Water Conservation Calculator

The Water Conservation Calculator (WCC) is a free, web-based decision-support tool used to illustrate how specific water conservation measures can yield both fiscal and physical water savings for communities.

The WCC produces charts and a printed report intended to support the case for water conservation when presented to decision makers.

Thinking Beyond Pipes and Pumps: Top 10 Ways Communities Can Save Water and Money

This handbook provides a practical resource on how individuals, utilities, and, most importantly, communities can save water and money. Designed for community leaders, water managers, and policy makers, this handbook seeks to inspire and facilitate action.

It promotes an expanded definition of “urban water infrastructure” that includes innovative physical components, water sensitive urban design, and conservation programs designed to complement existing water supply networks.

Stormwater Planning: A Guidebook for British Columbia

The Stormwater Planning Guidebook is structured to meet the information needs of different audiences: from senior managers and elected officials… to those professional planning and engineering staff who are tasked with implementing early action… to land developers and the consulting community.

Rainwater Harvesting in Greater Victoria

Rainwater harvesting is the practice of collecting rainwater for beneficial use. Usually this refers to collection of rainwater from a rooftop and storing it in tanks and cisterns for later use in or near the point of collection. The use of rain barrels is a simple form of rainwater harvesting, although larger storage systems are required to serve most uses.

New Solutions for Stormwater Management in Canada

The goal of this report is to provide all Canadian local governments with an introduction to stormwater user fees and to the various other tools that they can implement to take an integrated approach to better urban stormwater management through the use of green infrastructure.

Groundwater Bylaws Toolkit

The Toolkit presents the basic principles of groundwater science, outlines the jurisdiction for managing groundwater, and provides practical land use management tools for local government to protect groundwater.

The Toolkit explains each tool, and provides sample policy and bylaw language that can be tailored to each unique area. It also provides case studies that highlight the best practices in groundwater protection already in use by local governments in BC.

Develop with Care 2014: Environmental Guidelines for Urban and Rural Land Development in British Columbia

Develop with Care 2014: Environmental Guidelines for Urban and Rural Land Development in British Columbia has been prepared for use by local governments, the development community, landowners and environmental organizations as a comprehensive guide to maintaining environmental values during the development of urban and rural lands. The guide sets out the program priorities of the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations, the Ministry of Environment, and other provincial and federal agencies, promoting ways to retain and create environmental function and resilience as communities grow.

The guide features:

  • information on ‘green’ alternatives to standard urban development practices
  • riparian protection
  • climate change
  • waste management
  • the protection of Environmentally Valuable Resources
  • a Terms of Reference for conducting biological inventories
  • checklists for streamlining review processes
  • species and land use based Fact Sheets