Cambie Corridor Integrated Water Management Plan

Herrera led a multidisciplinary team of international experts to support the City of Vancouver, BC in the development of a “one water” or integrated water management plan to a rapidly developing transit corridor just south of downtown. The current water-related infrastructure (including an extensive combined sewer system) is near capacity; and a recently completed land use plan for the 1,000-hectare corridor revealed that the population living and working there is expected to more than double in the next three decades.

The Herrera team worked closely with the City to develop a unified vision, assess current systems and policies, identify data gaps, and develop and utilize a comprehensive, multi-benefit assessment framework for evaluating integrated water management opportunities (i.e., programs, policies, and projects). Opportunities considered include various types of distributed green and blue-green stormwater infrastructure, regional green stormwater management facilities, non-potable water reuse (e.g., rainwater, greywater, and foundation drainage), and policies and programs to mandate, incentivize, and/or encourage private investments and partnerships. The assessment framework included an optimization tool that uses advanced statistical algorithms to identify the ideal combination of opportunities to meet water-servicing targets, minimize costs, and maximize co-benefits.

The effort culminated in development of policy and program recommendations for a high-level long-term water servicing strategy for the corridor and a more detailed short-term capital plan for investments in the next 10 years.