One of our primary research and advocacy aims at the Water Sustainability Project is promoting innovative decentralized water conservation technologies and lasting local programs that inspire changes in behaviour. We emphasize a whole new conception of what is “infrastructure” - one that goes beyond the existing physical infrastructure of pipes, pumps and reservoirs. This new infrastructure includes innovative physical components, such as reuse and recycling and rainwater harvesting, and policies and programs designed specifically for water conservation.

This new perspective on water infrastructure must include an emphasis on building and maintaining “social infrastructure”— the planning processes and programs needed to entrench water efficiency and conservation as the primary approach to water management for communities. We see these as the tools needed to move communities from a supply to a demand paradigm and ultimately toward sustainable water management in the 21st century. We need to start thinking beyond pipes and pumps – and embrace efficiency and conservation as the next “best” source of “new” water for prosperity and our growing communities.

To fully realize this potential for community engagement and outreach on water sustainability we recently created a Community Water Coordinator position to engage other NGOs and local governments in discussions about the need for sustainable water management and strategies for achieving it. Susanne Porter-Bopp will continue to build our collection of best practices on sustainable water management by enhancing the WSP web-based database of watershed management practices, and by promoting the implementation of soft path pilot projects to demonstrate the potential of demand management and soft path planning on the local level. If your community is interested in this process please contact us.

The recently completed Canadian national water soft path study is the first test anywhere in the world of the application of water soft path concepts to a variety of jurisdictions in a range of geographic settings. WSP contributed research and analysis on the potential of this innovative approach to promote water sustainability at the community and municipal level. Other research sites included the Province of Ontario, the Annapolis Valley watershed in Nova Scotia, and the urban sector generally. Our research is included in an updated version of The Soft Path for Water in a Nutshell.

Also be sure to check out the August 2007 edition of Alternatives highlighting POLIS's soft path work with Friends of the Earth Canada.

This collaborative research effort also resulted in the formation of the Soft Path Leadership Council -- a cross sector, pan Canadian group of water experts and professionals with a mandate to move soft path concepts into action and develop pilot projects where the theory becomes reality.

Check out some of our latest research publications, including:

A New Path to Water Sustainability for the Town of Oliver, BC - Soft Path Case Study

Urban Water Soft Path: 'Back of the Envelope' Backcasting Framework

Oliver M Brandes presented Thinking Beyond Pipes & Pumps for a "webinar" hosted by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities on Sept 26, 2007. Listen to audio podcast and view PDFs of the webinar presentations.

Susanne Porter-Bopp presented Making the Case for Conservation and the Soft Path for Water at the Canadian Institute's Drinking Water Quality Management conference in Toronto on January 28 & 29, 2008.

In addition to our applied policy work related to the soft path, the WSP team is currently developing a Water Soft Path ScenarioBuilder which includes a water conservation calculator (See “What's New at WSP” sidebar). This calculator will catalogue potential water savings associated with individual water conservation measures and will also address energy and greenhouse gas savings associated with a comprehensive approach to rainwater. The tool will eventually be used in conjunction with our outreach efforts in the spring to develop pilot projects of a comprehensive approach to water conservation around British Columbia and Ontario.

Keep an eye on the WSP website for our upcoming Watershed Management Web-based Resource Tool coming later this year. This accessible web tool will act as a “Best Practices Secretariat” for urban water demand management and will include cutting edge governance practices including leading research on results and impacts and model and institutional arrangements to enrich water conservation in all levels of decision making.

WSP has identified a number of new emerging themes in the water field. The team has recently launched a water law focus that emphasizes the legal aspect of ecosystem-based allocation in BC (and beyond). Aboriginal water issues has been identified as an important POLIS research area starting in 2008.

The Water Sustainability Project (WSP) began in January 2003 at the POLIS Project on Ecological Governance with a focus on examining the structure and dynamics of urban water use and the goal of developing mechanisms to help reorient Canadian water management from an emphasis on supply development to stewardship and managing demands as priorities.

The WSP at POLIS gratefully acknowledges the generous support of the Walter and Duncan Gordon Foundation for this project.

Copies of all WSP reports are available on our website at www.waterdsm.org. For paper copies of WSP reports or other information, please contact Oliver M Brandes or Susanne Porter-Bopp at the POLIS office, University of Victoria at (250) 721-6388 or e-mail water@polisproject.org