Partnership for Water Sustainability launches Inter-Regional Education Initiative on Vancouver Island

Rainwater Management in a 

Watershed Sustainability Context 

Vancouver Island is a hot-bed of progressive ideas and provincially significant initiatives. In particular, four regional districts and their member municipalities have been taking steps to plan for water sustainability and put in place implementation strategies. The four are:

• Comox Valley Regional District
• Regional District of Nanaimo
• Cowichan Valley Regional District
• Capital Regional District

"Each region has developed a provincially significant plan or approach to achieve water and watershed sustainability," observes Derek Richmond, Manager of Engineering with the City of Courtenay, and Chair of CAVI-Convening for Action on Vancouver Island. "All are striving to implement a consistent regional approach that protects and/or restores natural watershed function over time. All are advancing watershed-based strategies and programs for integrating the site with the watershed and stream. These initiatives all recognize the importance of instilling a land ethic that respects water."

Inter-regional sharing, collaboration, alignment and consistency will accelerate effective implementation of watershed protection objectives within each regional district. The regions are linked by common interests, but are not dependent on each other.

Inter-Regional Education Initiative

“Under the CAVI umbrella, the Partnership for Water Sustainability in BC is collaborating with local governments in four regions to implement an Inter-Regional Education Initiative. This initiative will provide the pathway to a consistent approach to water sustainability and green infrastructure up and down the east coast of Vancouver Island,” states Tim Pringle, Partnership President.

“Recognizing that each region has already established its ‘vision and goals’ through a community consultation process, our emphasis is on the ‘what would it look like’ details of implementation and integration. Inter-regional collaboration will result in alignment and a consistent approach to rainwater management in a watershed sustainability context. This will help everyone to go farther, more efficiently and effectively.”

“The inter-regional program will link activities so that everyone can share experiences, benefit from lessons learned, and align efforts with the provincial Living Water Smart and Green Communities initiatives. In the first half of 2012, an educational event will be held in each of the Cowichan Valley, Comox Valley, Nanaimo Region and Capital Region. The common theme will be: Sustainable Rainwater Management: What Does It Look Like?,” concludes Tim Pringle.

TO LEARN MORE: To read the complete story posted on the Water Bucket website, click on Partnership for Water Sustainability launches Inter-Regional Education Initiative on Vancouver Island.

On March 28, the Cowichan Valley is hosting the kick-off event for the 2012 program. For more information, click on Cowichan Valley Regional Team hosts Water Balance Model Forum. The venue is a LEED facility on the Duncan campus of Vancouver Island University.

E-Blast #2012-09

March 6, 2012