Watershed Management Planning for the North Saskatchewan River Basin. Briefing for City of Spruce Grove February 21, 2012

Transcription

1 Watershed Management Planning for the North Saskatchewan River Basin Briefing for City of Spruce Grove February 21, 2012

2 North Saskatchewan Watershed Alliance (NSWA) A multi-stakeholder, non-profit society (2000) Appointed WPAC in 2005 Membership: 43 Individuals 76 Organizations Website Six staff (5 FTEs)

3 Water for Life (2003) Goals: Safe drinking water Healthy aquatic ecosystems Reliable water supplies Approach: Knowledge and research Water conservation Partnerships (WPACs) for watershed management and stewardship

4 NSWA Executive Members President: Dr. Les Gammie (EPCOR) Vice-Pres: Reeve Pat Alexander (Clearwater County) Treasurer: Councillor Bob Kitching (Brazeau County) Secretary: Candace Vanin,, P. Ag. (AAFC)

5 NSWA Board Members Dr. L. Danielson (Northeast Capital Ind. Assoc.) Dr. N. Krogman (University of Alberta) P. Gordeyko (Councillor, County of Two Hills) B. Winship,, R.P.F. (Weyerhaeuser Co.) S. Lodewyk,, P. Eng (City of Edmonton) T. Bentley (Paddle Alberta) B. Fox (Alberta Beef Producers) R. Kause,, B.Sc. (TransAlta) T. Scott (Ducks Unlimited Canada) A. Schoepf (Prov. Gov. - AENV) J. Wuite,, P. Biol (Prov. Gov. AARD) A. Rognvaldson (Husky - Ram River)

6 The NSR Integrated Watershed Management Plan (IWMP) Objectives: Develop strategies to protect drinking water, aquatic ecosystems and water supplies for future generations Integrate land and water planning Plan collaboratively with all watershed sectors Complete plan by fall 2011

7 57,000 km2 Km 0 64

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9 Major features: 1.2 million people 20 counties 2 hydro-electric reservoirs 3 coal fired plants Large petrochemical sector Large agriculture sector Forestry Oil and gas exploration 12 water sub-basins

10 Jasper NP Green Zone Banff NP

11 Watershed Planning Challenges Large complex watershed, several scales of work Many land-use and water issues Several public jurisdictions and other sectors Deficit of planning activity on the NSR since the early 1990s

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13 Water Supply Studies Trend -1.4%/decade over 97 years 7.2 Billion m 3 /yr ~2% of annual flow from glaciers 50% of annual flow to Sask - PPWB (1969) Water supply to the Capital Region: ~90% comes from 4 upper sub-basins

14 Impact of Reservoirs on Discharge North Saskatchewan River at Edmonton Discharge (m 3/s) Jan 31-Jan 2-Mar 1-Apr 1-May 31-May 30-Jun 30-Jul 29-Aug 28-Sep 28-Oct 27-Nov 27-Dec

15 NSR near Drayton Valley

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17 Locations Of Wastewater Treatment Plants In Edmonton

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19 Load (tons) TP TP to to the the River River Animal wastes CSO Storm wastewater Year

20 Median Annual Phosphorus at Devon and Pakan 0.15 Total Phosphorus (mg/l) Total Phosphorus at Pakan Total Phosphorus at Devon Year

21 Capital Region Industrial Heartland Water Use Reservoir Operations Overland Runoff Headwaters supply

22 NSWA Initiatives ( ) 06) North Saskatchewan River Guide (2002) Community Watershed Stewardship Toolkit (2002) Canadian Heritage Rivers Program (2005) State of the Watershed Report (2005) Municipal Resource Guide (2006)

23 Technical Reports ( ) In-stream Flow Needs Methods Water Use and Demand Water Supply Assessment Climate Change Effects Water Quality Objectives Mainstem Water Quality Model

24 Technical Reports ( ) Cumulative Effects Assessment Basin Groundwater Overview Vermilion River Water Supply and Demand Study Rural Municipal Watershed Planning Forum Socio-Economic Profiles of the NSR Basin

25 Technical Reports ( ) Economic Activity and the Value of EGS in NSR Basin Sub-Watershed Runoff Model Collaborative Planning Approach Mayatan Lake: State of the Watershed All reports at

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27 IWMP Recommendations IWMP outlines actions and responsibilities for: Protecting water quality Managing water supplies Aquatic ecosystem protection Groundwater protection Alignment of land and water planning at the regional scale More work to do!

28 NSWA Consultation Activities Summarized in IWMP Discussion Paper 2005 to presentations 26 tradeshows and community events Jan 2011 to present 46 presentations 33 tradeshows and community events

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30 Feedback results Total: Individuals 19 NGOs (14 Conservation/Environmental) 19 Industry 25 Government (23 Municipalities) Strong support for most concepts

31 Next Steps Review feedback Draft Plan (winter 2012) Confirm support for plan and implementation roles (winter 2012) Prioritize and implement actions (2012+)

32 Vermilion River Watershed Management Project First sub-basin basin planning project by NSWA and regional partners Discussion Paper released in Nov 2011 Consultation process underway in Nov 2011, completion by March 2012

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34 NSWA Vision Create basin and sub-basin basin plans to protect water supplies for future generations Provide water planning leadership and technical knowledge Encourage collaborative planning

35 NSWA Funding Water For Life (Alberta Environment) City of Edmonton, EPCOR (50 cents/capita) Counties, Towns, Cities (50 cents/capita) NAWMP Partnership, Alberta Beef Producers Environmental Foundations Government of Canada (AAFC), NEAWMC Industry Proposed Budget ~ $1.1 M ~$500K in-kind, ~$600K cash

36 Thank you We seek your input and support as we finalize the NSR watershed plan Local implementation will focus on sub-watershed management (e.g., Sturgeon River) Total municipal cash contributions in 2011 ($148,903: ten counties, six urban, City of Edmonton and EPCOR)

37 Thank You!