Planning for Water Resource Management

8/6/2019 Planning for Water Resource Management

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Analytical Exercise 1

To: Bozena Michalski, Water Stewardship Division, B.C. Ministry of Environment

From: Tim Shah, Master’s Student, Community and Regional Planning, University of

British Columbia

Date: February 23, 2011

Subject: Planning for Water Resources Management

I have prepared a 1-hour seminar on my graduate course called “Planning for Water Resources

Management”. As the Province has aspirations to modernize its Water Act , this memo will be

most useful in providing the conceptual framework we have been building in class and the

implications this has for the Water Stewardship Division (WSD) of the MOE. The layout of this

seminar is composed of the following:

1. I will outline the conceptual framework for planning in water resources management that

is being developed in the first section of the course

2. Recommend some of the components to the WSD for implementation to help develop the

Division and the capabilities of its staff.

Conceptual Framework: Planning for Water Resource Management

Framework further

Socio-economic

systems:

How do people

value water?

Governance Systems:

How do we involve

stakeholders in

decision-making

processes?

Physical-Chemical-

Biological Systems:

What is the connection

between water systems

and climate change?

Planning for Water Resource

Management

How do we plan for the future?

How do we deal with complexity

and uncertainty?

Ecological Systems:

Threats to drinking

water and aquatic

ecosystem health





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By using adaptive management we can design a process to learn from experiments with specific

evaluative questions and methods. The essence of developing a more integrated understanding of

our water system is through experimentation. With the knowledge we gain from such

experiments, we can adapt our systems accordingly and better address complexity and

uncertainty.

Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM)

Another key concept of our course is IWRM, which if effectively implemented, can bridge the

four components outlined in the conceptual framework. IWRM encompasses the following

principles:

Water policies should focus on the management of water as a whole and not just on the

provision of water

Governments should facilitate and enable the sustainable development of water resources

by the provision of integrated water policies and regulatory frameworks Water resources should be managed at the lowest appropriate level (i.e. the watershed

level)

Institutional capacity-building through stakeholder involvement and participation

Implications for WSD

In order for the WSD to make more transparent and holistic decisions around water planning and

management, you first need to acknowledge other institutions that are working on environmental

planning initiatives at the local level. Institutions like the Fraser Basin Council (FBC) and

municipalities within the Lower Mainland can better foment more interactions with water users

to collectively understand the value of water. This is not meant to say that the FBC should have

decision-making power, but be provided with financial resources to carry out programs that

integrate all facets of water resource management. Currently, this institution does not have the

resources to do the job they are mandated to do.

To bridge the socio-economic system with the governance system, your division should audit the

extent to which entities (such as the FBC or City of Vancouver) actually follow their stated

policies and provide the resources for their implementation.

As you intend on regulating groundwater within the new legislation, here are some points you

should consider:

Communicate how drier seasons (e.g. summer months) and droughts affect the province’s

water storage capacity

Provide funding for educational resources to groundwater users to inform them about the

systems’ capacity, vulnerability and scarcity



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Create an accessible diagram (available on your website and those of local institutions)

illustrating how excessive groundwater use affects the water system, aquatic species and

drinking water quality of the people of BC; and

Demonstrate how the management of groundwater is being designed to account for

uncertainty and change associated with climate change

To build capacity in your organization, I recommend the following:

Think about how you can provide guidance, financial support and closer collaboration

with local institutions including municipalities in the Lower Mainland and groups like the

FBC

Focus on providing more inclusive language on your website to better engage society in

water resources management/planning

Prioritize areas in your division that can be strengthened through meaningful stakeholder

involvement

Approach bio-physical issues (such as groundwater) as an integrated andmultidisciplinary issue

Consider the IWRM principles in helping your division overcome barriers

Documents

Planning for Water Resource Management