Web-based provincial tools enable Water-Centric Planning and Living Water Smart

Living Water Smart Targets and Actions

Released in June 2008, Living Water Smart, British Columbia's Water Plan provides government's vision for sustainable water stewardship. Of the 45 actions and targets in Living Water Smart, three in particular serve to establish expectations vis-à-vis how land will be developed (or redeveloped) and water will be used. These three are listed below and are cross-referenced to the three subject areas and page numbers in the Living Water Smart vision document:

• Doing Business Differently: 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 (page 43)
• Preparing Communities for Change: By 2012, new  approaches to water management will address the impacts from a changing water cycle, increased drought and risk, and other impacts on water caused by climate change (page 61)
• Choosing To Be Water Smart: By 2020, 50% of new municipal water needs will be acquired through conservation (page 75)

"To make it possible to achieve Living Water Smart targets and actions, the Province has developed a suite of tools," reports Ted van der Gulik, the Senior Engineer in the Ministry of Agriculture. He has been the Province’s lead person for development of all but the Water Conservation Calculator.

“These tools are all web-based and accessible to anyone with a computer. They are intended to support new approaches to water management. They can be applied on-the-ground by land and water practitioners. Our vision is that they will collectively facilitate informed decision-making with respect to climate change adaptation.”

TO LEARN MORE: To read the complete story posted on the Water Bucket, click on Web-based provincial tools enable Water-Centric Planning and Living Water Smart. The story is excerpted from Chapter 6 of  'Beyond the Guidebook 2010', released in June 2010. To download a PDF version of the 2-page excerpt, click on Living Water Smart Actions and Targets.

Beyond the Guidebook 2010 describes how a ‘convening for action’ philosophy has taken root in British Columbia. Bringing together local government practitioners in neutral forums has enabled implementers to collaborate as regional teams. Their action-oriented focus has resulted in ‘how to do it’ examples that help decision-makers visualize what ‘design with nature’ policy goals look like on the ground.’