Recent developments with this plan
Council supports plan to capture and treat most rainfall to improve river and harbour water quality
April 2016 – We presented the outcomes of the Citywide Integrated Rainwater Management Plan (IRMP) to City Council at the April 19 meeting. The IRMP provides a long-term Green Infrastructure Strategy to protect and improve water quality in the waterbodies surrounding Vancouver.
Council supported the IRMP target to capture and treat 90% of Vancouver’s average annual rainfall by implementing green infrastructure tools and design guidelines on public and private property throughout the City.
Council also supported the creation of a green infrastructure team to develop an implementation plan with interim targets and milestones toward the long-term target.
Implementing green infrastructure will improve water quality to protect the environment, support recreational water use, and meet current and emerging regulatory requirements.
For more information refer to:
Stakeholder workshops
January 2016 – At this workshop with stakeholders, we presented and reviewed the draft Integrated Rainwater Management Plan. Since the document was mostly complete, discussion focused on fine-tuning elements for clarification and readability. We received great feedback that we incorporated into the final draft.
June 2014 – At this workshop, we sought input from stakeholders on:
- Implementation (what happens first and how?)
- Scenarios (what combination of tools should be applied to the various land uses and how aggressively do we want to manage our rainwater?)
- Finance and incentives (how will we pay for this?)
- Selection criteria (how do we balance these considerations?)
May 2014 – At this workshop we discussed the scope, process and purpose of the integrated rainwater management plan. It will also provide organizations with an interest in rainwater management with an opportunity to contribute to the vision and values that will help select a rainwater strategy.
Participants learned about current rainwater best practices, and discussed their own experiences and what the integrated rainwater management plan can realistically achieve. The objective of this workshop was to identify issues and gauge values in preparation for the subsequent stakeholder strategy workshops.
Comprehensive background review and analysis
April 2014 – The consulting team completed a comprehensive review of background documents, current stormwater management framework, and an analysis of existing impervious conditions.
Information gathered during this phase will be used to inform subsequent phases related to implementation and monitoring.
Joint workshop
March 2014 – A workshop was held to bring together three key groups for an interactive session with a focus on what’s existing in the city today:
- Rainwater collaboration team: key City steering committee members
- Technical advisory group: staff representatives of City of Vancouver departments
- Intergovernmental expert group: representatives of senior government and institutions
The workshop was an opportunity to exchange current information and ideas towards innovative and practical rainwater management improvements as part of the Greenest City Action Plan.
Technical advisory group workshop
December 2013 – A workshop with a staff technical advisory group was held with the purpose of gathering input from a diverse range of City departments. Participants were asked to express their concerns and excitement about the integrated stormwater management plan process. In a second exercise, participants were asked to think about present assets, goals for the future, and means of achieving the goals.
Project initiation
November 2013 – The new stormwater management plan project was kicked off with staff and consultants.
Visioning workshop summary
December, 2012 – Prior to the consulting assignment being awarded, the City held a rainwater management visioning session.
Citywide Integrated Rainwater Management Plan