"Deal with Rainwater Runoff Responsibly", urged Rob Conway at 2008 Cowichan Valley Water Balance Model Forum

Living Water Smart: 

Doing Business Differently in BC

The Cowichan Valley is a provincial demonstration region for designing with nature to create liveable communities, protect stream health and produce 'green value'. In October 2008, the Cowichan Valley Regional District hosted a Water Balance Model Forum that was conducted as a hybrid-training workshop to inform, educate and enable those who wish to apply the Water Balance Model to support a Design with Nature approach to land development.

The Forum was a key event in the early rollout of Living Water Smart, British Columbia's Water Plan; and featured a roundtable sharing of case study experience related to achieving runoff-based performance targets.

"We are increasingly advising development applicants that they need to manage rainwater runoff where it falls. Until now we have not had an appropriate way to assess their proposed solutions," noted Rob Conway (Manager, Development Services) in his closing comments. 

"The Water Balance Model is a great way to do this. It provides local government reviewers with a measurable way of determining what is a good solution for a particular site. Developers showing that they are dealing with rainwater runoff responsively is a very important part of a development application."  

TO LEARN MORE: To hear Rob Conway on a YouTube video clip, click here. To access a set of online stories that elaborate on what was accomplished by the 2008 Forum, click on 2008 Cowichan Valley Water Balance Model Forum: List of Water Bucket Stories.

Also, to access the homepage for the 2009 Surrey Water Balance Model Forum, click here.