Peeling back the Pavement - POLIS Water Sustainability Project

CASE STUDY 8
THE BOWKER CREEK INITIATIVE: GRASSROOTS AND
MULTI-JURISDICTIONAL
The Bowker Creek Urban Watershed Renewal Initiative (BCI) is a collaborative pilot
project that is leading the way in watershed management in British Columbia’s Capital
Regional District on Vancouver Island. Through the BCI, dedicated citizens are proving
that water resources can be effectively managed across political boundaries and management
doesn’t have to take a top-down approach.
For nearly 10 years, residents around the City of Victoria have been shaping the management
of Bowker Creek to improve the health of the highly urbanized watershed.
Almost 90 per cent of the watershed has been developed for commercial, industrial,
institutional, and residential use and about half of its surface is impermeable, covered
by roads, buildings, and pavement. Urbanization has confined much of the original
creek channel to culverts and many of the region’s storm drains flow directly into the
creek. Management is complicated by the fact that the watershed crosses three different
municipalities before discharging into the Pacific Ocean.
The BCI is a unique, collaborative effort that works with the three municipalities, the
regional district, residents, and the University of Victoria to achieve a common vision by
addressing pollution, flooding, and habitat degradation in the watershed.
The initiative began when a local stewardship group, the Friends of Bowker Creek
Society, began raising awareness about the creek and advocating for coordinated
watershed planning and restoration. As interest spread, the initiative transformed from
a strictly grassroots endeavour into a model for multi-jurisdictional collaboration. In
2003, the first formal steps were put in place when the three member municipalities
and the Capital Regional District Board approved the Bowker Creek Watershed
Management Plan (BCWMP), providing a clear vision and goal that emphasized
liveability, quality of life, and respect for the environment.
In 2009, building on the BCWMP, the Bowker Creek Blueprint: A 100-year action plan to
restore the Bowker Creek watershed was developed. The Blueprint assists municipalities,
land stewards, and community groups in meeting the goals of the BCWMP. The
document provides an action plan that allows the three municipalities and other land
stewards to coordinate their efforts to ensure the long-term vision for the watershed
is achieved. Recognizing that it takes time for significant change to occur in an urban
environment, the document provides the information and guidance needed to manage
and restore the watershed over the next 50 to 100 years.
Current and future projects include building rain gardens, creek day-lighting, removing
invasive species, reviewing and revising municipal plans to include Bowker Creek goals
and actions, supporting the development of an urban forest strategy, and working with
a local high school to design and implement creek restoration on school district property
as old buildings are replaced. Sources on page 67.
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