director of engineering, town of gibsons, bc applying the...
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Applying the Principles of
(Natural) Asset
Management
Dave Newman, AScTDirector of Engineering, Town of Gibsons, BC
Presentation Overview• What are Natural Assets?
• Why are they important to us?
• Case Study – Gibsons Aquifer
• Conceptual Plan – Charman Creek
Watershed
Where is Gibsons?• West Coast Community
• Lower mainland BC
• Accessible by ferry
• Population ~4,500
• Area ~4 square km (1.6
square miles)
Setting the stage…• Natural Asset Management = Asset
Management
• Early stages: more questions than
answers
Setting the stage…• A desire to raise awareness with
municipalities, consultants, elected
officials, the public
• Foster partnership and sharing of
experiences
What are Natural Assets?
Features in the natural environment that perform
a municipal civil function and provide an
alternate or a supplement to an engineered asset
Examples of Natural Assets • Rivers and Streams (storm water conveyance)
• Swamps and wetlands (storm water treatment)
• Aquifers (drinking water storage and filtration)
• Trees (storm water management, slope stabilization)
• Soil (storm water management)
Examples of “Natural Assets”
• Ditches and swales
• Engineered wet lands
• Constructed ponds
We need a name here – Biomimicry? Engineered Natural Assets?
• Reforestation
• Soil improvement(?)
Why Natural Assets?
• Less funding required
• Provides a common ground
• Carbon neutral or even carbon positive
• Draws attention and finances to ignored assets
“You could look at nature as being like a catalog of products, and all of those have benefited
from a 3.8 billion year research and development period. And given that level of investment,
it makes sense to use it.”
-Michael Pawlyn
Natural Assets in a Local Government Context• Include only assets in your
inventory that perform a civil
function and the responsibility of
the (local) government
• Stay focused, avoid scope creep
Case Study:The Gibsons Aquifer
• Using basic AM
principles for a Natural
Asset
Gibsons Aquifer1. Inventory
• Confined aquifer providing
water to 75% of Town at 45% of
ultimate population
• extents of aquifer mapped
• recharge area identified
Gibsons Aquifer2. Value
• No specific value
established for the
aquifer
• Treatment costs
• Exorbitant cost to
establish a new water
source
Gibsons Aquifer3. Condition:
• Excellent – untreated water
meets rigorous health
standards
4. Impact from growth
• Able to provide water to 75%
of ultimate population
Gibsons Aquifer5. Operation and maintenance
plan
• Bylaws & policies for protection &
conservation
• Fringe area agreement with Regional
District
• Education
Gibsons Aquifer
6. Financial Plan:
• Aquifer related costs are
included as part of our
water system
• Water rates are set to
ensure full cost recovery
Gibsons Aquifer7. Ongoing
Assessment
• Annual monitoring
program
• Revise growth
projections based
on actual demand
Determining the Feasibility of a Natural Asset Option• Comparing Engineered and Natural Asset
solutions
Conceptual Plan:Enhancing the Charman Creek Watershed
Storm Water Conveyance
for Upper Gibsons
• 160 ha +/- catchment area
• Includes most of the 46 ha
Upper Gibsons area• 900 Residential Units
• 32,000 m2 Commercial
• 22,000 m2 Industrial
• Requires storm water
conveyance solution
The Challenge
Catchment Area
Charman Creek
Upper Gibsons
Existing Storm Assets
= discharge of engineered system to natural
• 22 km of Engineered
drainage
• Includes 4 km of
>500mm pipe
• 6 km of Natural
drainage within Town
boundaries
Plan A:An Engineered Solution• 2 km storm trunk
• $4 million capital cost
• $50,000/year
replacement cost
• Majority of pipe must be in
place for development to
occur
Plan B: A Natural Solution• 2 km Natural Asset already
in place
• Required for growth but
may be constructed in
stages as growth occurs
• $4 million capital cost for
improvements over 50
years
• $0 replacement cost
Playing field dry storage
New and existing ponds
Charman Creek Channel
Neighbourhood ponds
Charman Creek Channel• Some areas have been
urbanized, reducing
conveyance capacity and
fish habitat
• Steep slopes may need to
be addressed
Whitetower Park Ponds• Consists of a series of
natural and constructed
ponds
• Forest and soils provide
storm water detention
• Occasional dredging
required
• Volume to be increased by
raising surrounding trails
• Photo 2
New Whitetower Pond• Mimics Natural Asset
• Creates an upstream
settlement pond
• Maximizing use of
municipal lands
• Create educational walk
• Provide picnic and
recreational use area
• Playing fields
upstream can serve
additional function
• Dry storage based on
acceptable frequency
of flooding
Playing Field Dry Storage
Neighbourhood Ponds• Neighbourhood
storm water
solutions to augment
larger ponds
• Consider a reduction
in on-site individual
storm water
solutions and an
increase in
communal services
Partnership with David Suzuki Foundation – NA Assessment • Build a series of bio-economic models
• Provides economic value(s) for natural assets
• Calculated by asking what the engineered asset costs would be to replace the
services provided by the Natural Asset
• Determine Natural AM costs including: 1) operating expenses 2) maintenance 3)
monitoring 4) if necessary, restore the natural asset
• Provide in person training, as well as a guidance document on
completing a Municipal Natural Capital assessment
Conclusions• Justification in applying established AM principles to Natural Assets
• Be clear on what your Natural Assets are
• Establish a policy/strategy to educate, state objectives, protect
Natural Assets
• Determine economic values
• Educate stakeholders
• Share successes and challenges
Questions?“When we look at what is truly sustainable, the only real model that has
worked over long periods of time is the natural world.”
-Janine Benyus
Contact:
Dave Newman, AScT
Director of Engineering, Town of Gibsons
dnewman@gibsons.ca
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