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