Course Overview
Sustainable development increasingly focuses on the economic, environmental and social aspects related to water including the regional balance of water supply and demand, water quality and local flood contingency planning and preparedness. This course identifies state of practice standards for Integrated Water Resource Management tools, designs and integrated strategies. Best practice case studies examine opportunities for innovative Integrated Water Resource Management systems for the 21st Century. Critical to best practice is the integration of water management in the context of long term environmental degradation. Tools for intelligent decision making are discussed including integrated environmental impact assessments, water resource models and land use planning approaches. Adaptive strategies coming to the fore as a result of climate change impacts are discussed. Innovative approaches to stakeholder engagement in a culture of openness and accountability are explored.
- Retired
- This course has been retired and is no longer offered. Find other Flexible Learning courses that may interest you.
Learning Outcomes
At the end of this course, students will be able to:
- Discuss different protocols, standards, broad strategies, and tools used in Integrated Water Resource Management in British Columbia by contrasting these with worldwide examples.
- Critique Water Resource Management policy norms and their unilateral or integrated application to a given socio-political paradigm. Consider government policies pertaining to water resource management, catchment management and corporate governance.
- Analyze water resources within a given catchment unit and its links to all other natural resources in that unit.
- Summarize economic, social and environmental aspects of water as a component of all the natural resources in a given catchment unit.
- Advocate for the development and implementation of an Integrated Water Resource Management Plan: from policy development to generating awareness and supportting education initiatives about water resources, from regulations compliance monitoring to justifying the needed system infrastructure etc.
- Design innovative social approaches to the water resource management including equitable access, enhanced role for minority groups, gender equality and best practices based on other socio-economic indicators.
- Evaluate issues and components of a Water Resource Management Plan.
Effective as of Fall 2009
Programs and courses are subject to change without notice. Find out more about BCIT course cancellations.