The City of Vernon has been selected as a winner of a 2020 Sustainable Communities Award for exceptional work in the asset management category.
The award honours and celebrates the most innovative environmental initiatives in cities and communities across Canada.
“It is a great honour for the city to receive this recognition,” said Mayor Victor Cumming. “The Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) Sustainable Communities Awards highlights municipalities that are demonstrating environmental responsibility while building social and economic benefits for their communities.
“We can be proud of the work taking place in Vernon to grow our city responsibly, taking steps to work with our natural assets and become more resilient to on-going significant climate change impacts.”
The recognition comes following the development of a Drainage Infrastructure Prioritization Plan. The aim of the grant-funded project was to better understand climate change vulnerabilities within Vernon’s local stormwater drainage network, and ultimately extend the life of its drainage system through prioritized investment.
The work was done in partnership with the consulting firm Urban Systems and the Okanagan Basin Water Board (OBWB).
The project included large amounts of data to answer complex drainage questions for the region.
“In the end, it was satisfying to see state-of-the-art technology merged with local knowledge to help the city answer forward-thinking questions around drainage risk, climate change, and asset management,” said Brendan Pauls, Project Lead with Urban Systems.
City of Vernon project lead Geoff Mulligan said the city was extremely fortunate to work partner with OBWB, as they were in the process of conducting their own flood mapping study using a tool called LiDAR.
“This state-of-the-art technology provides high-density data, which allows the city to calculate the most likely path a drop of water will take – from when it hits the ground until it reaches our creeks and lakes – to define overland flow routes,” said Mulligan. “The city is now better equipped to understand how water moves through our region, where our vulnerabilities currently exist, and how we can work towards mitigating future risk due to climate change.”
The City of Vernon is one of 11 municipalities from across the country chosen by the FCM for their outstanding efforts in one of nine categories.
Recipients in each category are also eligible for the Inspire Award, given to the most creative and innovative project following the conference.
The announcement was made Monday, Sept. 14, by FCM.
READ MORE: City of Vernon offers grants for local sustainability projects
roger@vernonmorningstar.com
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