Master Drainage Plan (Phase 1)

A Master Drainage Plan Subcommittee was formed in 2004. The subcommittee developed a terms of reference for the MDP and sought funding for development of the MDP. The District of Saanich, City of Victoria and the CRD applied for initial funding for the MDP from the Ministry of Community, Aboriginal and Women’s Services.
 
From 2004 - 2006, flow monitoring devices were installed at two locations in Bowker Creek to provide information required for the MDP.  An assessment of channel erosion and streambank habitat conditions was also conducted for the open sections of the creek.

In 2007 the BCI undertook a Master Drainage study of the Bowker Creek watershed to investigate flooding, erosion and environmental stormwater problems and identify and prioritize drainage and hydrological solutions for the watershed, along with their costs and benefits.  Significant hydraulic and hydrological modelling was conducted for a range of future scenarios, all of which incorporated future climate conditions.

The Master Drainage Plan (MDP) is Phase 1 of an Integrated Stormwater Management Plan (ISMP). The technical information provided by the MDP will eventually be incorporated into a comprehensive Integrated Stormwater Management Plan (ISMP) - Phase 2, which will address detailed ecological components of the ISMP, including health assessment, inventories and assessing options identified in the MDP.  The solutions identified in the ISMP will support many of the goals identified in the BCWMP.

Integrated Stormwater Management Plan (Phase 2)

An Integrated Stormwater Management Plan (ISMP) provides a basis for making watershed management decisions by bringing together the hydrologic and hydraulic information provided by an MDP with ecological, social and economic information to assess watershed health and to provide solutions that will meet as many of the goals of the BCWMP as possible. 

An ISMP addresses stormwater and rainwater management together with:

  • the health of the creek and riparian areas, including water quality and ongoing loss of aquatic and riparian habitat
  • risk of property damage and safety concerns due to flooding and erosion, particularly in the lower reaches of Bowker Creek
  • land use and low impact development and the opportunities associated with redevelopment throughout the watershed
  • community use of the watershed such as the creation of greenways along the creek, and
  • need for multi-jurisdictional decision-making within the watershed.

The Bowker Creek Initiative completed Phase 1 of the Bowker ISMP – as ‘Master Drainage Plan’ that addresses flooding and erosion issues from an engineering perspective. The BCI took an innovative approach to Phase 2 on an ISMP by creating the Bowker Creek Blueprint. The Bowker Creek Blueprint goes beyond the typically required integrate the engineering perspective with environmental and social considerations and address most of the goals and objectives in the Bowker Creek Watershed Management Plan.

Proper Functioning Condition Assessment

A Proper Functioning Condition (PFC) ecological assessment of Bowker Creek was initiated during 2004 to begin collecting information for Phase 2 of the Integrated Stormwater Management Plan. The Proper Functioning Condition assessment provides a qualitative evaluation of the ecological health of the creek channel by examining the hydrology, vegetation and soils attributes on a reach-by-reach basis.

Watershed Assessment

In 2000 an environmental consultant was hired to conduct an assessment of the Bowker Creek watershed.  This assessment provided important information to the public forum that developed the watershed managment plan.