EXPERIENCE WITH USING A WATERSHED CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM TO HELP DEVELOP A STORMWATER MANAGEMENT PLAN FOR THE GREATER VANCOUVER AREA

As part of a senior government regulatory process for liquid waste management planning, the Greater Vancouver Sewerage and Drainage District (GVS&DD) and its member municipalities undertook a three-year planning process culminating in the completion of a stormwater management plan for the greater Vancouver area in October 1999. As part of the stormwater planning process, a watershed classification system was developed to help evaluate the current and future impacts of stormwater discharges on the receiving environment. The system was designed to easily communicate these impacts along with potential mitigation strategies to stakeholders and decision-makers. This paper describes the watershed classification system, presents the classification results for GVS&DD area watersheds for 1996 and 2036, and outlines some of the experiences with developing and using this watershed management tool.