The Healthy Waters Plan: Pathways Forward for Vancouver BC’s Water Future

Date: June 24, 2025 | 2:00 PM EST/1:00 PM CST
Speaker: Rosey Jencks, Vice President, Stormwater and Green Infrastructure National Specialty Lead at Brown and Caldwell
Credits: 1.0 PDH | 0.1 CEU | Approved for all Envirocert International, Inc. (ECI) Certifications: Approval #PDH-0150

The City of Vancouver, British Columbia, has been separating sewers since the 1970s to reduce combined sewer overflows and comply with its Liquid Waste Management Plan. Looking ahead, the City and its partners recently launched the Healthy Waters Plan (HWP) to address population growth, climate change impacts, and improve stormwater quality using green and grey infrastructure. Session participants will learn about Vancouver’s innovative engagement and planning process to integrate community values, technical data and structured decision-making to shape future investments. The approach and learnings are applicable to help address stormwater challenges and opportunities faced by cities across the U.S.

The project aligned different perspectives and gained agreement on a pathway forward that optimizes infrastructure investments to reduce overflows and flooding and improve stormwater quality while addressing climate-related changes, population growth and reconciliation with First Nations. This case study session will share technical findings and the innovative engagement processes used in this plan that other stormwater leaders and U.S. communities can consider.

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this presentation, attendees should be able to:

• Understand the City of Vancouver’s stormwater planning approach and how it may apply to other communities seeking to address similar challenges such as water quality/flooding concerns, growing populations, climate change impacts and compliance matters
• Identify innovative strategies for engaging community stakeholders and aligning different perspectives when developing stormwater-related plans
• Understand sustainable ways to improve stormwater quality and system resilience using green and grey infrastructure
• Evaluate planning and decision-making processes that can help optimize investments and enhance stormwater system resilience

About the Presenter

Rosey Jencks, Vice President, Stormwater and Green Infrastructure National Specialty Lead at Brown and Caldwell
Rosey Jencks is a leader in urban watershed planning, stormwater management and resiliency. As Vice President and National Specialty Lead for Stormwater and Green Infrastructure at Brown and Caldwell, she brings extensive expertise in integrating sustainable water solutions into urban environments. Prior to joining Brown and Caldwell, Rosey led the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission’s Urban Watershed Management Program, where she spearheaded innovative projects such as the award-winning Living Machine—San Francisco’s first building-scale sewage treatment system. She also directed the Urban Watershed Assessment, a multidisciplinary initiative focused on flood management, combined sewer overflow reduction, and the integration of stormwater strategies into city planning and policies. Rosey holds a Master’s degree in Environmental Planning from UC Berkeley and is passionate about advancing sustainable infrastructure and fostering resilient communities through forward-thinking water management solutions.