As Canadian Water Week winds down  we would like to share a series of videos on innovative stormwater management in British Columbia produced by the Master of Land and Water Systems (MLWS) program.  

The following introduction is by Dr. Hans Schreier

Conventional stormwater management is no longer sufficient to deal with increased climatic variability and urban land use intensification that is leading to increased flooding and streamwater contamination. Conveying stormwater runoff directly into urban stream does not deal with the urban non-point sources of pollution and is degrading the aquatic ecosystem. Management has to be adaptive to deal with the new climatic conditions and land use changes and the new paradigm is to infiltrate, temporarily detain and slowly release the rainfall through various filter systems that mimic natural processes. Since processes and contamination sources differ over spatial and temporal scales a three level approach is needed that focuses on different options at the property, the neighbourhood and the watershed scale. This set of four videos provides a wide range of innovative options that can be initiated at the three spatial scales and shows what innovators in the Vancouver area have accomplished in order to reduce the risk of flooding and improve the aquatic ecosystem in the urban environment.

Photograph of WaterPortal Board Member Ross Douglas

Ross Douglas

Board Member

Ross has extensive executive experience in Operations, Governance, Information Technology and Strategy at the board and senior management level including Mancal Corporation, Mancal Energy, Highridge Exploration and Atlantis Resources. He has worked in Oil and Gas, Coal, Commercial Real Estate, Portfolio Management, Recreation, Retail and Water and Wastewater Treatment. His experience is also geographically diverse having overseen operations in Canada, the United States, United Kingdom and Northern Ireland. Additionally, he has been on the board of companies with operations in Argentina, Azerbaijan, Barbados, Kazakhstan, and Russia. He has served on numerous Public, Private and Not for Profit Boards across a number of industries.

Ross has been active on several industry Boards and committees including the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP) and The Schulich School of Engineering Industry Advisory Council at the Schulich School of Engineering.

Photograph of WaterPortal Board Member Brian Mergelas

Brian Mergelas, PhD, ICD.D

Board Member

Brian is a seasoned Cleantech entrepreneur with a proven history of successfully bringing complex water technologies to the market.   With over 25 years of experience, he has led various organizations to achieve significant milestones in the industry. 

Having started as the founding CEO of the Pressure Pipe Inspection Company (PPIC) and later taking the helm at the Water Technology Acceleration Project (WaterTAP), Brian’s entrepreneurial spirit has been instrumental in driving innovation and growth within the sector. 

He is an active investor in the cleantech sector and has served on many boards including the Ontario Clean Water Agency. 

Actively engaged in industry associations like AWWA, WEF, IWA, and ASCE, Brian enjoys collaborating with fellow professionals to promote advancements in the field. 

Brian holds an undergraduate degree and a PhD in Physics from Queen’s University, which has provided him with a solid technical foundation.   As a member of the Institute of Corporate Directors, he brings valuable insights to corporate governance.