mean,” explains Jack Minard, Executive Director of the Comox Valley Land Trust.

“The experience gains substance as we add the development and builder community. This type of collaboration can only benefit all interests, improve processes and deliver better outcomes,"

To learn more, click on Comox Valley Local Governments Showcase A Regional Response to Infrastructure Liability to read a supporting story posted on the Water Bucket website.


SUSTAINABLE DRAINAGE INFRASTRUCTURE: As infrastructure ages and fails, local governments cannot keep up with renewal and/or replacement. Thus, fiscal constraints provide a powerful impetus for doing business differently. Green infrastructure is part of a holistic approach to ‘achieve more with less’. 
 
The paradigm-shift starts with land use planning. Connecting the dots between watershed health and infrastructure type is emerging as an important piece in ‘sustainable drainage infrastructure’, both fiscally and ecologically.

News Release #2011-22
May 10, 2011

"ISMP Course Correction" aligns with Metro Vancouver's proposed Ecological Health Plan



Metro Vancouver Action Plan 2011 lays out specific goals, targets and actions

In May 2010, the Metro Vancouver region adopted a comprehensive and holistic strategy for managing liquid discharges and rainwater resources. Two years in the making, the Integrated Liquid Waste & Resource Management Plan established the framework for moving beyond regulatory compliance to transitioning Metro Vancouver to an approach where watershed-based planning is integrated within a broader, sustainability framework.

In November-December 2010, the Water Sustainability Action Plan for British Columbia released a 5-part series about considerations driving a course correction in the way ‘Integrated Stormwater Management Plans’ (ISMPs) are undertaken.

Each year, Metro Vancouver prepares an Action Plan for the organization's work in the years ahead. Metro Vancouver Action Plan 2011 lays out specific goals, targets and actions to meet regional priorities. One of these priorities is ecological health.


The region has committed to protect and restore an interconnected network of habitat and green space, account for ecosystem services, and enhance the connection between people and nature. The Integrated Plan is the regulatory driver for ISMPs, and the 'course correction' is the tool to make real the Metro Vancouver region's proposed Ecological Health Plan.

To learn more, click on "ISMP Course Correction" aligns with Metro Vancouver's proposed Ecological Health Plan to read an article posted on the Water Bucket website. The article connects the dots between the three.


Thursday, May 5, 2011

Rainwater Management in a Watershed Context: “Do More With Less & Achieve Stream Health Benefits”



Comox Valley Local Governments Showcase “A Regional Response to Infrastructure Liability”
 
On May 19, the Town of Comox is hosting the second seminar in a 3-part series about Infrastructure Liability. Seminar #2 will address the connection between development standards and ‘watershed health’; and will focus on Northeast Comox as a real-world opportunity to ‘design with nature’ to protect watershed health.

The initial capital cost of infrastructure is about 20% of the life-cycle cost; the other 80% largely represents a future unfunded liability. While developers may pay the initial capital cost of municipal infrastructure, local governments bear the entire financial burden to stabilize and restore watercourses impacted by increased rainwater runoff volume after land is developed.

The need to embrace green infrastructure practices arose from the requirement to prevent further increases in damage to both the environment and the agricultural community resulting from the increase in rainwater runoff from urban areas,” states Jim Dumont, Engineering Applications Authority for the Water Balance Model Partnership. At Seminar #2, he will be delivering a short course on rainwater management.

“The financial burden and environmental impacts associated with ‘pipe-and-convey’ drainage infrastructure contrast with the benefits of ‘green’ infrastructure at a watershed scale: natural landscape-based assets reduce runoff volumes, have lower life-cycle costs, decrease stresses applied to creeks, and enhance urban liveability.”

To learn more, click on Rainwater Management in a Watershed Context: “Do More With Less & Achieve Stream Health Benefits” and read the complete story posted on the Water Bucket website.

Comox Valley Update #2011-05
May 5, 2011

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Partnership announces that Water Balance Model “Version 2.1” will go live in Fall 2011


On April 7th, Metro Vancouver hosted the Water Balance Model Partners Forum. Two weeks earlier, the City of Surrey hosted two training sessions for WBM Paying Subscribers. These events were transformational and have influenced how “Version 2.0” and “Version 2.1” will be rolled out in June and October, respectively.

“As the community has grown and user preferences have evolved, we’ve reached a point where one WBM interface no longer works for everyone.  We now need to provide an environment that supports communities that range from highly experienced experts to enthusiastic newcomers,” reports Dr. Charles Rowney, Scientific Authority for the Water Balance Model Partnership. According to Dr. Rowney, three launch points correspond to three common investigation scenarios:   

1.   WBM for the Watershed – this is the scale where the big environmental questions are answered.
2.   WBM for the Neighbourhood – this is the scale of interest to the developer.
3.   WBM Express for Homeowners – this is the lot or site scale, and is especially relevant to redevelopment scenarios where infilling is of interest.

The Water Balance Model is moving toward an expert system with broad capabilities that can quickly provide answers to questions, and compare a number of site / watershed conditions, while giving consideration to the effects of climate change. The identified next steps in the development process will target specific technical matters; and will produce a system that can be a coach, providing guidance to all levels of users.

To learn more, click on Establish Performance Targets at the Watershed, Neighbourhood and Site Scales to read the complete story posted on the Water Bucket website; or click here to download a PDF document version.

News Release #2011-21
May 3, 2011