mighty peace watershed alliance integrated watershed management … · 2018. 3. 21. · integrated...

Integrated Watershed Management Plan PEACE AND SLAVE WATERSHEDSMarch 2018

MIGHTY PEACE WATERSHED ALLIANCE

© Mighty Peace Watershed Alliance

Distribution of this document to all interested parties is encouraged, provided any use is accompanied by credit to the Mighty Peace Watershed Alliance.

AcknowledgementsWe would like to acknowledge the contributions of all those who participated in the development of the Peace and Slave Rivers Integrated Watershed Management Plan.

The Mighty Peace Watershed Alliance board of directors and staff initiated and led the planning process. The IWMP Steering Committee worked through the process by developing the Terms of Reference, assembling working groups, prioritizing working group recommendations and overseeing the IWMP writing. We thank in particular the members of the working groups, who donated their time and expertise to assess the information on priority issues of concern, formulate and frame the issues and develop a comprehensive suite of solutions. Petra Rowell facilitated working group sessions and Hutchinson Environmental Sciences Ltd., in collaboration with O2 Planning and Design, prepared the IWMP document. West Hawk Associates provided final graphic design, editorial and proofing services.

This report has been created with support from Alberta Environment and Parks.

March 2018

Integrated Watershed Management Plan | Peace and Slave Watersheds iii

Executive Summary

This Integrated Watershed Management Plan (IWMP) is needed to address the complexity of water management issues that transcend landscapes, ecosystems, jurisdictions, and water users in the Peace and Slave Watersheds. It will support and coordinate the efforts of government, residents, stakeholders and communities in effective and sustainable management and use of the water resources in the Alberta portion of the watershed.

The IWMP is non-regulatory and has no statutory authority, but it documents major agreements and decisions of the collaborative group of stakeholders who have direct and substantial influence on the watershed. The recommendations of the Plan will be implemented by others through its influence on regional and municipal statutory plans, Government approvals, resource lease agreements, regulations and others.

The IWMP is part of the mandate of the Mighty Peace Watershed Alliance (MPWA), one of the 11 Watershed Planning and Advisory Councils in Alberta, in an official partnership with Alberta Environment and Parks (AEP). The IWMP provides strategies to achieve the three goals of the Provincial “Water for Life” Strategy: safe secure drinking water, healthy aquatic ecosystems, and reliable, quality water supplies for a sustainable economy.

This Plan contains priority strategies and actions to address the following key issues of concern, as identified from results of the State of the Watershed Report and stakeholder engagement:

ɣ Non-saline groundwater ɣ Water quality and availability away from the mainstem ɣ Wetlands and wetland loss ɣ Peace River flow regime ɣ

Additional recommendations were recorded and will be considered throughout IWMP implementation.

This IWMP identifies partners in government, non-governmental organizations, industry and institutions to move forward with the implementation of recommendations. An adaptive management approach, including monitoring, reporting and evaluation, will allow for Plan revisions to address newly developing conditions and shifting priorities.

Consumptive use of fresh water (groundwater and surface water)

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Executive Summary iii

Introduction 2What is the purpose of the Plan? 3Why is the Plan needed? 4How will the plan be used? 5

The Planning Context 6

The Planning Process 12

The Watershed at a Glance 16The Biophysical Environment 17The People 19The Economy 19

Vision, Principles and Core Concepts 20A Vision for the Watershed 21Guiding Principles 22Core Concepts 23

Plan Recommendations 24Water Quality, Availability Away from the Mainstem and Consumptive Use 26Peace River Flow Regime 28Wetlands and Wetland Loss 30Non-Saline Groundwater 32Policy Integration 34

Implementation: From Plan to Action 36Partnerships 38Stewardship 39Milestones and Schedule 39Monitoring and Reporting Success 40Next Steps 41

References 42

Appendices 44Appendix A: List of Participants 45Appendix B: List of all Recommendations 46Appendix C: List of Related Regulations, Legislation and Policies Reviewed During the IWMP Process 58Appendix D: Abbreviations 59

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FiguresFigure 1: Peace and Slave Watersheds 8Figure 2: Adaptive Approach to Watershed Management 13Figure 3: Plan Development Process 14Figure 4: Ecoregions in the Peace and Slave Watersheds 18Figure 5: Water Cycle 34

1Introduction

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What is the purpose of the Plan?This Plan is the first step of a systematic and prioritized adaptive management process at the watershed scale. This Plan supports and coordinates the efforts of governments, residents, stakeholders, and communities in the Peace and Slave Watersheds regarding watershed management.

The purpose of this Plan is to address effective and sustainable management and use of the water resources of the Peace and Slave Watersheds, and to support the maintenance of other benefits provided by the ecological functioning of the watershed. The Plan will ensure that cumulative effects are understood and communicated among all users of the watershed to improve decision-making about human activity in the watershed.

The Plan is built upon an understanding of the present conditions and historical trends in the watershed as described in the State of the Watershed report (MPWA 2015). It identifies key issues and desired future conditions and provides strategies and actions to achieve the desired future. The ongoing monitoring and evaluation necessary to ensure success of the Plan are identified. The Plan identifies the areas with the greatest need for coordinated management and creates a roadmap for ongoing watershed management in the Peace and Slave Watersheds.

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Why is the Plan needed?

A plan to coordinate efforts of watershed management is needed to address the complexity of water issues that transcend landscapes, ecosystems, jurisdictions, and water users in the Peace and Slave Watersheds. Integrated watershed management in Alberta and Canada evolved in response to this complexity. Key drivers for the development of integrated watershed management were described by the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment (2016) as follows:

ɣ Recognition that environmental issues such as water are multi-scale. Individual activities in one area often have impacts that are felt in another area (e.g., jurisdiction, watershed, or downstream/upstream in the same watershed), and could additively and cumulatively have significant regional impacts.

ɣ Recognition by federal, provincial and territorial governments that it is neither desirable nor feasible to have a single “water agency” lead all water and land-related resource management. Thus, there is a need to bring together (or integrate) the efforts of several government agencies and non-governmental groups within and, where appropriate, between jurisdictions.

ɣ Consideration of how water is connected through the hydrologic cycle, and how groundwater and surface water must be connected in our management activities (see Figure 5). This type of thinking also suggests that we should connect water resources, and the associated impacts on these resources from activities on land, to the ecosystems and to human health which rely on secure and safe water.

ɣ Increased water use and types of water use, as well as the need to better balance ecosystem requirements with water withdrawals, has led to challenges in achieving effective resolution of conflicting demands. IWM is seen as a way to better manage and resolve water use conflicts among various sectors (e.g., recreation, industries, agriculture, municipalities, energy production, etc.).

ɣ Recognition of the need for participatory or community-based management approaches that could eliminate or reduce user conflicts, and provide a basis for better implementation. These approaches also serve to ensure problems are well scoped and alternative solutions well considered.

ɣ Awareness that funding for water resources management is limited and requires creative approaches to distribute the costs of planning, implementation and monitoring among the many participants including those who use and benefit from water.

ɣ Awareness that climate change will alter what we have come to expect from “normal” and historical climate conditions. Current thinking on IWM best practices recognizes the high level of uncertainty associated with our ability to predict the future, and that we must be prepared for increased variability and change. Thus, adaptive approaches that rely on data collection, analysis and experimentation are an important component of IWM.

ɣ Appreciation that Aboriginal people rely on many water resource services, and need to be involved in the planning and management of those resources.

These key drivers were considered, and integrated where feasible into the IWMP.

Integrated watershed management (IWM) is a continuous and adaptive process of managing human activities in an ecosystem, within a defined watershed. IWM involves the integration of environmental, social and economic decisions and activities through an inclusive decision-making process to manage the protection, conservation, restoration and enhancement of aquatic and terrestrial ecosystem features, functions and linkages.

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How will the Plan be used?

This Plan provides advice to governments, agencies and others with decision-making authority for land and resource management. The recommendations of the Plan (Section 6) will be implemented by others, through its influence on regional and municipal statutory plans, Government approvals, resource lease agreements, regulations and other land use and planning authorities.

Government and industry resource planners and managers, municipal governments, the Government of Canada, First Nations and Métis, and many others are participants in the Plan, as well as recipients of the recommendations (Section 7 – Partnerships, Table 2). All are strongly encouraged to adhere to the recommendations of the Plan they helped develop.

This Plan follows the “Guide to Watershed Management Planning in Alberta” (2015). Consistent with adaptive management principles (Section 3), this Plan will be reviewed every 10 years or as otherwise determined by the MPWA. The Plan will be assessed for its effectiveness and relevance and the results of this assessment will guide any necessary future revisions to the Plan (Section 7 – Monitoring and Reporting Success). Integral to effective planning is appropriate, relevant and current information; as such the State of the Watershed will be renewed regularly to inform plan revisions.

Implementation is critical to the utility of this work. With the first iteration of the plan complete, implementation challenges will no doubt arise. Based on ongoing stakeholder input, the MPWA will prioritize areas and issues of greatest concern, and consider how best to address them. The MPWA will ensure that recommendations are carried forward to decision-makers. It will encourage the relevant governments, stakeholders, communities and residents of the watershed to work together to support and implement the recommendations of the IWMP.

What is the Mighty Peace Watershed Alliance?The Alliance is a multi-sector, not-for-profit society committed to planning for an ecologically healthy watershed while ensuring environmental, economic and social sustainability. Its active stakeholders and communities use consensus, adaptive management and innovation to understand and promote living within the watershed. The MPWA’s Board of Directors report on the state of the watershed, lead watershed planning activities, promote best management practices and develop educational programs.

2The Planning Context

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The Plan AreaThe geographic scope of this Plan includes the Alberta portions of the Peace and Slave Watersheds (Figure 1). Although this is the defined scope of the IWMP, consideration will also be given to those portions of the Peace and Slave Watersheds that are in British Columbia and significant tributaries if the need arises. The Slave watershed extends into the Northwest Territories, and, although this portion of the watershed is not considered in this Plan, the IWMP recognizes the need to protect downstream uses.


Figure 1: Peace and Slave Watersheds

Peace and Slave Watersheds

Integrated Watershed Management Plan | Peace and Slave Watersheds 9

Water For LifeThe Water For Life Strategy (2003) commits the Alberta Government to the wise management of Alberta’s water quantity and quality for the benefit of Albertans now and in the future. While the Government of Alberta, led by Alberta Environment and Parks, will remain accountable and will continue to oversee water and watershed management activities in the province, Water for Life identifies three types of partnerships that are integral to achieving stewardship of our water resources:

1. Provincial Water Advisory Council 2. Watershed Planning and Advisory Councils 3. Watershed Stewardship Groups

Each of these partnerships have different but compatible roles, and each involves interested Albertans in the planning and implementation of improved water and watershed management throughout the province.

To that end, Water for Life is based on the following commitments to Albertans:

ɣ Albertans will be assured their drinking water is safe ɣ Albertans will be assured that the province’s aquatic ecosystems are maintained and protected

ɣ Albertans will be assured that water is managed effectively to support sustainable economic development

The Mighty Peace Watershed Alliance (MPWA) was formed in 2011 as one of the 11 Watershed Planning and Advisory Councils, in an official partnership with Alberta Environment and Parks under the Water for Life Strategy. The MPWA has the mandate to work towards the three goals of the Water for Life Strategy: safe secure drinking water, healthy aquatic ecosystems, and reliable, quality water supplies for a sustainable economy, in the Alberta portion of the Peace and Slave Watersheds.

Alberta’s Land-use Framework (LUF)Alberta’s Land-use Framework (LUF) and its supporting legislation, the Alberta Land and Stewardship Act is a province-wide framework to support management and land-use planning on private and public lands in Alberta to achieve long-term economic, environmental and social outcomes. Launched in 2008, the LUF sets out guiding principles and identifies key strategies which will guide future land-use management in Alberta. The LUF established seven land-use regions and calls for the development of a regional plan for each. The Peace and Slave Watersheds straddle two of these regions: the Upper Peace and the Lower Peace.

To date the Government of Alberta has completed two regional plans: the Lower Athabasca Regional Plan (Alberta Government 2012) and the South Saskatchewan Regional Plan (Alberta Government 2014). The Upper and Lower Peace Regional Plans will be among the next to be developed by the province, in consultation with relevant stakeholders. The IWMP provides an important opportunity to ensure that these Regional Plans are based on an adequate and comprehensive assessment of the values, opportunities and constraints at play in the Peace and Slave Watersheds. By aggregating knowledge, highlighting data gaps, and bringing together communities, stakeholders and other impacted partners, the IWMP will provide the information necessary to develop a robust Regional Plan when the time comes.

For administrative purposes, the province is divided into two broad land use areas: Green Area and White Area. The Green Area (forested portion) comprises most of northern Alberta. In the Green Area, public land is managed for timber production, watershed, wildlife and fisheries, recreation and other uses. Agricultural use is limited to grazing where it is compatible with other uses. The White Area (settled portion) land is primarily privately held. In the White Area, public land is part of the agricultural landscape. It is managed for various uses including agriculture, recreation, soil and water conservation, and fish and wildlife habitat. Métis settlements are managed by the Métis Settlement government.

The government of Alberta owns the bed and shore of most naturally occurring lakes, rivers, streams and wetlands, even when these occur on private lands.


Regional PlanningTo date there is no comprehensive regional plan at the scale of the Peace and Slave Watersheds. Thus, this plan will play a crucial role in bringing together the work of the existing initiatives, some of which are indentified in this section. Furthermore, this plan provides a watershed-specific lens with a multi-stakeholder perspective on water and watershed management planning issues.

Traditional Land Use Management FrameworkThe Peace River basin drains Crown lands that are occupied by Aboriginal members of a number of Treaty 8 (1899) First Nations and Métis communities, which collectively have constitutionally protected rights to use these Crown lands and waters to sustain a way of life that is central to their culture. In 2015, an Alberta Land Use Review Panel1 suggested that regional land use planning processes ought to be guided by development of a “Traditional Land Use Management Framework” capable of ensuring that regional land use plans focus on optimization of the exercise of these constitutionally protected Treaty rights.

The lakes, wetlands and rivers within the basin are central to the way-of-life of these Aboriginal peoples, particularly in the Wabasca, Lower Peace and Slave River sub-basins and in the Peace-Athabasca Delta, where their livelihoods are dependent on wetland-dominated ecosystems. First Nation and Métis peoples make extensive use of these wetlands and waters, relying on these aquatic landscapes to support the cultural and spiritual practices, which connect them to the land and sustain their communities.

By documenting the ecological function and need for conservation of these wetland dominated ecosystems, the Integrated Watershed Management Plan will provide input to development of a robust Traditional Land Use Management Framework. This will help to frame regional land use planning approaches that can optimize opportunities for Métis and First Nation peoples to use Crown lands within the Peace River Basin to sustain their way of life.

Forest Management PlanningForest management plans typically consider a 200-year planning horizon and follow the Alberta Planning Standard which is based on the Canadian Council of Forest Ministers’ “CAN/CSA-Z809-02 Sustainable Forest Management: Requirements and Guidance” (Canadian Standards Association 2008). In Alberta, forest harvest practices may be used to approximate natural disturbances caused by wildfire with consideration given to sensitive sites such as riparian areas. Any disturbance, including forestry, has the potential to affect water quality and quantity so there is a need to ensure that activities are informed by the IWMP to ensure compatibility with other values and uses. In turn, the IWMP should ensure that it adequately reflects the impact of forestry activities on the watershed.

Municipal Land Use PlanningWhile municipal land use plans typically cover only a small fraction of the Peace and Slave Watersheds, they represent intensive land use activities and there is real value in providing municipalities with the context and frame that the Integrated Water Management Plan provides. Municipalities are the direct administrators of land and therefore put a lot of legislation and planning into practice. Identifying upstream impacts and downstream concerns will help guide municipal land use decisions toward more sustainable actions, recognizing the cumulative impacts that might otherwise be lost without a watershed-scale lens.

Other Decision-Makers While this IWMP does not have statutory power, it serves as a useful framework for a cumulative impact assessment, which may help to inform or guide collaborative decision-making among other organizations or industry partners. The IWMP development process has paved the way for this, because decision-makers were involved in the development of the recommendations. Please see Appendix C for more planning context.

¹ Alberta Review Panel Report, 2015, Lower Athabasca Regional Plan, to the Alberta Land Use Stewardship Minister (subsection 19.2 (2) ALSA, S.A. 2009, c A-26.8)

Traditional Uses of wetlands include: ɣ Hunting ɣ Gathering of bog cranberry, labrador tea, cattail root, medicinal plants, waterfowl eggs

3The Planning Process


Watershed Management for the Peace and Slave Watersheds will follow an adaptive management approach (Figure 2). The Integrated Watershed Management Plan is based on watershed issues identified in the SoW report. The Plan makes recommendations for a course of action which the MPWA will recommend to decision-makers for implementation. After monitoring and reporting on which actions have or have not been implemented by decision-makers and their corresponding success, the Plan will be reviewed, evaluated and updated based on the new information.

PLANExamine alternatives and makerecommendations for the best

course of action in a plan.

IMPLEMENTWork with appropriate individuals,organizations and jurisdictions to

implement plan.

MONITOR & REPORTGather and analyze monitoring

data in successive ‘state of’ reports.

REVIEW & EVALUATEIdentify issues and establish

the need for a plandevelopment or revision.

Figure 2: Adaptive Approach to Watershed Management (Modified from: Handbook for State of Watershed Reporting, Government of Alberta 2008)

Adaptive Management is a systematic process for continually improving management policies and practices by learning from the outcomes of previously employed policies and practices.


Previous WorkThe MPWA was tasked to report on the State of the Watershed (SoW) and to develop an Integrated Watershed Management Plan (IWMP) for the Peace and Slave Watersheds. After completing a number of initial technical studies that compiled available watershed information (i.e., the Watershed Directory, the State of Drinking Water, Water Supply, and Aquatic Ecosystem Health), the State of the Watershed (SoW) study was completed in 2015.

The SoW provided a comprehensive overview of watershed health and the pressures that act on it. Watershed indicators assessed in the SoW represented the landscape, biological communities, and surface and groundwater quality and quantity (Section 7 – Performance Monitoring Indicators). The findings of the SoW formed the basis for defining the issues to be addressed in this IWMP and represent the baseline conditions for future comparison.

Upon completion of the SoW, the public was engaged to solicit feedback from watershed stakeholders to help identify the Issues of Concern that the MPWA should focus on first (see Figure 3). As a result, the MPWA identified issues of priority concern for watershed planning:

ɣ Non-saline groundwater ɣ Water quality and availability away from the mainstem ɣ Wetlands and wetland loss ɣ Peace River flow regime ɣ Consumptive use of fresh water (groundwater and surface water)

This prioritization recognized that water quality and quantity are critical to the functioning of the watershed and to the people depending on water resources.

The IWMP Steering Committee was then struck to lead the development of the IWMP, under direction of the MPWA Board. A “Terms of Reference“ document was prepared to kick off and guide the watershed management planning process (Mighty Peace Watershed Alliance 2015). Four working groups, made up of MPWA Board members, subject experts and sector representatives, tackled the issues of priority concern, analyzing the issues, and developing a vision, desired outcomes and recommendations to achieve them.

While all working group recommendations will be constructive means to advance watershed health, they were too numerous to be addressed all at once (see Appendix B for a complete list). Therefore the IWMP Steering Committee deliberated on working group recommendations to identify a subset of priority strategies and actions to be considered in this Plan. The main criteria for prioritization included feasibility (fiscally, legally, timelines, existing partners) and impact (likelihood of achieving the desired outcome). Only the recommendations that ranked high on the priority list were included as the recommendations that the MPWA will focus on first (Section 6). All recommendations, including non-prioritized strategies and actions, are presented in Appendix B.

2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 Technical Information Compilation | MPWA, Consultants

22 Open houses/forums | MPWA

Stakeholder Survey | MPWA

State of the Watershed | MPWA, Consultants

10 Forums | MPWA

IWMP Terms of Reference | MPWA

Working Group Deliberation | MPWA, Stakeholder, Facilitator

Prioritization of Recommendations | MPWA

Draft IWMP | MPWA, Consultants

Figure 3: Plan Development Process


General Approach and MethodsEach working group met four to five times, with the help of a facilitator who documented the deliberations. The tasks of the working groups were to review the information provided by the IWMP Steering Committee, to properly frame and define the issues of concern through discussions, and to identify and evaluate potential management options of how to address the issues. To the extent possible, a lead and partners were identified for each management action. The diversity of participant organizations encouraged sharing of sector perspectives and promoted mutual understanding, which was seen by the participants as a positive outcome of the process itself.

Consensus decision-making is how the MPWA Board of Directors operates and this concept was also applied to the IWMP development. This does not mean that each interest represented around the table had every concern addressed exactly as they might wish, but rather that everyone around the table could live with the compromises that were made. In the case that no consensus can be reached, “Those who do not support the direction or decision are expected to explain what they cannot agree to, provide the rationale for their position and offer alternative solutions or changes that would make the idea acceptable” (MPWA process guidelines). If there was still no consensus reached, the group agreed on the remainder of the IWMP, noting the areas and reasons why consensus could not be reached and then accepted the IWMP including caveats with consensus.

Public and Stakeholder Engagement ProcessThe MPWA engaged and interacted with the public and watershed stakeholders throughout its work toward this IWMP. Participation in the MPWA Board of Directors and its delegated committees has been the most direct form of stakeholder involvement from a variety of sectors. Routine consultation with Alberta Environment and Parks, the lead agency for implementing “Water for Life,” was an integral part of stakeholder engagement.

Communication of MPWA activities through workshops, public forums and the website are ongoing. A discussion paper produced by the IWMP Steering Committee after completion of two working group reports was circulated for public review in the summer of 2016 to inform the IWMP development (MPWA 2016).

An extensive survey at 22 open houses, supported by an online and mailed-out stakeholder survey, was conducted on the results of the SoW. This survey allowed broad input from people across the watershed; including those that may not have been reached previously due to their remote location. Common concerns identified in the survey included the availability and security of drinking water, ecosystem health, and the industrial use of water. Stakeholders also expressed interest in the impacts of dams on the Peace, the effects of agricultural runoff and forestry practices, and the treatment of industrial effluent (MPWA 2015).

4The Watershed at a Glance


The Biophysical Environment

OverviewThe Peace and Slave Watersheds is the largest area under the mandate of an Alberta Watershed Planning and Advisory Council (WPAC). Approximately, 208,834 km2 is drained by the Peace and Slave rivers in Alberta. The total drainage area including the area in British Columbia is approximately 326,000 km2. It is split into six sub-basins: Smoky/Wapiti, Upper Peace, Central Peace, Lower Peace, Wabasca and Slave River. Approximately 35% of the watershed is considered an “Aquatic Environmentally Significant Area” based on the area’s aquatic species, habitat, peatlands, biological connectivity and features supporting water quality and quantity (Fiera Biological Consulting 2010).

Natural Regions There are five natural regions within the watershed (Figure 4). The Boreal Forest has the largest coverage, spanning the north of the Smoky/Wapiti sub-basin, southeast side of the Central Peace sub-basin and the entire Lower Peace and Wabasca sub-basins. The Parkland natural region covers the Grande Prairie to Peace River corridor and rural surrounding areas. The headwaters are in the Rocky Mountains natural region which is in the southern portion of the Smoky sub-basin. The Foothills natural region is found in the Smoky/Wapiti, Upper Peace and Central Peace sub-basins. In the northeastern side of the watershed there is a small portion of the Slave watershed that is within the Canadian Shield natural ecoregion.

The watershed is an area of land where water from rain or snow melt drains downhill into a body of water such as a stream, wetland, river, lake or reservoir.


Major RiversThere are three major rivers in the Peace and Slave Watersheds: the Peace River, the Slave River and the Smoky River (Figure 1). Historically, the Peace River began at the confluence of the Finlay and Parsnip rivers in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia. The Peace River is regulated by the Bennett Dam in northern British Columbia. It flows into the Slave River at the Peace-Athabasca Delta. The Slave River flows northwards to Great Slave Lake in the Northwest Territories. Major tributaries of the Peace River include the Smoky and Wabasca rivers. The Smoky River originates in the Rocky Mountains in Jasper National Park, Alberta. Tributaries of the Smoky River include the Wapiti and Little Smoky rivers.

LakesThere are hundreds of lakes in the watershed, many of which are nutrient rich and have high concentrations of rooted plants and algae. Numerous lakes of recreational value provide areas for fishing, boating and swimming.

WetlandsAlmost 30% of the watershed is covered by wetlands. The majority (95%) of these wetlands are swamps, bogs and fens. They provide habitat for rare and important species, play an important role in the water cycle and are a resource of cultural and traditional value (see Section 6 – Wetlands & Wetland Loss).

Peace-Athabasca DeltaThe Peace-Athabasca Delta is the largest freshwater inland river delta in North America. It is approximately 3,820 km² in area, and contains three river deltas and four freshwater lakes. It is also the largest boreal delta in the world, is under Ramsar protection and is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Figure 4: Ecoregions in the Peace and Slave Watersheds

The Mighty Peace, as it is known to many, is the largest river in Alberta, meandering nearly 2,000 km from its source in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia until it joins the Slave River near the Northwest Territories. At some points approaching 2 km in width, it drains nearly a third of Alberta.


The People

The population of the Peace and Slave Watersheds was 165,000 in 2011; 37% of people lived in rural areas, 33% in Grand Prairie, 23% in smaller towns and villages, 6% on Indian reserves, and 1% in Métis settlements.

The first people arrived in the Peace region more than 10,000 years ago. First Nations still represent 16.7% of the total population, with the proportion ranging from a low of about 10% in the Upper Peace and Smoky/Wapiti sub-basins to 67% in the Wabasca sub-basin.

Major areas of employment include agriculture, oil and gas, forestry, mining, tourism and recreation.

The Economy

The Peace and Slave Watersheds have a resource-based economy, with the majority of its economic wealth coming from the land. As such, the economy is dependent on the natural features of the watershed.

The Foothills and mixed-wood regions of the Boreal forest support forestry and oil and gas operations. The forestry industry (either directly or indirectly) employs 10% of Northern Alberta workers. The Peace River Oil Sands deposit is one of the three main Alberta oil sands reserves.

Nutrient rich soils of the Parklands support agriculture in the watershed. Agriculture practices are expected to increase in the area as the population increases. Active coal mines are found in the Rocky Mountain headwaters.

To ensure a healthy economy it is important to sustainably manage natural resources. Maintenance of thriving forests, sustainable soils, and sufficient, quality water to serve industry, local consumption and recreation is important to support the resource-dependent economy of the Peace and Slave Watersheds.

5Vision, Principles and Core Concepts


A Vision for the Watershed

The Vision for the IWMP was stated in the Terms of References as follows:

The Integrated Watershed Management Plan of the Peace and Slave Watersheds balances and supports our social, environmental and economic objectives.

Guiding Principles

The Mighty Peace Watershed Alliance recognizes the following shared values which guide the watershed planning process:

Respect a diversity of peoples and valuesBy demonstrating individual and collective respect for the air, land and water and by appreciating the diversity of values and opinions found in the Peace and Slave Watersheds.

Be an ambassadorBy promoting our vision and mission, demonstrating integrity, accountability and practicality, and practicing effective communication, knowledge-building and consensus decision-making.

Be a trustworthy and credible source of informationBy being well-informed and providing sound advice through an adaptive watershed approach that integrates traditional local and scientific knowledge in information-gathering and problem solving.

Be fair and transparent to allBy seeking balanced representation and listening to all stakeholders in an open, transparent manner.

Be inclusive and collaborativeBy facilitating inclusive and collaborative processes and partnerships, promoting membership and interaction and providing opportunities for all stakeholders to be involved.

Be action-oriented and innovativeBy being motivated, resourceful and action-oriented in finding new, innovative ideas and win-win strategies.

Foster stewardshipBy encouraging and enabling individuals and organizations to be good stewards of the watershed.


Core Concepts

Multi-functional Watersheds and LandscapesThe Peace and Slave Watersheds and landscapes must be managed to provide a wide range of functions and services. Forests need to provide timber, wildlife habitat, hunting and grazing opportunities; energy and minerals will be extracted from landscapes, and crops produced in agricultural areas. These activities support a steady flow of revenue that supports livelihoods, education, health care and social services. Resources such as forests, minerals, wildlife, water, fish, rangeland, public land, and plants need to be managed in a manner that addresses their interdependence and which avoids impacts from their exploitation. At the same time, clean water must be available for drinking, recreation, irrigation, industry and aquatic ecosystem health. Wise use of the watershed, and hence the IWMP, must recognize the multi-functionality of the watershed, where the use of one resource can affect others and actions can lead to both intended and unintended impacts.

Cumulative EffectsThe cumulative effects of population growth, climate change and economic development are increasing pressures on the watershed’s air, water, land and biodiversity. The development of watershed policies and management interventions must recognize the connections between different stressors and their interactions. In the absence of this recognition, solving one problem may simply aggravate another problem. Better understanding of cumulative environmental stressors and resultant coordination and integration of policy, planning and decision-making, including adaptive management, is needed in the watershed, given the number and complexity of initiatives and approval processes in the region.

Importantly, a system needs to be in place that has a focus on watershed goals and management, as well as the ongoing regulation and control of individual activities and approvals. An integrated approach to environmental management that considers Cumulative Effects Assessment and Management in the formal planning and decision-making process is needed. This is recognized in the Environmental Management System of the Alberta government (Alberta Environment and Parks 2017), which aspires to be outcome-based, place-based and knowledge-based. Effective cumulative effects management

with respect to watershed issues include the documentation of a sound baseline condition, identification of stressors, receptors and associated metrics of impact, identification or prediction of system responses or outcomes, and management objectives and strategies. Taken together, these activities should provide environmental limits that set clear system boundaries that are not to be exceeded along with a monitoring, reporting and adaptive management framework. This IWMP is an important contribution toward a cumulative effects management system in the Peace and Slave Watersheds.

Ecosystem Goods and ServicesEcosystem services are the benefits that nature provides to people. Ecosystem services have been defined as the delivery, provision, protection or maintenance of goods and services that humans obtain from ecosystem functions.

For the Aboriginal Communities, Ecological Goods and Services are requisite to their way of life. Some Ecosystem Service benefits, such as crops, are familiar and tangible; however, others, such as water filtration and carbon storage, are hard to observe or quantify and are underestimated or unaddressed in decision-making. Ecosystems provide innumerable services that are underrepresented or absent in most economic development decisions; however, these services contribute to development objectives (e.g., scenic quality of the land) and to realizing quality of life goals. For the Aboriginal Communities, Ecological Goods and Services are requisite to their way of life.

Identifying and understanding Ecosystem Services within the IWMP will provide more information to decision-makers, which may help to prevent unintended consequences from development decisions.

Cumulative effects are “the combined effects of past, present and reasonably foreseeable land-use activities, over time, on the environment.” — Alberta Land-use Framework (2008)

6Plan Recommendations: Outcomes, Strategic

Directions and Actions

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This section represents the “core” of the Plan, i.e., the goals it wants to achieve and the means to get there. The Plan recommendations were taken verbatim from the working group reports and represent a prioritized “short list” of Outcomes, Strategic Directions and Actions that the MPWA wants to address first. Many issues (almost 100) were considered, but through several processes this “short list” was selected. This section is structured by the four working group topics, but does address the five key issues of concern identified in early stages of the IWMP process (see Section 3 – Previous Work).

In each of the following sections, the issue is introduced, explaining why it is important to address in the Plan. It is followed by a vision, which is the overarching desired end goal, then a list of the prioritized outcomes. For each outcome, strategic directions and actions to achieve them are recorded, along with responsible partners. The lead organization is highlighted in bold type and abbreviations for the partners are explained in Table 2 (Section 7 – Partnerships).


Why Is It an Issue?Water quality is generally good on the Peace River mainstem, with its large volume and relatively few point and nonpoint source pollution inputs. Due to their location throughout the watershed, however, many communities and industries draw from smaller tributaries, lakes or from groundwater that may not provide optimal source quality or volume. Several tributaries, such as the Little Smoky River, where water is withdrawn for municipal and industrial uses, face restrictions on timing and levels of flow when water can be drawn in order to protect ecosystem functions or maintain assimilative capacity. This may result in the need to withdraw at high flows and store water, both of which create an increase in costs for municipalities and residents.

This Plan will explore options for ensuring a sustainable supply of water away from the Peace River mainstem.

Consumptive use of water for oilfield injection and hydraulic fracturing has recently been growing in prominence in the Peace and Slave Watersheds. The discussion about consumptive use is made complex by the source (surface water or groundwater; saline or non-saline), timing of flows and withdrawals (particularly for small, seasonal tributaries and lakes), and the need for timely monitoring of the cumulative effects of multiple withdrawals at multiple diversion points on downstream aquatic health.

This Plan will develop a strategy to better understand the extent of the consumptive industrial use of water.

VisionWater in the Peace and Slave Watersheds is adaptively managed for current and future generations such that the water resource is well understood, quality source and drinking waters are available where and when they are needed and aquatic ecosystems are healthy.

Water Quality, Availability Away from the Mainstem and Consumptive Use

Outcomes, Strategic Directions and Actions

Outcome 1: Land use and water managers and the public are knowledgeable about the water balance (inputs and outputs, Figure 5 – Water Cycle) and share accountability for managing current and future water demands sustainably in the Peace and Slave Watersheds.

Strategic Direction 1: Develop an education and outreach strategy that identifies target audiences, key messages and appropriate communication tools.

Actions: ɣ Develop a mainstream media education campaign for a public audience (MPWA, GoA)

ɣ Develop an industry-focused campaign promoting compliance, stewardship, best practices, etc. for water haulers, road builders, construction, grader operators, etc. Work through certification and training programs to improve water awareness (MPWA, Industry associations, trade schools)

ɣ Develop or tap into existing municipally focused campaigns (MPWA, AAMDC, AUMA, ASVA)


Outcome 2: Source water yield is recognized as a value to be managed by the Crown ensuring source waters are protected.

Strategic Direction 2: Raise awareness and promote the use of source water protection plans for all source waters (existing and new) in the Peace and Slave Watersheds.

Actions: ɣ Define, locate and map source waters (surface and groundwater) in the watershed (MPWA, AAMDC)

ɣ Promote existing tools and programs that are currently available to municipalities and private system owners to develop source water protection plans (technical advice, templates) (MPWA, AAMDC)

Outcome 3: Source water availability is a key consideration of current and future population growth and development.

Strategic Direction 3: Identify and support communities with critical water supply and/or treatment issues.

Actions: ɣ Create a list of communities and issues (including First Nations communities with boil water advisories) (AAMDC, FCM, GoA, Treaty 8)

ɣ Prioritize communities for action (AAMDC, Federation of Canadian Municipalities, GoA, Treaty 8)

ɣ Outline possible actions to improve supply and/or treatment options, in particular looking at regional collaborations (AAMDC, Federation of Canadian Municipalities, GoA, Treaty 8)

ɣ Conduct feasibility studies (AAMDC, Federation of Canadian Municipalities, GoA, Treaty 8)

ɣ Select an option (AAMDC, Federation of Canadian Municipalities, GoA, Treaty 8)

ɣ Seek funding and implement through existing federal and provincial municipal infrastructure programs, where possible (AAMDC, Federation of Canadian Municipalities, GoA, Treaty 8)

See Appendix B — page 47

Source water yield is a concept that conveys how much water a given area contributes to the overall watershed that provides source water. Water that comes upstream from that point at which water is withdrawn is source water and the relative productivity is the water yield. — https://albertawater.com/water-yield-streamflow-analysis/alberta-s-water-yield


Why Is It an Issue?The Peace is a “regulated” river, because its flow is controlled by dams. The dams have tempered the annual fluctuations in the hydrograph, significantly reducing flows in spring, summer and autumn and significantly increasing them in winter. There is evidence that the modified flow regime has created cultural, social, economic and environmental issues for residents in the Peace and Slave Watersheds, in particular for Aboriginal Communities in the Lower Peace sub-basin. On the other hand, specific effects on aquatic ecosystems and communities, including the Mode of Life of Aboriginal and Métis Communities, as well as flow values required to mitigate these effects, have not been fully characterized.

This Plan will explore the impact of flow regime on the Lower Peace Wetlands, including the Peace Athabasca Delta and recommendations to restore and maintain its ecological functioning. Flow regime will be reviewed in terms of the risk it poses to communities, farmland and infrastructure so that recommendations for their safeguarding can also be made.

VisionThe Peace River Flow Regime is healthy, understood and adaptively managed (using both Western Science and Traditional Ecological Knowledge) to deliver optimal social, economic and ecological goods and services (including instream flow needs and wetland health in the Lower Peace watershed), for current and future generations.

Peace River Flow Regime


Outcome 1: Cultural, social, economic and environmental issues with the current flow regime as well as desired Aboriginal, cultural, social, economic and ecological flow values to guide management of the Peace River and its tributaries are documented, well understood and communicated to decision-makers.

Strategic Direction 1: Using traditional ecological and local knowledge, compile an inventory of sites where people, municipalities, or industry experience issues because of river flow regime and identify community flow values to guide water and land managers and decision-makers and share them with other basin initiatives.

Actions: ɣ Conduct a literature search and compile a summary of existing work on flow regime issues and flow values. (MPWA, Aboriginal Communities)

ɣ Conduct a survey and/or do interviews with river users and communities along the river on flow regime issues and flow values; compile and provide results to AEP. (MPWA, river users)

Post-Bennett DamPre-Bennett Dam

JAN FEB MAR APRIL MAY JUNE JULY AUG SEPT OCT NOV DEC


Outcome 2: The current Peace River flow regime and its relationship to the aquatic ecosystem health of other waterbodies (e.g., Delta lakes, Lower Peace and Delta wetlands, groundwater, etc.) is understood.

Strategic Direction 2: Collect existing technical information on the Peace River flow regime (including its interactions with associated lakes, wetlands, ponds, channels, groundwater, etc.), synthesize key learnings and identify and fill information gaps.

Actions: ɣ Assess current mainstem and other waterbody monitoring and determine if additional monitoring, mapping or modelling is required to improve our understanding of flow regime relationships, particularly between overbank flooding and wetland integrity in the Lower Peace and Delta. (AEP, EC, PC, PADEMP, MPWA, North Peace Land and Water, DUC)

ɣ Organize a technical committee to identify, prioritize and fill data gaps. (Build on existing PADEMP work but extend membership outside of Delta.) (AEP, MRBB, EC, PC, PADEMP)

ɣ Undertake a literature review of naturalized to recorded flow comparisons. Then determine instream flow needs (via modelling/naturalizing recorded flows dataset). Compare to current flow regime and identify any issues. (AEP, MRBB)

ɣ Review and update the 1980s study (Northern River Basin Studies, NRBS) to evaluate the effectiveness of weirs constructed in the Delta in the 1970s. This should inform if a) maintenance of these structures is required; b) whether these structures were/are still effective; and c) if such structures might provide management options for other areas of the Watersheds. (AEP, EC, PC, MRBB)

ɣ Conduct a literature review, and possibly initiate a study, to assess sediment transport/siltation/water-quality issues identified by basin residents. (AEP, EC, PC, MRBB)

ɣ Conduct a study to identify the feasibility, optimal conditions and costs of a controlled release to augment flooding, as well as the costs of not doing anything. (AEP, EC, PC, PADEMP)

Outcome 3: People are aware of the importance of the Peace River flow regime, what it means to basin residents and what it provides.

Strategic Direction 3: Develop an education and outreach strategy to raise awareness about the importance of healthy river flow from the headwaters to the Delta (including a focus on how the mainstem flow interacts with other waterbodies such as the Lower Peace wetlands and Peace-Athabasca Delta).

Actions: ɣ Develop the strategy and associated materials. (MPWA, AEP, PC, PADEMP, MRBB)

ɣ Distribute materials at meetings around the basin, or via trade shows, newspaper articles, workshops, etc. (MPWA, AEP, PC, PADEMP, MRBB)


Flow regime refers to both volume and timing of flow. Generally flow peaks in spring with snow and ice and then tapers off to flows dominated by base flow that is groundwater inputs, with intermittent precipitation inputs.

Naturalized flows are developed by examining the historical recorded flows of the river and then adding the known withdrawals back into the flow. This estimates what the flow would have been before industrial uses.


Why Is It an Issue?Wetlands are a prominent component of the Peace and Slave Watersheds, covering slightly more than 29% (52,898 km²) of the area (not including national parks, for which information was not readily available). Wetlands provide many cultural and ecological benefits for the watershed. They supply food, plants for traditional medicine, and recreational opportunities, and fulfill spiritual and inspirational needs. They store water, mitigate floods and droughts, moderate water flow, stabilize shorelines, and discharge and recharge groundwater. Moreover, wetlands play a critical role in water purification, especially those that contain herbaceous plant species such as cattails (Typha latifolia), sedges (Carex spp.) and bulrushes (Schoenoplectus spp.). Wetlands also moderate weather and climate, and process and store greenhouse gases. The accumulation of carbon in bog and fen sediments is of global importance. Wetlands’ high biological productivity and aquatic components provide diverse wildlife habitats. In northern Alberta, wetlands provide key rearing and overwintering habitat for fish and are primary habitats for birds, amphibians, beavers, mink, muskrats, otters and plants. Wetlands provide important habitat for moose, caribou, and songbirds.

VisionThe state and functions of wetlands are well understood and human activities affecting wetlands are mitigated (avoided, minimized or replaced) such that ecological integrity and resilience of wetlands are maintained, and sustained on the landscape for current and future generations.

Wetlands and Wetland Loss

Wetlands have therefore been highlighted as essential sources of Ecosystem Goods and Services, upon which human and natural processes are strongly dependent. The current extent of wetland areas is a reflection of the natural land cover and human land use. The regions with high coverage of wetlands correspond with extensive boreal forest areas and little human activity. As the Peace and Slave Watersheds have been developed, wetlands have been converted to agricultural, industrial and urban land uses. This loss and alteration of wetlands in the human-dominated portions of the watershed has led to disruption of natural ecological functioning. The true extent and intensity of these disruptions is difficult to assess, given the lack of data on the historical distribution of wetlands throughout the watershed. For example, a resource road cutting through a wetland complex can affect a large area. The cumulative impact of human disturbance on wetlands is one of the key unknowns in scientific knowledge.

This Plan presents a strategy addressing the lack of data around wetlands, calls for solutions to address the loss of wetlands, and explores the role of restoration in safeguarding wetlands in the watershed.



Outcome 1: Everyone in the watershed is knowledgeable about wetlands and their social, economic and environmental values.

Strategic Direction 1A: Strike an education committee to develop and implement a general wetland education and outreach plan.

Actions: ɣ Model this education and outreach plan on the University of Saskatchewan Delta Dialogues Network. (MPWA, Cows and Fish, DUC, ACA, Nature Alberta)

ɣ Provide input to AEP as it reviews and renews the Alberta Education wetland curriculum. (MPWA, AEP, school districts, Grande Prairie Environmental Sciences Education Society, other forest education societies)

ɣ Engage post-secondary and professional organizations in the Peace and Slave Watersheds in wetland education and outreach. (MPWA, NAIT Boreal Institute)

Strategic Direction 1B: Communicate the state of wetlands and wetland trends.

Actions: ɣ Integrate wetland state of reporting into the MPWA state of reporting process. (MPWA, AEP, ABMI)

Outcome 2: Landowners and land users are incented to be good stewards and conserve wetlands.

Strategic Direction 2: Promote stewardship with various users.

Actions: ɣ Work with off-roading/all-terrain vehicle users to promote stewardship. (AEP, WPACs, Users, retailers, recreation groups)

ɣ Work with the agriculture sector to improve understanding of the economic benefits of wetlands and the ecological goods and services they provide and to implement BMPs. (AAF, municipalities, GoA Agriculture groups, agriculture field men AAAF, Cows and Fish)

ɣ Work with industry to promote stewardship tools such as BMPs, Codes of Practice, biodiversity and conservation offsets. (GoA, WPACs, Industry, DUC)

ɣ Work with other groups toward wetland and wetland function restoration.



Why Is It an Issue?Groundwater is a crucial source for many residents and communities throughout the watershed. Non-saline groundwater is present throughout the Peace and Slave Watersheds, but the current level of knowledge is limited to some areas within the watershed, while others have none. Until we have a more complete understanding of non-saline groundwater aquifer volumes, as well as an understanding of current and future use, potential risks, cumulative effects, and how climate change will affect this resource, it is challenging to set groundwater management priorities.

Hence the majority of Plan recommendations focus on building better baseline information, and communicating this information to decision-makers in the Peace and Slave Watersheds.

VisionAbundant, uncontaminated groundwater in the Peace and Slave Watersheds is managed with integrity so that the resource is publicly understood, predictable, sustainable and protected to benefit and meet the needs of the basin’s inhabitants.

Non-Saline Groundwater


Outcome 1: Groundwater information required for decision-making is available to all.

Strategic Direction 1A: Develop, complete, and continually update a single, centrally located, accessible and shared groundwater database.

Actions: ɣ Form a partnership/working group responsible for database development and maintenance. (CAPP, AER, AGS, AHS, PFRA (AAFC), MPWA)

ɣ Determine what kinds of data should be included in the database. (CAPP, AER, AGS, AHS, PFRA (AAFC), MPWA)

ɣ Build on the existing Coal Bed Methane database to develop a single, centrally located, accessible shared groundwater database. (CAPP, AER, AGS, AHS, PFRA (AAFC), MPWA)

ɣ Identify data gaps on subsurface structure and groundwater inventory and develop a plan to fill gaps with new data and information; consider citizen science. (MPWA, AGS, AEP)

Strategic Direction 1B: Ensure processes (e.g., licensing, water use, etc.) are designed such that new data are automatically entered into the central shared database (onus is on the applicant to enter data).

Actions: ɣ Improve mandatory licensee “Water Use Reporting System” reporting and make it a subset of the new proposed database. (AEP, AER)

ɣ To support AEP’s integrated application system, at the application stage, require information such as transmissivity and the information needs identified under Outcome 1 to populate the database. (AEP, AER, licensee)


Outcome 2: Groundwater users, decision-makers and the public receive credible information about sector groundwater use and how allocation decisions are made.

Strategic Direction 2: Share sector information about the Water Allocation System and specific sector water use (including licence requirements, return flows, wastewater treatment, etc.) with the public and other audiences via MPWA state of reporting, and AEP and industry factsheets.

Actions: ɣ Promote existing sector information by linking to relevant industry websites or resources where they exist to make licensing and other information more visible. (MPWA, Board member sectors)

ɣ Develop fact sheets that focus on industry groundwater use and practices including case studies of water sharing/conflict resolution, water re-use between sectors and other innovations. (MPWA, Board member sectors)

Outcome 3: The groundwater resource is better understood by the general public with time.

Strategic Direction 3: Improve general public understanding of groundwater resources (amount, inventory, regulatory process); groundwater–surface water interactions; the cumulative effects of land cover/land use on groundwater quantity and quality; and how groundwater will be affected by climate change.

Actions: ɣ Develop an education plan that identifies appropriate public audiences, messages, communications tools, etc. (MPWA, AEP, Inside Education)

ɣ Support the GoA Working Well program as a means to reach landowners with private wells. The MPWA can promote landowner well testing, identification and proper decommissioning of abandoned wells. (AEP/AHS, MPWA)

ɣ In conjunction with the next MPWA state of the watershed report, develop a groundwater atlas similar to the Edmonton-Calgary Corridor atlas showing yield, salinity, possible contaminants, etc. (MPWA, AEP, AGS)

ɣ Work with municipalities to distribute information to rate-payers. (MPWA, AEP, AAMDC)

ɣ Support the Alberta Science Network and get groundwater speakers into schools and other public venues. (MPWA, Alberta Education)

River / Lake

Extraction forMunipical, Agricultural

& Industrial Use Flooding

GroundwaterRecharge

GroundwaterIn Flow

Stormwater

Wastewater

WellsGroundwater Flow

WetlandWater Flow & Storage

RiparianVegetation

Forests &the Watershed

ShallowGroundwater

DeepGroundwater

Infiltration

Evaporation

Overland Flow

Rainfall


Policy Integration

This Plan lists individual actions and strategies that work toward achieving certain outcomes for selected watershed indicators. Developing this hierarchy and compartmentalizing the work under certain topic areas breaks the work down into doable pieces for the respective subject experts and sectors, which is indispensable for implementation. We need to recognize, however, that many of the proposed actions are inter-related and will work together toward the stated outcomes. The success of one action may depend on the success of another. For example, the restoration of water quality in one river through mitigation of point source pollution may only be successful if non–point source pollution is addressed at the same time.

There are many relationships between watershed components, strategies and actions as the different phases of the water cycle, such as surface water in rivers, wetlands and shallow groundwater, are closely related (Figure 5). Sustainable groundwater management (Issue: “Non-Saline Groundwater”) will help with source water protection (Issue: “Water Quality”), because surface waters away from the mainstem are fed to a large part by groundwater.

Surface water in return affects the quality of groundwater, at least in shallow surficial aquifers. Hence, what we do on the land, and how we manage risks like contamination, point and non–point source pollution, soil erosion, perviousness and wetlands, can impact the quality and quantity of groundwater. Wetland conservation in the cultivated areas in particular can be a valuable tool to preserve groundwater recharge and improve surface water quality and availability off the mainstem. Wetland health in the Peace-Athabasca Delta (Issue: “Wetlands”) depends directly on the flooding frequency and intensity in the Lower Peace (Issue: “Peace River Flow Regime”).

Education and outreach are part of the strategies to address every issue discussed in this Plan. There is likely ample opportunity to develop education and outreach strategies about watershed health that address multiple priority issues of concern simultaneously. More so, raising awareness about the interconnections between the different water sources will encourage respect and collaboration between potentially conflicting water users.

Figure 5: Water Cycle


Table 1: Existing Watershed Management Plans and Initiatives in the Peace and Slave Watersheds

Existing Plan or Initiative Related Plan Recommendation Comments

Wat

er Q

ualit

y, Av

aila

bilit

y &

Cons

umpt

ive

Use

Peac

e Ri

ver

Flow

Reg

ime

Wet

land

s &

Wet

land

Los

s

Non

-Sal

ine

Grou

ndw

ater

Proposed Community-Focused Management Strategy for the Grimshaw Gravels Aquifer Technical Report

S S Focus on maintaining water quality and quantifying quantity in aquifer.

Heart River Watershed Management PlanHeart River Watershed Restoration Plan

S S Focus on restoring fish habitat by land use practices that improve water quality and water quantity (less flashiness).

Redwillow Watershed Restoration Plan S S Focus on restoring fish habitat by land use practices that improve water quality and water quantity (less flashiness).

Wapiti River Water Management Plan S Focus on ensuring water license needs can be met without comprising aquatic ecosystem integrity.

Grande Cache Source Water Protection Plan

S Focus on protecting water quality in Victor Lake.

AER Area Based Regulation Panel S S Regulatory recommendations to reduce the use of high-quality non-saline water in the Duvernay play.

Little Smoky Water Users Group S Focus on communication between municipalities and industry that withdraw from the Little Smoky to facilitate licensees being able to withdraw the needed water.

Grimshaw Gravels Aquifer Source Water Protection Plan

S S This plan will provide protection of water quality in the Grimshaw Gravels Aquifer and look at water quantity.

Peace Athabasca Delta Ecological Monitoring Plan

S S This ongoing study and knowledge collection is designed to better understand the Peace-Athabasca Delta and the functioning of its wetlands.

Fish and Wildlife Water Implementation S

Wetland Policy implementation S S This policy works to manage wetlands.

Transboundary agreements with NWT and BC

S S Flow across political borders affects water quality and availability for other jurisdictions and is addressed in the bilateral agreements. Lower Peace wetlands are largely flood dependent and influenced by flow from BC.

Tool for assessing Lake and Lake Watershed Risk

S

UNESCO - Reactive Monitoring Mission to Wood Buffalo National Park, Canada 2017

S This report looks at the ecological integrity of the Peace-Athabasca Delta.

AEP’s DRAFT Water Conservation Policy S This DRAFT policy examines approaches to conserving water use and this would be applicable to users in the Peace and Slave Watersheds.

DRAFT IWM

P

DRAFT IWM

P

Integrated Watershed Management Plan | Peace & Slave Watersheds | 35

Table 1: Existing Watershed Management Plans and Initiatives in the Peace and Slave Watersheds

Existing Plan or Initiative Related Plan Recommendation Comments

Wat

er Q

ualit

y,

Avai

labi

lity

&

Cons

umpt

ive

Use

Peac

e Ri

ver

Flow

Reg

ime

Wet

land

s &

W

etla

nd L

oss

Non

-Sal

ine

Gro

undw

ater

Proposed Community-Focused Management Strategy for the Grimshaw Gravels Aquifer Technical Report

S S Focus on maintain water quality and quantifying quantity in aquifer

Heart River Watershed Management PlanHeart River Watershed Restoration Plan

S S Focus on restoring fish habitat by land use practices that improve water quality and water quantity (less flashiness)

Redwillow Watershed Restoration Plan S S Focus on restoring fish habitat by land use practices that improve water quality and water quantity (less flashiness)

Wapiti River Water Management Plan S Focus on ensuring water licence needs can be met without comprising aquatic ecosystem integrity

Grande Cache Source Water Protection Plan

S Focus on protecting water quality in Victor Lake

AER Area Based Regulation Panel S S Regulatory recommendations to reduce the use of high quality non-saline water in the Duvernay play

Little Smoky Water Users Group S Focus on communication between municipalities and industry that withdraw from the Little Smoky to facilitate licensees being able to withdraw the needed water

Grimshaw Gravels Aquifer Source Water Protection Plan

S S This plan will provide protection of water quality in the Grimshaw Gravels Aquifer and look at water quantity.

Peace Athabasca Delta Ecological Monitoring Plan

S S This ongoing study and knowledge collection is designed to better understand the Peace-Athabasca Delta and the functioning of its wetlands.

Fish and Wildlife Water Implementation S

Wetland Policy implementation S S This policy works to manage wetlands.

Transboundary agreements with NWT and BC

S S Flow across political borders affects water quality and availability for other jurisdictions and is addressed in the bilateral agreements. Lower Peace wetlands are largely flood dependent and influenced by flow from BC.

Tool for assessing Lake and Lake Watershed Risk

S

UNESCO – Reactive Monitoring Mission to Wood Buffalo National Park, Canada 2017

S This report looks at the ecological integrity of the Peace-Athabasca Delta.

AEP’s DRAFT Water Conservation Policy S This DRAFT policy examines approaches to conserving water use and this would be applicable to users in the Peace and Slave Watersheds.

7Implementation: From Plan to Action

37

The IWMP will have very little impact if the actions it recommends are not implemented. This section therefore discusses the components and process of successful Plan implementation.

The “Guide to Watershed Management Planning in Alberta” provides a checklist for successful implementation of the IWMP, which can serve as a useful self-evaluation for this IWMP and the process that led to its completion (Government of Alberta 2015). The Guide also recommends striking an implementation committee and developing an implementation workplan that outlines timelines, roles and responsibilities, possible funding resources and technical support and a process to monitor implementation progress.

The following sections present information on potential partners, ways to monitor progress and a tentative schedule to provide a basis for an implementation plan.


Partnerships

Solving watershed health issues and addressing cumulative effects are complex undertakings. The recommendations from the working groups (Section 6, Appendix B) demonstrated this complexity, by including actions in education, science, regulatory processes, infrastructure and more. These diverse strategies and actions of the Plan can only succeed if a multitude of organizations work together toward a common goal.

Table 2: Partners Identified in IWMP Recommendations

Non-Government Organizations

Mighty Peace Watershed Alliance (MPWA) Aboriginal Communities River Users

Alberta Association of Municipal Districts and Counties (AAMDC)

Peace Country Beef and Forage Association

North Peace Land and Water

Peace-Athabasca Delta Ecological Monitoring Program (PADEMP)

Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) Mackenzie River Basin Board (MRBB)

Cows and Fish Nature Alberta Watershed Planning and Advisory Councils (WPACs)

Grande Prairie and Area Environmental Sciences Education Society

Forest Education Societies All-terrain vehicle users

Recreation groups Inside Education Grimshaw Gravels Aquifer Management Advisory Association (GGAMAA)

Alberta Conservation Association (ACA)

Provincial Government Agencies

Government of Alberta (GoA) Alberta Energy Regulator (AER) Alberta Education

Alberta Environment and Parks (AEP) Alberta Geological Survey (AGS)

Alberta Agriculture and Forestry (AAF) Alberta Health Services (AHS)

Other Agencies

Association of Summer Villages of Alberta (ASVA)

Parks Canada Agency (PCA), Wood Buffalo National Park (WBNP)

Municipalities

Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM)

Alberta Conservation Association (ACA)

Alberta Urban Municipalities Association (AUMA)

Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC)

Métis Treaty 8

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC)

Industry/Commercial

Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP)

Retailers Board member sectors

Education

School districts NAIT Boreal Institute Ecosystem Management Emulating Natural Disturbance Project (EMEND)

When developing recommendations, the working groups identified partner organizations that could be involved in the implementation of the actions (Section 6). When summarizing these organizations (Table 2), it becomes clear that partnerships will be a cornerstone of the IWMP implementation. Organizations across all levels of government, non-government organizations as well as industrial, commercial and educational sectors will have a role to play in the diversity of addressed issues and proposed actions.

If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together. — African Proverb

39

Stewardship

This Plan is non-statutory, implying that it does not have any regulatory power. While regulation is one means to achieve watershed protection from the effects of certain activities, voluntary and cooperative action is another effective way to achieve responsible management of watershed resources that are not that easily addressed by regulation. Many watershed residents are stewards of their land; for example, many farmers take care of their land for sustainable yields for future generations. Formal stewardship groups, such as lake stewardship groups, take care of a specific type or portion of the landscape and encourage protective measures, including best management practices. The MPWA is a facilitator of stakeholder interactions and, as such, a connecting place and an enabling force for stewardship groups. This IWMP provides a roadmap for stewardship of natural resources in the Peace and Slave Watersheds that is based on scientific and traditional knowledge summarized in the SoW.

Milestones and Schedule

Each recommendation of the Plan was associated with a timeline: short: 2 years, medium: 5 years or long-term: 10 years (Appendix B) after the final IWMP is approved.

Major milestones are defined by the completion of components of the planning cycle (see Figure 2). The State of the Watershed reporting may be reviewed every 10 years or as otherwise determined by the MPWA. Subsequently, the progress on IWMP implementation will be reviewed, and the Plan adapted to start a new implementation phase.

Stewardship is the careful and responsible management of something entrusted to one’s care.


The progress toward achieving the desired outcomes of the IWMP needs to be recorded to allow evaluating and adjusting the Plan. It is therefore important to periodically review the progress made in implementing the recommended actions and the effect they had on the status of the watershed. This involves performance and implementation monitoring.

Performance monitoring is long-term scientific monitoring of the indicators of watershed health. It answers the question of whether or not watershed health is improving and attaining the stated desired outcomes. The GoA operates ongoing performance monitoring programs, such as the Long-Term River Network for river water quality and the Groundwater Observation Well Network for groundwater quantity and quality, while Environment and Climate Change Canada conducts river flow monitoring at Water Survey of Canada sites. In addition, site-specific compliance monitoring is completed by industry (e.g., Environmental Effects Monitoring) or utilities as conditions of their approval to operate. These data are reported on in various intervals by the program owners, but can also be summarized and synthesized in SoW reporting to gain a comprehensive understanding of the status of watershed health. Many more resources can be used to monitor and report on watershed health, as summarized in the Handbook for State of the Watershed Reporting (Government of Alberta 2008). The SoW and working groups identified certain data and knowledge gaps, which should be considered for improving existing monitoring networks.

Monitoring and Reporting Success

Implementation monitoring tracks progress on plan actions to:

ɣ Document and record progress toward implementation of Plan actions as a tracking system so that implementation can be evaluated against the timelines and schedule indicated in the Plan

ɣ Provide feedback to implementers

The MPWA will lead the efforts on monitoring implementation progress on the IWMP.

Performance Monitoring IndicatorsWhereas implementation monitoring tracks how many recommendations have been implemented, performance monitoring tracks how the environment responds to the changes in policy and practice. An environmental indicator is a parameter or a value that describes an aspect of the environment, and has a significance extending beyond that directly associated with any given parametric value.

For the purpose of SoW reporting, the MPWA identified indicators that would be:

ɣ Relevant to the watershed and the people associated with it ɣ In alignment with their goals, vision and mission statement ɣ Measurable according to similar standards at future dates ɣ Accessible in terms of data availability ɣ Applicable at various scales of watershed ɣ Likely to contribute to a basic understanding of watershed health

Table 3: Indicators Evaluated in the State of the Watershed

Indicator Category Indicators

Landscape Wetland Area and Status Riparian Health Land Use

Biological Community Fish Population Invasive Species

Surface Water Quantity Water Level: Peace River Flows

Water Level: Surface Water Away From

Mainstream

Allocations and Withdrawals

Surface Water Quality ARWQI Lake Water Quality Phosphorus Coliforms

Groundwater Quantity Groundwater Quantity

Groundwater Quality Groundwater Quality

41

Next Steps

This Plan is the result of years of work collecting information, establishing collaborations and working toward a set of recommendations that address key watershed health issues. The next steps are to ensure that conditions for successful Plan implementation are met and then to get started.

Throughout this process, ongoing collaboration and awareness of the issues, of the current state of the watershed and of the needs of the different users on the landscape will be central to the work being done by the MPWA and its partners.

Finally, it is important to remember that this Plan is intended as a Living Document. This draft IWMP will be subject to discussion and stakeholder consultation. The final IWMP will be subject to review periodically and allow revisions to address new challenges, changed conditions and priorities or new information. Thresholds, Targets and Limits are ongoing work of the MPWA and will contribute to the development of monitoring approaches. MPWA is working with GoA on this. The monitoring, reporting and evaluation process defined in this document will allow for this flexibility, and will ensure that the Plan will be relevant for generations to come.

References


References

Alberta Environment and Parks 2017. Cumulative Effects Assessment in Environmental Impact Assessment Reports Required under the Alberta Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act. http://aep.alberta.ca/lands-forests/land-industrial/programs-and-services/environmental-assessment/documents/CumulativeEffectsEIAReportsUnderEPEA-A.pdf

Canadian Standards Association 2008 (reaffirmed 2013). Sustainable Forest Management. CAN/CSA-Z809-2002.

Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment 2016. Summary of Integrated Watershed Management Approaches across Canada. PN 1559. http://www.ccme.ca/files/Resources/water/water_conservation/Summary%20of%20Integrated%20Watershed%20Management%20Approaches%20Across%20Canada%20PN%201559.pdf

Fiera Biological Consulting Ltd. 2010. Aquatic Environmentally Significant Areas in Alberta. Report prepared for Alberta Environment, Edmonton, Alberta. Fiera Biological Consulting Report Number 9030-2. Pp. 66. Report Prepared by: Katherine Maxcy and Gillian Holloway.

Government of Alberta. 2003. Water for Life: Alberta’s Strategy for Sustainability. http://aep.alberta.ca/water/programs-and-services/water-for-life/strategy/documents/WaterForLife-Strategy-Nov2003.pdf

Government of Alberta 2008 a. Handbook for State of Watershed Reporting. http://aep.alberta.ca/water/programs-and-services/water-for-life/partnerships/watershed-planning-and-advisory-councils/documents/HandbookStateWatershedReporting-Nov2008.pdf

Government of Alberta 2008 b. Alberta Land-use Framework. http://aep.alberta.ca/water/programs-and-services/water-for-life/partnerships/watershed-planning-and-advisory-councils/documents/HandbookStateWatershedReporting-Nov2008.pdf

Government of Alberta 2012. Lower Athabasca Regional Plan 2012-2022. http://aep.alberta.ca/water/programs-and-services/water-for-life/partnerships/watershed-planning-and-advisory-councils/documents/HandbookStateWatershedReporting-Nov2008.pdf

Government of Alberta 2014. South Saskatchewan Regional Plan 2014-2024. https://landuse.alberta.ca/LandUse%20Documents/South%20Saskatchewan%20Regional%20Plan%202014-2024%20-%20February%202017.pdf

Government of Alberta 2015. Guide to Watershed Management Planning in Alberta. http://aep.alberta.ca/water/programs-and-services/water-for-life/partnerships/watershed-planning-and-advisory-councils/documents/GuideWatershedPlanningAlberta-2015.pdf

Mighty Peace Watershed Alliance 2015. State of the Watershed Report. http://mightypeacesow.org

Mighty Peace Watershed Alliance 2015. Terms of Reference for the Peace and Slave Watersheds Integrated Watershed Management Plan. http://aep.alberta.ca/water/programs-and-services/water-for-life/partnerships/watershed-planning-and-advisory-councils/documents/GuideWatershedPlanningAlberta-2015.pdf

Mighty Peace Watershed Alliance 2016. Peace and Slave Watershed Management Discussion Paper. https://www.mightypeacewatershedalliance.org/projects/integrated-watershed-management-plan

Appendices


Mighty Peace Watershed Alliance Board of Directors

MPWA Seat

Richard Keillor Public at Large

Dave Walty Public at Large

Bob Cameron Conservation/Environment

Jean-Marie Sobze Research/Education

Cathy Newhook Watershed Stewardship

Dave Hay Tourism/Fisheries/Recreation

Shelleen Gerbig Agriculture

Ian Daisley Forestry

Ashley Rowney Utilities

Natalia Rossiter-Thornton Oil & Gas

Sylvia Johnson Métis Nation of Alberta

Alden Armstrong Metis Settlement General Council

Jim Webb Lower Watershed First Nation

Elaine Garrow Rural Municipality

Elaine Manzer Small Urban

Abdi Siad-Omar Federal-Transboundary Relations

Chris Thiessen Large Urban Municipality

Dan Benson Provincial Government

Appendix A: List of Participants

A large number of people participated in working groups and their time, expertise and work is greatly appreciated. Working group members are listed in the working group reports. The table below lists the Members of the MPWA Board of Directors.


Appendix B: List of all Recommendations

Working group recommendations were too numerous to be addressed all at once. Therefore the IWMP Steering Committee deliberated on working group recommendations to identify a subset of outcomes, strategic directions and actions to be considered in this Plan, as presented in Section 6. This Appendix contains a complete list of Outcomes, Strategic Directions and Actions received by the MPWA Board of Directors as recommended by the working groups. These are not prioritized nor have they been vetted through the consensus processes of the Board. These are the basis of the IWMP and may be potential future items of work. All recommendations, including non-prioritized strategies and actions, are presented in this appendix.

SHORT TERM = 2 YEARS

MEDIUM TERM = 5 YEARS

LONG TERM = 10 YEARS


Out

com

esSt

rate

gic

Dir

ectio

nsAc

tions

Part

ners

Tim

efra

me

Wat

er Q

ualit

y, A

vaila

bilit

y Aw

ay fr

om th

e M

ains

tem

and

Con

sum

ptiv

e U

seAc

cess

ible

, tim

ely

and

accu

rate

ba

selin

e in

form

atio

n on

wat

er

qual

ity, a

vaila

bilit

y an

d co

nsum

ptiv

e us

e su

ppor

ts

know

ledg

e-ba

sed

deci

sion-

mak

ing

and

adap

tive

man

agem

ent s

uch

that

aqu

atic

eco

syst

em h

ealth

an

d ec

olog

ical

inte

grity

are

su

stai

ned.

Dev

elop

an

acce

ssib

le w

ater

dat

abas

e(s)

and

/or

port

als.

(Bui

ld o

n ex

istin

g da

taba

ses l

ike

the

wat

er

use

repo

rtin

g sy

stem

, AEP

, etc

.)

Iden

tify

a 3r

d pa

rty

neut

ral m

ulti-

stak

ehol

der d

atab

ase

host

. (e

.g., M

PWA,

AEP

)M

PWA,

AEP

/ac

adem

iaSH

ORT T

ERM

Dev

elop

a c

omm

unic

atio

ns st

rate

gy to

raise

aw

aren

ess o

f ava

ilabl

e da

ta.

MPW

A, A

EPME

DIUM

TERM

Find

fund

s for

dat

abas

e su

ppor

t and

for r

esea

rch

to

fill d

ata

gaps

.Cr

eate

a d

atab

ase

of a

vaila

ble

fund

ing

sour

ces.

MPW

ASH

ORT T

ERM

Inve

stig

ate

and

leve

rage

exis

ting

Wat

er fo

r Life

and

oth

er p

rovi

ncia

l in

itiat

ives

(e.g

., AB

Inno

vate

s, W

RRP

prog

ram

) for

fund

s.M

PWA,

Al,

AEP-

WRR

P, A

AFME

DIUM

TERM

Expl

ore

the

use

of a

levy

or d

onat

ion

from

wat

er u

sers

to fu

nd a

shar

ed

publ

icly

ava

ilabl

e da

taba

se.

MPW

A, w

ater

lic

ence

esME

DIUM

TERM

Colla

bora

te w

ith U

nive

rsity

rese

arch

ers

MPW

A, a

cade

mia

LONG

TERM

Dec

ide

wha

t par

amet

ers,

indi

ces w

ill be

mon

itore

d an

d as

sess

ed fo

r wat

er q

ualit

y, qu

antit

y/use

and

aq

uatic

eco

syst

em h

ealth

(inc

ludi

ng e

colo

gica

l goo

ds

and

serv

ices

).

Surv

ey c

urre

nt in

dice

s and

par

amet

ers a

nd se

lect

bes

t fit.

MPW

A, A

EP/A

BMI

SHOR

T TER

M

Stan

dard

ize c

olle

ctio

n an

d as

sess

men

t met

hods

and

tim

elin

es.

MPW

A, A

EP/A

BMI

MEDI

UM TE

RM

Esta

blish

bas

elin

e an

d be

gin

colle

ctin

g da

ta fo

r the

se in

dice

s and

/or

para

met

ers a

nd m

ake

findi

ngs p

ublic

ly a

cces

sible

.LO

NG TE

RM

Iden

tify

trig

gers

, res

pons

es.

LONG

TERM

Prom

ote

man

dato

ry w

ater

use

repo

rtin

g by

all.

Link

wat

er u

se re

port

ing

data

to th

e pu

blic

ly a

vaila

ble

data

base

and

en

sure

com

plia

nce.

AEP,

MPW

AME

DIUM

TERM

Impr

ove

our u

nder

stan

ding

of h

istor

ical

and

futu

re

flow

s and

dem

ands

.En

cour

age

Firs

t Nat

ions

and

com

mun

ity e

lder

s to

shar

e tr

aditi

onal

and

hi

stor

ical

kno

wle

dge.

MPW

A, T

reat

y 8

MEDI

UM TE

RM

Back

cas

t the

pas

t 100

yea

rs o

f flow

dat

a; fo

reca

st th

e ne

xt 10

0 ye

ars t

o ga

in a

bet

ter u

nder

stan

ding

of s

easo

nal fl

ows o

n sm

alle

r trib

utar

ies a

nd

com

pare

to p

roje

cted

inst

ream

and

Indu

stry

nee

ds, in

the

face

of

clim

ate

chan

ge.

AER-

AEP,

ac

adem

ia,

BC H

ydro

MEDI

UM TE

RM


Out

com

esSt

rate

gic

Dir

ectio

nsAc

tions

Part

ners

Tim

efra

me

Land

use

and

wat

er m

anag

ers a

nd

the

publ

ic a

re k

now

ledg

eabl

e ab

out t

he w

ater

bal

ance

(in

puts

an

d ou

tput

s) a

nd sh

are

acco

unta

bilit

y fo

r man

agin

g cu

rren

t and

futu

re w

ater

use

de

man

ds su

stai

nabl

y in

the

Peac

e an

d Sl

ave

Wat

ersh

eds.

Dev

elop

an

educ

atio

n an

d ou

trea

ch st

rate

gy th

at

iden

tifies

targ

et a

udie

nces

, key

mes

sage

s and

ap

prop

riate

com

mun

icat

ion

tool

s (e.

g., t

rade

show

s, Si

ster

City

, sch

ool c

urric

ulum

, etc

).

Dev

elop

a m

ains

trea

m m

edia

edu

catio

n ca

mpa

ign

for a

pub

lic a

udie

nce.

MPW

A, G

oASH

ORT T

ERM

Dev

elop

a m

ore

Indu

stry

-focu

sed

cam

paig

n pr

omot

ing

com

plia

nce,

st

ewar

dshi

p, b

est p

ract

ices

, etc

. for

wat

er h

aule

rs, r

oad

build

ers,

cons

truc

tion,

gra

der o

pera

tors

, etc

. Wor

k th

roug

h ce

rtifi

catio

n an

d tr

aini

ng p

rogr

ams t

o im

prov

e w

ater

aw

aren

ess.

MPW

A, In

dust

ry

asso

ciat

ions

, Tra

de

scho

ols

SHOR

T TER

M

Dev

elop

, or t

ap in

to e

xistin

g, m

unic

ipal

ly fo

cuse

d ca

mpa

igns

.M

PWA,

AAM

DC,

AU

MA,

ASV

AME

DIUM

TERM

Ensu

re a

ccou

ntab

ilitie

s by

build

ing

proc

esse

s int

o th

e W

ater

Act

allo

catio

n an

d lic

ensin

g sy

stem

that

as

sure

cum

ulat

ive

effec

ts a

re k

now

n an

d im

pact

s are

le

ssen

ed.

Mak

e it

a co

nditi

on o

f a li

cenc

e th

at th

e w

ater

hau

ler,

or o

ther

use

r, ha

s to

pro

ve tr

aini

ng/c

ertifi

catio

n, e

tc . (

Man

y te

mpo

rary

div

ersio

n lic

ence

ap

plic

ants

not

e th

at th

ey h

ave

thei

r hau

lers

com

plet

e on

line

trai

ning

at

ww

w.su

rfac

ewat

erdi

vers

ion.

com

.)

AER/

AEP,

Ac

cred

itatio

n bo

dies

MEDI

UM TE

RM

Ensu

re a

nd re

port

on

com

plia

nce

with

wat

er u

se re

port

ing,

con

ditio

ns

on li

cenc

es su

ch a

s mon

itorin

g, e

tc.

AER/

AEP

MEDI

UM TE

RM

Put a

mor

e fo

rmal

syst

em in

pla

ce w

ith re

sour

ces t

o m

onito

r/mod

el

licen

ce w

ithdr

awal

s and

tim

ing

of fl

ows o

n an

y sm

all t

ribut

ary

with

m

ultip

le te

rm o

r tem

pora

ry d

iver

sion

licen

ces o

n it.

AER-

AEP,

ap

plic

ants

LONG

TERM

Sour

ce w

ater

yie

ld is

reco

gnize

d as

a v

alue

to b

e m

anag

ed b

y th

e Cr

own

ensu

ring

sour

ce w

ater

s are

pr

otec

ted.

Raise

aw

aren

ess a

nd p

rom

ote

the

use

of so

urce

w

ater

pro

tect

ion

plan

s for

all

sour

ce w

ater

s (ex

istin

g an

d ne

w) i

n th

e Pe

ace

and

Slav

e W

ater

shed

s.

Defi

ne, lo

cate

and

map

sour

ce w

ater

s (su

rfac

e an

d gr

ound

wat

er) i

n th

e w

ater

shed

.M

PWA,

AAM

DC

SHOR

T TER

M

Prom

ote

exist

ing

tool

s and

pro

gram

s tha

t are

cur

rent

ly a

vaila

ble

to

Mun

icip

aliti

es a

nd p

rivat

e sy

stem

ow

ners

to d

evel

op p

lans

(tec

hnic

al

advi

ce, t

empl

ates

, etc

.)

MPW

A, A

AMD

CME

DIUM

TERM

Miti

gate

ant

hrop

ogen

ic p

oint

and

non

–poi

nt so

urce

po

llutio

n (s

edim

ents

, nut

rient

s, et

c).

Iden

tify

curr

ent a

nd p

oten

tial p

ollu

tant

s and

sour

ces (

both

nat

ural

and

an

thro

poge

nic)

.M

PWA,

aca

dem

iaME

DIUM

TERM

Crea

te a

nd im

plem

ent a

n ed

ucat

ion

plan

abo

ut N

PSP

and

how

to

miti

gate

its i

mpa

cts.

MPW

A,

Agric

ultu

re

Indu

stry

SHOR

T TER

M

Prom

ote

the

use

of a

gric

ultu

ral B

MPs

(e.g

., off-

site

wat

erin

g sy

stem

s)

part

icul

arly

in th

e Up

per P

eace

and

Sm

oky-

Wap

iti su

b-ba

sins.

MPW

A,

Agric

ultu

reME

DIUM

TERM

Inve

stig

ate

trad

e-ab

le c

redi

ts/o

ffset

s/cap

-and

-trad

e sy

stem

s for

thei

r ab

ility

to a

ffect

cum

ulat

ive

effec

ts. (

See

prov

inci

al p

olic

y on

co

nser

vatio

n off

-set

s)

Acad

emia

, MPW

ALO

NG TE

RM

Prom

ote

pass

ive

ecos

yste

m m

anag

emen

t with

bu

ffers

, set

back

s, co

nser

vatio

n ea

sem

ents

, mun

icip

al

and

envi

ronm

enta

l res

erve

s, et

c. a

roun

d w

ater

bodi

es, w

etla

nds,

ripar

ian

land

s, flo

odpl

ains

and

aq

uife

r rec

harg

e an

d di

scha

rge

area

s.

Inve

stig

ate

the

ALUS

or a

sim

ilar i

ncen

tive

prog

ram

(eco

logi

cal g

oods

an

d se

rvic

e pa

ymen

ts) f

or th

e Pe

ace.

AB L

and

Inst

itute

, M

PWA,

aca

dem

iaME

DIUM

TERM

Iden

tify

(del

inea

te) C

row

n la

nds (

bed

and

shor

e) o

n tit

le b

efor

e la

nd

sale

s (or

at t

he re

ferr

als s

tage

) (se

e th

e ne

w g

uide

on

esta

blish

ing

perm

anen

ce).

AEP,

AAM

DC

Map

floo

dpla

ins a

nd li

mit

deve

lopm

ent o

n an

d re

stor

e; se

e W

RRP

prog

ram

.AE

P, T

own

of

Peac

e Ri

ver


Out

com

esSt

rate

gic

Dir

ectio

nsAc

tions

Part

ners

Tim

efra

me

The

wat

er a

lloca

tion

syst

em is

co

mpr

ehen

sive,

tran

spar

ent,

effici

ent a

nd e

ffect

ive

and

prot

ects

aqu

atic

eco

syst

em

heal

th a

nd e

colo

gica

l int

egrit

y in

th

e Pe

ace

and

Slav

e W

ater

shed

s.

Det

erm

ine

the

in-s

trea

m fl

ow n

eeds

(usin

g th

e de

skto

p m

etho

d) fo

r any

prio

rity

(e.g

., ove

r a

part

icul

ar v

olum

e) tr

ibut

ary

with

an

allo

catio

n lic

ence

on

it w

ith a

vaila

ble

data

and

/or a

surr

ogat

e.

Det

erm

ine

wha

t nee

ds to

be

prot

ecte

d fo

r ins

trea

m fl

ow n

eeds

, in

clud

ing

wet

land

/eco

syst

ems a

nd h

ow m

uch

wat

er is

allo

cate

d in

eac

h ba

sin; w

hat r

emai

ns f

or a

lloca

tion,

seas

onal

issu

es, e

tc.

GoA

-AEP

, MPW

ALO

NG TE

RM

Prom

ote

the

wat

er u

se re

port

ing

syst

em a

nd e

nsur

e co

mpl

ianc

e su

ch th

at a

ll te

mpo

rary

div

ersio

n an

d te

rm li

cenc

e-ho

lder

s (e.

g., a

gric

ultu

ral u

sers

, irr

igat

ion,

larg

er li

cenc

es e

tc.)

are

trac

king

and

re

port

ing

wat

er u

se.

Look

at c

urre

nt m

onito

ring

and

com

plia

nce

syst

ems t

o en

sure

wat

er

allo

catio

ns a

re a

ppro

pria

te th

roug

h se

nsiti

ve p

erio

ds, c

ompl

ianc

e is

100%

, incl

udin

g cu

mul

ativ

e eff

ects

mon

itorin

g (t

o be

defi

ned)

and

re

port

ing.

AER-

AEP,

Indu

stry

LONG

TERM

Unde

rsta

nd li

mits

(car

ryin

g ca

paci

ty) f

or tr

ibut

arie

s an

d m

anag

e th

e cu

mul

ativ

e eff

ects

of W

ater

Act

ap

prov

als.

Star

t a

pilo

t pro

ject

with

smar

t-met

er re

al-ti

me

mon

itorin

g in

crit

ical

ar

eas (

to b

e de

fined

).AE

R-AE

P,

Indu

stry

, MPW

ALO

NG TE

RM

Sour

ce w

ater

ava

ilabi

lity

is a

key

cons

ider

atio

n of

cur

rent

and

fu

ture

pop

ulat

ion

grow

th a

nd

deve

lopm

ent.

Inte

grat

e la

nd a

nd w

ater

shed

pla

nnin

g.En

sure

a M

PWA

boar

d m

embe

r sits

on

the

Uppe

r and

Low

er P

eace

pl

anni

ng p

roce

sses

.M

PWA,

AEP

MEDI

UM TE

RM

Inve

stig

ate

desig

natin

g th

e w

ater

shed

pla

n as

a su

b-re

gion

al p

lan.

AEP,

MPW

AME

DIUM

TERM

Fore

cast

futu

re g

row

th a

nd d

evel

opm

ent o

f the

w

ater

shed

(all

futu

re n

eeds

) to

info

rm d

ecisi

on-

mak

ing

on a

ll so

urce

wat

erbo

dies

par

ticul

arly

prio

rity

sour

ce tr

ibut

arie

s und

er d

eman

d.

Enga

ge c

onsu

ltant

to m

odel

wat

ersh

ed (e

.g., A

LCES

) or t

hose

tr

ibut

arie

s bel

ieve

d to

be

unde

r pre

ssur

e.M

PWA,

M

unic

ipal

ities

, In

dust

ry

MEDI

UM TE

RM

Iden

tify

and

supp

ort c

omm

uniti

es w

ith c

ritic

al w

ater

su

pply

and

/or t

reat

men

t iss

ues.

Crea

te a

list

of c

omm

uniti

es a

nd is

sues

(inc

ludi

ng F

irst N

atio

ns

com

mun

ities

with

boi

l wat

er a

dviso

ries)

.AA

MD

C, F

CM,

GoA,

Tre

aty

8SH

ORT T

ERM

Prio

ritize

com

mun

ities

for a

ctio

n.AA

MD

C, F

CM,

GoA,

Tre

aty

8ME

DIUM

TERM

Out

line

poss

ible

act

ions

to im

prov

e su

pply

and

/or t

reat

men

t opt

ions

, in

part

icul

ar lo

okin

g at

regi

onal

col

labo

ratio

ns.

AAM

DC,

FCM

, Go

A, T

reat

y 8

MEDI

UM TE

RM

Cond

uct f

easib

ility

stud

ies.

AAM

DC,

FCM

, Go

A, T

reat

y 8

MEDI

UM TE

RM

Sele

ct o

n op

tion.

AAM

DC,

FCM

, Go

A, T

reat

y 8

LONG

TERM

Fund

and

impl

emen

t thr

ough

exis

ting

fede

ral a

nd p

rovi

ncia

l mun

icip

al

infr

astr

uctu

re p

rogr

ams.

AAM

DC,

FCM

, Go

A, T

reat

y 8

LONG

TERM


Out

com

esSt

rate

gic

Dir

ectio

nsAc

tions

Part

ners

Tim

efra

me

Cons

umpt

ive

use

of fr

esh

wat

er is

m

anag

ed su

stai

nabl

y an

d ec

onom

ical

ly.

Empo

wer

wat

er u

se m

anag

ers a

nd p

lann

ers t

o ac

hiev

e sh

ared

obj

ectiv

es fr

om a

n ag

reed

-to

wat

ersh

ed m

anag

emen

t pla

n.

Use

ince

ntiv

es a

nd c

ompl

ianc

e, in

the

right

bal

ance

.G

oA,

Mun

icip

aliti

es,

Indu

stry

, Firs

t N

atio

ns

LONG

TERM

Mon

itor a

nd a

sses

s (us

ing

perf

orm

ance

mea

sure

s) th

e ac

hiev

emen

t of

obje

ctiv

es.

GoA

, M

unic

ipal

ities

, In

dust

ry, F

irst

Nat

ions

LONG

TERM

Ensu

re in

stre

am fl

ow n

eeds

are

set o

n al

l wat

erbo

dies

with

allo

catio

ns

to g

uide

dec

ision

-mak

ing .

GoA

, M

unic

ipal

ities

, In

dust

ry, F

irst

Nat

ions

LONG

TERM

Set a

nd e

duca

te o

n a

com

mon

term

inol

ogy

(e.g

., was

te, u

nrefi

ned

prod

uct,

etc.

).G

oA,

Mun

icip

aliti

es,

Indu

stry

, Firs

t N

atio

ns

LONG

TERM

Crea

te a

foru

m fo

r tra

nspa

rent

disc

ussio

ns a

bout

trad

e-off

s.M

PWA,

All

stak

ehol

ders

LONG

TERM

Prom

ote

best

ava

ilabl

e te

chno

logy

, CEP

pla

nnin

g, w

ater

reus

e an

d re

cycl

ing

of so

urce

and

was

tew

ater

s (to

be

defin

ed).

GoA

, AB

Inno

vate

sME

DIUM

TERM

Unde

rsta

nd d

eman

d an

d tim

ing

of d

eman

d (in

stan

tane

ous a

nd a

nnua

l, an

d lo

ng-te

rm) a

s wel

l as l

ong-

term

supp

ly c

ycle

s and

tren

ds.

GoA

, Aca

dem

ia,

Mun

icip

ality

, In

dust

ry

LONG

TERM

Peac

e Ri

ver F

low

Reg

ime

Peop

le a

re a

war

e of

the

impo

rtan

ce o

f the

Pea

ce R

iver

flo

w re

gim

e, w

hat i

t mea

ns to

ba

sin re

siden

ts a

nd w

hat i

t pr

ovid

es.

Dev

elop

an

educ

atio

n an

d ou

trea

ch st

rate

gy to

raise

aw

aren

ess a

bout

the

impo

rtan

ce o

f hea

lthy

river

flo

w fr

om th

e he

adw

ater

s to

the

Del

ta (i

nclu

ding

a

focu

s on

how

the

mai

nste

m fl

ow in

tera

cts w

ith o

ther

w

ater

bodi

es su

ch a

s the

Low

er P

eace

wet

land

s and

Pe

ace-

Atha

basc

a D

elta

).

Dev

elop

the

stra

tegy

and

ass

ocia

ted

mat

eria

ls.M

PWA,

AEP

, PCA

, PA

DEM

P, M

RBB

MEDI

UM TE

RM

Dist

ribut

e m

ater

ials

at m

eetin

gs a

roun

d th

e ba

sin, o

r via

trad

e sh

ows,

new

spap

er a

rtic

les,

wor

ksho

ps, e

tc.

MPW

A, A

EP, P

CA,

PAD

EMP,

MRB

BME

DIUM

TERM


Out

com

esSt

rate

gic

Dir

ectio

nsAc

tions

Part

ners

Tim

efra

me

The

curr

ent P

eace

Riv

er fl

ow

regi

me

and

its re

latio

nshi

p to

the

aqua

tic e

cosy

stem

hea

lth o

f oth

er

wat

erbo

dies

(e.

g., D

elta

lake

s, Lo

wer

Pea

ce a

nd D

elta

wet

land

s, gr

ound

wat

er, e

tc.)

is un

ders

tood

.

Colle

ct e

xistin

g te

chni

cal i

nfor

mat

ion

on th

e Pe

ace

Rive

r flow

regi

me

(incl

udin

g its

inte

ract

ions

with

as

soci

ated

lake

s, w

etla

nds,

pond

s, ch

anne

ls,

grou

ndw

ater

, etc

.), sy

nthe

size

key

lear

ning

s and

id

entif

y in

form

atio

n ga

ps. N

ote

that

the

UNES

CO

stra

tegi

c en

viro

nmen

tal a

sses

smen

t may

ach

ieve

so

me

of th

is fo

r WBN

P.

Asse

ss c

urre

nt m

ains

tem

and

oth

er w

ater

body

mon

itorin

g an

d de

term

ine

if ad

ditio

nal m

onito

ring,

map

ping

or m

odel

ling

is re

quire

d to

im

prov

e ou

r und

erst

andi

ng o

f flow

regi

me

rela

tions

hips

, par

ticul

arly

be

twee

n ov

erba

nk fl

oodi

ng a

nd in

tegr

ity o

f wet

land

s in

the

Low

er P

eace

an

d D

elta

.

AEP,

EC,

PCA

, PA

DEM

P, M

PWA,

N

orth

Pea

ce L

and

and

Wat

er, D

UC

SHOR

T TER

M

Org

anize

a te

chni

cal c

omm

ittee

to id

entif

y, pr

iorit

ize

and

fill d

ata

gaps

. (Bu

ild o

n ex

istin

g PA

DEM

P w

ork

but e

xten

d m

embe

rshi

p ou

tsid

e of

Del

ta.)

Unde

rtak

e a

liter

atur

e re

view

of n

atur

alize

d to

reco

rded

flow

co

mpa

rison

s. Th

en c

alcu

late

inst

ream

flow

nee

ds (v

ia m

odel

ling/

natu

raliz

ing

reco

rded

flow

s dat

aset

). Co

mpa

re to

cur

rent

flow

regi

me

and

iden

tify

any

issue

s.

AEP,

MRB

BSH

ORT T

ERM

Revi

ew a

nd u

pdat

e th

e 19

80s s

tudy

to e

valu

ate

the

effec

tiven

ess o

f the

w

eirs

con

stru

cted

in th

e D

elta

in th

e 19

70s.

This

shou

ld in

form

if a

) m

aint

enan

ce o

f the

se st

ruct

ures

is re

quire

d; b

) whe

ther

thes

e st

ruct

ures

wer

e/ar

e st

ill eff

ectiv

e; a

nd c

) if s

uch

stru

ctur

es m

ight

pr

ovid

e m

anag

emen

t opt

ions

for o

ther

are

as o

f the

Pea

ce a

nd S

lave

W

ater

shed

s.

AEP,

ECC

C, P

CA,

MRB

BME

DIUM

TERM

Cond

uct a

lite

ratu

re re

view

, and

pos

sibly

initi

ate

a st

udy,

to a

sses

s se

dim

ent t

rans

port

/silta

tion/

wat

er q

ualit

y iss

ues i

dent

ified

by

basin

re

siden

ts.

AEP,

ECC

C, P

CA,

MRB

BME

DIUM

TERM

Cond

uct a

stud

y to

iden

tify

the

feas

ibilit

y, op

timal

con

ditio

ns a

nd c

osts

of

doi

ng a

rele

ase

to a

ugm

ent fl

oodi

ng; a

s wel

l as t

he c

osts

of n

ot d

oing

an

ythi

ng.

AEP,

ECC

C, P

CA,

PAD

EMP

Cultu

ral,

soci

al, e

cono

mic

and

en

viro

nmen

tal i

ssue

s with

the

curr

ent fl

ow re

gim

e ar

e do

cum

ente

d, w

ell u

nder

stoo

d an

d co

mm

unic

ated

to d

ecisi

on-

mak

ers.

Usin

g IK

/TEK

and

loca

l kno

wle

dge,

com

pile

an

inve

ntor

y of

site

s whe

re p

eopl

e, M

unic

ipal

ities

, or

Indu

stry

exp

erie

nce

issue

s be

caus

e of

rive

r flow

re

gim

e (e

.g., u

nsta

ble

bank

s, tim

ing

of ic

e br

idge

s, w

ater

inta

ke p

lace

men

t, bo

atin

g/na

viga

tion,

fish

erie

s, st

rand

ed w

ildlif

e, d

ryin

g of

wet

land

s, et

c.).

Cond

uct a

lite

ratu

re se

arch

and

com

pile

a su

mm

ary

of e

xistin

g w

ork

(incl

ude

TEK

repo

rts,

EIA

cons

ulta

tion

proc

esse

s, in

tere

st d

ocum

ent

wor

k pr

evio

usly

don

e by

MRB

B, U

nive

rsiti

es, e

tc.).

MPW

A, A

borig

inal

Co

mm

uniti

esSH

ORT T

ERM

Cond

uct a

surv

ey a

nd/o

r do

inte

rvie

ws w

ith ri

ver u

sers

(fer

ry o

pera

tors

, tr

appe

rs, fi

sher

s, et

c.) a

nd c

omm

uniti

es a

long

the

river

; com

pile

and

pr

ovid

e re

sults

to A

EP.

MPW

A, ri

ver u

sers

et

c.SH

ORT T

ERM

Des

ired

Abor

igin

al, c

ultu

ral,

soci

al,

econ

omic

and

eco

logi

cal fl

ow

valu

es to

gui

de m

anag

emen

t of

the

Peac

e Ri

ver a

nd it

s trib

utar

ies

are

iden

tified

and

shar

ed b

y al

l.

Cont

inue

to id

entif

y co

mm

unity

flow

val

ues t

o gu

ide

wat

er a

nd la

nd m

anag

ers a

nd d

ecisi

on-m

aker

s.Se

e in

itial

dra

ft V

alue

s tab

le in

Rec

omm

enda

tions

.M

PWA,

Bas

in

resid

ents

SHOR

T TER

M

Shar

e flo

w v

alue

s with

oth

er b

asin

initi

ativ

es.

See

tabl

e of

con

curr

ent i

nitia

tives

in R

ecom

men

datio

ns.

MPW

A, o

ther

in

itiat

ives

LONG

TERM

Pote

ntia

l man

agem

ent o

ptio

ns

and

tool

s to

achi

eve

optim

al

com

mun

ity fl

ow v

alue

s are

in

vest

igat

ed.

Dev

elop

opt

ions

/scen

ario

s to

best

ach

ieve

opt

imal

co

mm

unity

flow

val

ues.

Hol

d a

tech

nica

l wor

ksho

p to

bra

inst

orm

and

ass

ess t

he fe

asib

ility

of a

ra

nge

of p

oten

tial m

anag

emen

t too

ls su

ch a

s flow

cha

nges

, wei

rs,

wet

land

rest

orat

ion,

land

man

agem

ent p

ract

ices

, etc

.

AEP,

ECC

C, P

CAME

DIUM

TERM


Out

com

esSt

rate

gic

Dir

ectio

nsAc

tions

Part

ners

Tim

efra

me

The

man

agem

ent o

ptio

n an

d/or

to

ols t

hat o

ptim

ize c

omm

unity

sh

ared

flow

val

ues i

s co

mm

unic

ated

to A

EP, a

s the

y ne

gotia

te a

nd m

anag

e tr

ansb

ound

ary

wat

er a

gree

men

ts

for t

he P

eace

, Sla

ve a

nd o

ther

tr

ansb

ound

ary

wat

erbo

dies

.

MPW

A bo

ard

reco

mm

ends

the

desir

ed

man

agem

ent

regi

me

to A

EP’s

tran

sbou

ndar

y un

it.M

PWA,

AEP

LONG

TERM

The

LUF

Uppe

r and

Low

er P

eace

re

gion

al p

lans

reco

gnize

the

impo

rtan

ce o

f, an

d co

ntrib

ute

to,

the

heal

th o

f the

Pea

ce R

iver

and

its

ass

ocia

ted

trib

utar

ies,

wet

land

s and

oth

er w

ater

bodi

es.

Com

plet

e th

e IW

MP

and

prov

ide

it to

the

LUF

Regi

onal

Pla

nnin

g st

aff fo

r con

sider

atio

n in

the

uppe

r and

low

er P

eace

regi

onal

pla

ns.

MPW

A, G

oASH

ORT T

ERM

Exam

ine

the

Wet

land

Pol

icy

in re

latio

n to

the

Low

er

Peac

e an

d de

term

ine

how

pol

icy

impl

emen

tatio

n (a

nd th

e po

licy

valu

atio

n fr

amew

ork)

will

affec

t w

etla

nds a

nd w

etla

nd v

alue

s with

in th

e Pe

ace

and

Slav

e W

ater

shed

s.

Ask

the

Wet

land

Pol

icy

Impl

emen

tatio

n offi

ce to

mak

e a

pres

enta

tion

to

the

MPW

A bo

ard

to a

ddre

ss th

is qu

estio

n.M

PWA,

AEP

SHOR

T TER

M

Wet

land

s an

d W

etla

nd L

oss

Base

line

info

rmat

ion

supp

orts

kn

owle

dge-

base

d de

cisio

n-m

akin

g an

d ad

aptiv

e m

anag

emen

t.

Dev

elop

goo

d ba

selin

e in

form

atio

n in

clud

ing

an

acce

ssib

le G

IS w

etla

nd in

vent

ory

with

bot

h su

rfac

e w

ater

del

inea

tion

and

sub-

surf

ace

flow

s (i.e

. gr

ound

wat

er c

onne

ctio

n).

Build

on

exist

ing

MPW

A, G

oA a

nd G

oC (W

BNP)

wet

land

inve

ntor

ies t

o de

velo

p co

mpl

ete

base

line

data

for t

he P

eace

and

Sla

ve W

ater

shed

s (a

nd p

ossib

ly th

e H

ay a

nd L

iard

wat

ersh

eds)

incl

udin

g in

form

atio

n on

W

BNP,

shal

low

ope

n w

ater

, cur

rent

and

hist

oric

al d

istrib

utio

n, ty

pe,

area

s of l

oss,

and

area

s for

rest

orat

ion.

Use

Alb

erta

Veg

etat

ive In

vent

ory,

Lida

r, TE

K, g

roun

d tr

uthi

ng, I

ndus

try

data

, etc

. to

impr

ove

map

s.

MPW

A, G

oA-A

EP,

GoC-

WBN

P, D

UC,

Indu

stry

, Bor

eal

Fore

st

Cons

erva

tion

Initi

ativ

e

LONG

TERM

Defi

ne a

nd m

onito

r wet

land

hea

lth a

nd p

erio

dica

lly

asse

ss th

e st

ate

of w

etla

nds.

Wor

k w

ith th

e Go

A-AE

P, G

oC-P

C an

d AE

MER

A-AB

MI t

o de

term

ine

crite

ria, p

roto

cols,

etc

. and

inco

rpor

ate

into

MPW

A st

ate

of re

port

ing .

MPW

A, G

oA-A

EP,

AEP,

ABM

ILO

NG TE

RM

Set b

ench

mar

ks a

nd d

eter

min

e m

anag

emen

t ob

ject

ives

to

guid

e fu

ture

wor

k in

an

itera

tive

and

adap

tive

proc

ess v

ia th

e IW

MP

proc

ess.

Det

erm

ine

appr

opri

ate

time

perio

d(s)

for b

ench

mar

ks (e

.g., c

urre

nt,

pre-

sett

lem

ent,

etc.

) dep

endi

ng o

n th

e qu

estio

ns th

at n

eed

answ

erin

g.

Star

t in

high

er im

pact

ed su

b-ba

sins i

nclu

ding

the

Uppe

r Pea

ce a

nd

Smok

y-W

apiti

.

AEP,

Firs

t Nat

ions

, AA

FSH

ORT T

ERM

Cont

inue

to e

xplo

re w

etla

nd m

anag

emen

t opt

ions

mea

ning

ful t

o st

akeh

olde

rs g

oing

forw

ard

perh

aps b

y m

odel

ling

futu

re d

istur

banc

e fo

otpr

int (

tem

pora

ry a

nd p

erm

anen

t los

s), c

limat

e ch

ange

, etc

.

MPW

A, a

ll se

ctor

sLO

NG TE

RM

Impr

ove

our u

nder

stan

ding

of t

he e

colo

gy o

f w

etla

nds i

n th

e w

ater

shed

incl

udin

g th

e go

ods a

nd

serv

ices

they

pro

vide

reco

gnizi

ng th

ese

mig

ht b

e aff

ecte

d by

cum

ulat

ive

effec

ts a

nd c

limat

e ch

ange

.

Det

erm

ine

rese

arch

prio

ritie

s (e.

g., im

pact

of w

etla

nd lo

ss o

n aq

uife

r re

char

ge o

r spe

cies

at r

isk; c

arry

ing

capa

city

, etc

.), p

artn

ers,

etc.

in a

re

sear

ch st

rate

gy. G

lean

lear

ning

s fro

m W

hite

Are

a w

etla

nd re

sear

ch

but e

ncou

rage

new

rese

arch

to fo

cus o

n th

e Gr

een

Area

(bor

eal)

wet

land

s.

MPW

A, A

B In

nova

tes,

acad

emia

, re

sear

cher

s, D

UC,

Indu

stry

MEDI

UM TE

RM

Dev

elop

a T

EK st

udy

of w

etla

nd u

ses a

nd im

port

ance

and

hist

oric

al

dist

ribut

ion.

Trib

al C

ounc

ils/

MPW

A, G

oA, G

oA-

Indi

geno

us

rela

tions

, AEP

, Go

C-PC

A

MEDI

UM TE

RM


Out

com

esSt

rate

gic

Dir

ectio

nsAc

tions

Part

ners

Tim

efra

me

Ever

yone

in th

e w

ater

shed

is

know

ledg

eabl

e ab

out w

etla

nds

and

thei

r soc

ial,

econ

omic

and

en

viro

nmen

tal v

alue

.

Strik

e an

edu

catio

n co

mm

ittee

to d

evel

op a

nd

impl

emen

t a g

ener

al w

etla

nd e

duca

tion

and

outr

each

pla

n.

Mod

el th

is ed

ucat

ion

and

outr

each

pla

n on

the

Univ

ersit

y of

Sa

skat

chew

an D

elta

Dia

logu

e N

etw

ork:

an e

xam

ple

of k

now

ledg

e bu

ildin

g an

d sh

arin

g an

d kn

owle

dge

mob

ilizat

ion.

Tar

get m

unic

ipal

co

unci

ls, a

gric

ultu

re se

rvic

e bo

ards

, Ind

ustr

y, th

e pu

blic

, etc

. (ta

ke a

tr

iage

app

roac

h to

det

erm

inin

g se

ctor

prio

ritie

s.)

MPW

A, C

ows a

nd

Fish

, DUC

, ACA

, N

atur

e AB

MEDI

UM TE

RM

Prov

ide

inpu

t to

AEP

as th

ey re

view

and

rene

w th

e Al

bert

a Ed

ucat

ion

wet

land

cur

ricul

um (W

ebbe

d Fe

et N

ot R

equi

red)

to fo

cus m

ore

on

wet

land

man

agem

ent i

n a

nort

hern

con

text

. Ass

ist A

EP w

ith c

urric

ulum

de

liver

y an

d pr

omot

ion

thro

ugho

ut th

e Pe

ace.

MPW

A, A

EP

Educ

atio

n an

d O

utre

ach

Grou

p;

scho

ol d

istric

ts,

Gran

de P

rairi

e En

viro

nmen

tal

Scie

nces

Ed

ucat

ion

Soci

ety

and

othe

r for

est

educ

atio

n so

ciet

ies

LONG

TERM

Enga

ge p

ost-s

econ

dary

and

pro

fess

iona

l org

aniza

tions

in th

e Pe

ace

and

Slav

e W

ater

shed

s in

wet

land

edu

catio

n an

d ou

trea

ch.

MPW

A, N

AIT

Bore

al In

stitu

te,

etc.

MEDI

UM TE

RM

Com

mun

icat

e th

e st

ate

of w

etla

nds a

nd w

etla

nd

tren

ds.

Inte

grat

e w

etla

nd st

ate

of re

port

ing

into

the

MPW

A st

ate

of re

port

ing

proc

ess.

Incl

ude

wet

land

s in

MPW

A st

ate

of re

port

ing.

MPW

A, A

EP, A

BMI

LONG

TERM

Ensu

re w

etla

nd e

duca

tion

and

outr

each

pro

duct

s ar

e av

aila

ble.

MPW

A, D

UCSH

ORT T

ERM

Ever

yone

in th

e ba

sin is

aw

are

of

the

prov

ision

s of t

he W

ater

Act

, Pu

blic

Lan

ds A

ct a

nd th

e W

etla

nd

Polic

y an

d al

l oth

er le

gisla

tion

(e.g

., SAR

A) r

elat

ed to

man

agin

g hu

man

act

iviti

es a

roun

d w

etla

nds.

Dev

elop

a m

ore

spec

ific

awar

enes

s cam

paig

n ar

ound

th

e ne

w W

etla

nd P

olic

y an

d po

licy

impl

emen

tatio

n to

ols t

arge

ted

spec

ifica

lly a

t sec

tors

ope

ratin

g in

the

Peac

e an

d Sl

ave

Wat

ersh

eds.

Iden

tify

prio

rity

targ

et a

udie

nces

(e.g

., Mun

icip

aliti

es, p

eat m

inin

g, ro

ad

build

ing,

agr

icul

ture

and

Indu

stry

ass

ocia

tions

, etc

.), k

ey m

essa

ges a

nd

appr

opria

te c

omm

unic

atio

n to

ols (

e.g.

, fiel

d ex

tens

ion,

soci

al m

edia

, et

c). R

esou

rce

cam

paig

n im

plem

enta

tion

with

wet

land

offs

et d

olla

rs.

GoA

(AEP

, AAF

), M

unic

ipal

ities

, In

dust

ry,

prof

essio

nal

asso

ciat

ions

, co

nsul

tant

s, et

c.

MEDI

UM TE

RM

Ensu

re la

ndow

ners

and

land

use

rs o

pera

ting

in th

e w

ater

shed

are

kno

wle

dgea

ble

abou

t and

com

ply

with

le

gisla

tion.

Dev

elop

an

educ

atio

n, c

ompl

ianc

e an

d en

forc

emen

t pro

gram

.AE

P, A

ER, A

AF,

Agric

ultu

re,

Indu

stry

MEDI

UM TE

RM

Wor

k w

ith a

gric

ultu

re a

nd In

dust

ry to

set s

hare

d w

etla

nd o

bjec

tives

in

an IW

MP

that

they

can

ach

ieve

(car

rot r

athe

r tha

n th

e st

ick)

abo

ve th

e re

gula

tory

bac

ksto

p. E

nsur

e th

ere

is aw

aren

ess o

f exis

ting

and

new

in

cent

ive

prog

ram

s.

MPW

A, In

dust

ry

and

Agric

ultu

reME

DIUM

TERM


Out

com

esSt

rate

gic

Dir

ectio

nsAc

tions

Part

ners

Tim

efra

me

Land

owne

rs a

nd la

nd u

sers

are

in

cent

ed to

be

good

stew

ards

and

co

nser

ve w

etla

nds.

Prom

ote

stew

ards

hip

with

var

ious

use

r gro

ups.

Wor

k w

ith o

ff-ro

adin

g/al

l-ter

rain

veh

icle

use

rs to

pro

mot

e st

ewar

dshi

p.

See

Trea

d Li

ghtly

on

the

Tund

ra m

odel

.AE

P, W

PACs

, us

ers,

reta

ilers

, re

crea

tion

grou

ps

SHOR

T TER

M

Wor

k w

ith a

gric

ultu

re se

ctor

to im

prov

e un

ders

tand

ing

of th

e ec

onom

ic b

enefi

ts o

f wet

land

s and

the

ecol

ogic

al g

oods

and

serv

ices

th

ey p

rovi

de a

nd to

impl

emen

t BM

Ps.

AAF,

M

unic

ipal

ities

, Go

A (A

gric

ultu

re

grou

ps a

nd A

AAF

field

men

),

Cow

s and

Fish

MEDI

UM TE

RM

Wor

k w

ith In

dust

ry to

pro

mot

e st

ewar

dshi

p to

ols s

uch

as B

MPs

, Cod

es

of P

ract

ice,

bio

dive

rsity

and

con

serv

atio

n off

sets

, etc

.G

oA, W

PACs

, In

dust

ry, s

ee D

UC

BMP

wor

k

MEDI

UM TE

RM

In a

reas

of h

igh

wet

land

loss

or

degr

adat

ion,

wet

land

s are

re

stor

ed.

Unde

rsta

nd th

e re

latio

nshi

p be

twee

n th

e Pe

ace

mai

n st

em fl

ow re

gim

e, th

e he

alth

of w

etla

nds i

n th

e PA

D, a

nd th

e qu

ality

of l

ife o

f loc

al in

habi

tant

s and

pr

omot

e th

e op

erat

ion

of fl

ows t

o pr

eser

ve th

is re

latio

nshi

p.

Crea

te a

mul

ti-st

akeh

olde

r com

mitt

ee to

pro

vide

its p

ersp

ectiv

e an

d ad

vice

to th

e AB

-BC

Tran

sbou

ndar

y N

egot

iatio

n te

ams.

GoA

, GoC

(PCA

, EC

), M

PWA,

Firs

t N

atio

ns, A

B-BC

Tr

ansb

ound

ary

Neg

otia

ting

team

s

MEDI

UM TE

RM

Exam

ine

pre-

(nat

ural

), po

st-d

am a

nd c

urre

nt d

esire

d flo

w a

nd d

evel

op

pote

ntia

l opt

ions

/scen

ario

s to

man

age

the

flow

of t

he P

eace

for t

he

heal

th o

f peo

ple

and

wet

land

s in

the

PAD.

GoA

, GoC

(PCA

, EC

), M

RBB,

bi

late

ral

nego

tiato

rs, e

tc.

MEDI

UM TE

RM

Defi

ne w

hat i

s mea

nt b

y “a

reas

of h

igh

wet

land

loss

” in

the

Peac

e-Sl

ave

basin

con

text

and

map

the

occu

rren

ce o

f any

such

hig

h lo

ss a

reas

.

From

the

base

line

map

s dev

elop

ed in

Out

com

e 1,

look

at h

istor

ical

loss

. Us

ing

a tr

iage

app

roac

h, d

efine

and

map

are

as o

f hig

h lo

ss. T

he

defin

ition

cou

ld b

e nu

mbe

r of w

etla

nds,

area

l cov

er, lo

ss o

f fun

ctio

ns,

etc.

It c

ould

also

be

diffe

rent

in d

iffer

ent s

ub-b

asin

s, de

pend

ing

on th

e re

gion

al c

onte

xt. W

ork

shou

ld b

e st

arte

d in

the

sub-

basin

s with

the

high

est f

ootp

rint (

Uppe

r Pea

ce, S

mok

y W

apiti

).

DU

C, M

PWA

MEDI

UM TE

RM

Part

ner w

ith la

nd tr

usts

and

oth

er la

nd st

ewar

ds

(DUC

, TN

C, A

CA, P

arks

Can

ada,

Firs

t Nat

ions

, for

est

Indu

stry

, etc

.) to

con

serv

e w

etla

nds.

Stre

ngth

en c

omm

unic

atio

n be

twee

n fo

rest

ry a

nd F

N (r

e: o

pera

tiona

l pl

anni

ng).

Fore

stry

Sec

tor,

Firs

t Nat

ions

MEDI

UM TE

RM

Prom

ote

and

supp

ort l

and

trus

ts b

y en

cour

agin

g th

em to

ope

rate

in th

e Pe

ace

and

Slav

e W

ater

shed

s and

link

ing

them

to p

oten

tial d

onor

s.M

PWA,

MPW

A pa

rtne

rsSH

ORT T

ERM

Cond

uct a

regi

onal

stra

tegi

c en

viro

nmen

tal

asse

ssm

ent a

s a to

ol to

mod

el sc

enar

ios/

man

agem

ent o

ptio

ns to

ach

ieve

out

com

es.

Mod

ellin

g sc

enar

ios w

ill lik

ely

be a

par

t of t

he L

UF re

gion

al p

lann

ing

proc

esse

s, an

d ho

pefu

lly w

ill in

clud

e st

akeh

olde

r inp

ut in

to w

hat

are

cultu

rally

and

env

ironm

enta

lly si

gnifi

cant

are

as a

nd fe

atur

es in

the

Peac

e an

d Sl

ave

Wat

ersh

eds.

GoA

, EN

GOs a

nd

Indu

stry

, GoC

, M

unic

ipal

ities

MEDI

UM TE

RM

Expl

ore

a co

nser

vatio

n off

set s

trat

egy

(tie

car

bon

sequ

estr

atio

n, b

iodi

vers

ity, e

tc.)

Expl

ore

FN c

olla

bora

tive

invo

lvem

ent a

s ste

war

ds o

f offs

ets (

i.e.

exam

ine

the

optio

n of

man

agin

g la

nds c

ompl

emen

tary

to e

xistin

g te

nure

s for

con

serv

atio

n va

lues

whe

re w

e co

uld

fund

Firs

t Nat

ions

to

man

age

land

s for

bio

dive

rsity

and

oth

er c

onse

rvat

ion

valu

es).

GoA

, FN

, EN

GOs,

Indu

stry

MEDI

UM TE

RM

Dev

elop

a ru

noff/

non–

poin

t sou

rce

stra

tegy

to

miti

gate

the

impa

cts o

n re

ceiv

ing

wat

erbo

dies

in

clud

ing

wet

land

s.

Enco

urag

e th

e us

e of

tool

s lik

e rip

aria

n se

tbac

ks, e

nviro

nmen

tal

rese

rves

and

ince

ntiv

es a

s a m

eans

of m

anag

ing

eros

ion

and

surf

ace

wat

er ru

n-off

(NPS

P) fo

r the

pro

tect

ion

of so

urce

wat

er q

ualit

y an

d to

pr

otec

t hig

h va

lue

wet

land

s.

MPW

A, M

PWA

part

ners

, GoA

LONG

TERM


Out

com

esSt

rate

gic

Dir

ectio

nsAc

tions

Part

ners

Tim

efra

me

Exce

ptio

nal w

etla

nds t

hat a

re

soci

ally,

eco

nom

ical

ly a

nd/o

r en

viro

nmen

tally

sign

ifica

nt a

re

prot

ecte

d.

Defi

ne w

hat i

s an

exce

ptio

nal w

etla

nd (d

evel

op

crite

ria) a

nd in

vent

ory

whe

re th

ey a

re in

clud

ing

delin

eatio

n an

d ow

ners

hip.

With

a g

roup

of s

take

hold

ers,

rese

arch

oth

er ju

risdi

ctio

ns to

see

if cr

iteria

alre

ady

exist

bef

ore

sett

ing

Peac

e-Sl

ave

spec

ific

crite

ria.

MPW

A, In

dust

ry,

FN, M

unic

ipal

ities

, EN

GOs

SHOR

T TER

M

Appl

y cr

iteria

to b

asel

ine

data

dev

elop

ed in

Out

com

e 1 t

o id

entif

y an

d m

ap e

xcep

tiona

l wet

land

s. Al

tern

ativ

ely,

expl

ore

a no

min

atio

n pr

oces

s ap

proa

ch si

mila

r to

Albe

rta’s

Spe

cial

Pla

ces 2

000

prog

ram

.

MPW

A, G

oA-A

EPME

DIUM

TERM

Wor

k w

ith g

over

nmen

ts, la

nd tr

usts

, land

owne

rs, e

tc.

to p

rote

ct e

xcep

tiona

l wet

land

s.Pr

ovid

e in

cent

ives

to la

ndow

ners

to p

rote

ct p

rivat

e la

nds a

roun

d de

signa

ted

exce

ptio

nal w

etla

nds p

ossib

ly th

roug

h pr

ogra

ms s

uch

as

ALUS

, tax

relie

f, co

nser

vatio

n ea

sem

ents

, Gro

win

g Fo

rwar

d II,

etc

.

DU

C, M

PWA,

AAF

, Co

nser

vatio

n ag

enci

es

LONG

TERM

Dur

ing

envi

ronm

enta

l im

pact

ass

essm

ents

of p

roje

ct p

ropo

sals

that

ha

ve p

oten

tial i

mpa

cts o

n ex

cept

iona

l wet

land

s, as

sess

pro

ject

spec

ific

and

cum

ulat

ive

impa

cts a

gain

st p

re-d

evel

opm

ent b

asel

ine

cond

ition

s.

AER,

GoC

, GoA

, In

dust

ryLO

NG TE

RM

Non

-Sal

ine

Gro

undw

ater

Gro

undw

ater

info

rmat

ion

requ

ired

for d

ecisi

on-m

akin

g is

avai

labl

e to

all.

Build

on

the

exist

ing

Coal

Bed

Met

hane

dat

abas

e to

de

velo

p a

singl

e, c

entr

ally

loca

ted,

acc

essib

le sh

ared

gr

ound

wat

er d

atab

ase.

Form

a p

artn

ersh

ip/w

orki

ng g

roup

.CA

PP, A

ER, A

GS,

AHS,

PFR

A (A

AFC)

, MPW

A

MEDI

UM TE

RM

Det

erm

ine

wha

t kin

ds o

f dat

a sh

ould

be

incl

uded

in th

e da

taba

se (e

.g.,

data

on

wat

er u

se, w

ater

leve

ls, w

ater

qua

lity,

etc.

).CA

PP, A

ER, A

GS,

AHS,

PFR

A (A

AFC)

, MPW

A

MEDI

UM TE

RM

Wor

k w

ith e

ach

part

ner a

genc

y to

loca

te a

nd re

view

exis

ting

data

, re

port

s, et

c. a

nd a

naly

ze fo

r rel

evan

ce, d

igiti

ze it

and

ent

er e

xistin

g da

ta

(e.g

. AH

S w

ell d

ata,

PFR

A in

vent

orie

s, lic

ensin

g, A

GS, G

OW

N, m

unic

ipal

, et

c.) i

nto

the

data

base

. (M

PWA

can

prom

ote

this

proj

ect i

n th

e no

rth)

.

CAPP

, AER

, AGS

, AH

S, P

FRA

(AAF

C), M

PWA

MEDI

UM TE

RM

Iden

tif y

data

gap

s on

subs

urfa

ce st

ruct

ure

and

grou

ndw

ater

inve

ntor

y an

d de

velo

p a

plan

to fi

ll ga

ps

with

new

dat

a an

d in

form

atio

n.

Cons

ider

citi

zen

scie

nce

as a

mea

ns o

f gro

undw

ater

flow

and

wel

l-wat

er

qual

ity d

ata

colle

ctio

n (S

ee R

ocky

Vie

w W

ell W

atch

pro

gram

)M

PWA,

AGS

, AEP

MEDI

UM TE

RM

Ensu

re p

roce

sses

(e.g

., lic

ensin

g, w

ater

use

, etc

.) ar

e de

signe

d su

ch th

at n

ew d

ata

are

auto

mat

ical

ly

ente

red

into

the

cent

ral s

hare

d da

taba

se (o

nus i

s on

the

appl

ican

t to

ente

r dat

a in

to th

e de

signa

ted

syst

em th

at a

ll us

ers c

an a

cces

s).

Impr

ove

man

dato

ry li

cens

ee W

URS

repo

rtin

g an

d m

ake

it a

subs

et o

f th

e ne

w p

ropo

sed

data

base

.AE

P, A

ERME

DIUM

TERM

To su

ppor

t AEP

s int

egra

ted

appl

icat

ion

syst

em, a

t the

app

licat

ion

stag

e,

requ

ire in

form

atio

n lik

e tr

ansm

issiv

ity, e

tc. t

o po

pula

te th

e da

taba

se.

AEP,

AER

, lice

nsee

SHOR

T TER

M

Unde

rtak

e w

ork

to b

ette

r und

erst

and

hou

seho

ld u

se, a

gric

ultu

ral

regi

stra

tions

, and

wat

er w

ell q

ualit

y fo

r sta

te o

f rep

ortin

g by

in

corp

orat

ing

this

info

rmat

ion

into

the

cent

ral d

atab

ase

(e.g

., num

ber o

f pr

ivat

e w

ells,

typi

cal c

onsu

mpt

ion,

etc

.).

AHS,

AEP

, AGS

, M

PWA

MEDI

UM TE

RM


Out

com

esSt

rate

gic

Dir

ectio

nsAc

tions

Part

ners

Tim

efra

me

The

grou

ndw

ater

reso

urce

is

bett

er u

nder

stoo

d by

the

gene

ral

publ

ic w

ith ti

me.

Impr

ove

gene

ral p

ublic

und

erst

andi

ng o

f gr

ound

wat

er re

sour

ces (

amou

nt, in

vent

ory,

regu

lato

ry p

roce

ss);

grou

ndw

ater

– su

rfac

e w

ater

in

tera

ctio

ns; t

he c

umul

ativ

e eff

ects

of l

and

cove

r/la

nd u

se o

n gr

ound

wat

er q

uant

ity a

nd q

ualit

y; an

d ho

w g

roun

dwat

er w

ill be

affe

cted

by

clim

ate

chan

ge.

Dev

elop

an

educ

atio

n pl

an th

at id

entifi

es a

ppro

pria

te p

ublic

aud

ienc

es,

mes

sage

s, co

mm

unic

atio

ns to

ols,

etc.

MPW

A, A

EP,

Insid

e Ed

ucat

ion

SHOR

T TER

M

Supp

ort t

he G

oA W

orki

ng W

ell p

rogr

am a

s a m

eans

to re

ach

land

owne

rs w

ith p

rivat

e w

ells.

The

MPW

A ca

n pr

omot

e la

ndow

ner w

ell

test

ing;

iden

tifica

tion

and

prop

er d

ecom

miss

ioni

ng o

f aba

ndon

ed w

ells.

AEP/

AHS,

MPW

AME

DIUM

TERM

In c

onju

nctio

n w

ith th

e ne

xt M

PWA

stat

e of

the

wat

ersh

ed re

port

, de

velo

p a

grou

ndw

ater

atla

s sim

ilar t

o th

e Ed

mon

ton-

Calg

ary

Corr

idor

at

las s

how

ing

yiel

d, sa

linity

, pos

sible

con

tam

inan

ts, e

tc.

MPW

A, A

EP, A

GSME

DIUM

TERM

Wor

k w

ith M

unic

ipal

ities

to d

istrib

ute

info

rmat

ion

to ra

te-p

ayer

s.M

PWA,

AEP

, AA

MD

CSH

ORT T

ERM

Supp

ort t

he A

B Sc

ienc

e N

etw

ork

and

get g

roun

dwat

er sp

eake

rs in

to

scho

ols a

nd o

ther

pub

lic v

enue

s.M

PWA,

AB

Educ

atio

nSH

ORT T

ERM

Gro

undw

ater

use

rs, d

ecisi

on-

mak

ers a

nd th

e pu

blic

rece

ive

cred

ible

info

rmat

ion

abou

t sec

tor

grou

ndw

ater

use

and

how

al

loca

tion

deci

sions

are

mad

e.

Shar

e se

ctor

info

rmat

ion

abou

t the

Wat

er A

lloca

tion

Syst

em a

nd s

peci

fic se

ctor

wat

er u

se (i

nclu

ding

lic

ence

requ

irem

ents

, ret

urn

flow

s, w

aste

wat

er

trea

tmen

t, et

c.) w

ith th

e pu

blic

and

oth

er a

udie

nces

vi

a M

PWA

stat

e of

repo

rtin

g, A

EP fa

ctsh

eets

, In

dust

ry fa

ctsh

eets

, etc

.

Prom

ote

exist

ing

sect

or in

form

atio

n by

link

ing

to re

leva

nt In

dust

ry

web

sites

or r

esou

rces

whe

re th

ey e

xist t

o m

ake

licen

sing

and

othe

r in

form

atio

n m

ore

visib

le.

MPW

A, B

oard

m

embe

r sec

tors

SHOR

T TER

M

Dev

elop

fact

shee

ts th

at fo

cus o

n In

dust

ry g

roun

dwat

er u

se a

nd

prac

tices

incl

udin

g ca

se st

udie

s of w

ater

shar

ing/

confl

ict r

esol

utio

n,

wat

er re

-use

bet

wee

n se

ctor

s and

oth

er in

nova

tions

.

MPW

A, B

oard

m

embe

r sec

tors

MEDI

UM TE

RM

The

Gro

undw

ater

Allo

catio

n sy

stem

is e

ffici

ent a

nd e

ffect

ive.

Prom

ote

grou

ndw

ater

BM

Ps a

nd C

onse

rvat

ion,

Effi

cien

cy a

nd P

rodu

ctiv

ity p

lann

ing

for e

ach

sect

or

thro

ugho

ut th

e w

ater

shed

.

Crea

te a

sect

or B

MP

expe

ctat

ion

agre

emen

t or c

hart

er a

nd p

rom

ote

thro

ugh

boar

d m

embe

r sec

tors

.M

PWA,

Boa

rd

mem

ber s

ecto

rsME

DIUM

TERM

Hav

e ea

ch w

ater

usin

g se

ctor

pre

sent

the

ir CE

P pl

an to

the

MPW

A bo

ard.

MPW

A, B

oard

m

embe

r sec

tors

MEDI

UM TE

RM

Enco

urag

e im

prov

ed A

EP/A

ER c

omm

unic

atio

ns a

nd

colla

bora

tion

in o

rder

to c

ontin

ue b

uild

ing

the

Inte

grat

ed A

ppro

vals

Proc

ess f

or n

ew a

pplic

atio

ns

that

inco

rpor

ates

con

tinuo

us im

prov

emen

t fro

m

polic

y to

on-

the-

grou

nd p

ract

ice.

Eval

uate

how

wel

l new

pol

icie

s ar

e ap

plie

d an

d ac

hiev

ed (e

.g., g

uide

to

grou

ndw

ater

aut

horiz

atio

ns, a

rea

base

d re

gula

tions

, etc

.).AE

P, A

ER,

Indu

stry

, M

unic

ipal

ities

LONG

TERM

Look

at

how

wel

l pol

icie

s and

regu

latio

ns a

re a

chie

ving

cum

ulat

ive

effec

ts m

anag

emen

t.AE

P, A

ER,

Indu

stry

, M

unic

ipal

ities

LONG

TERM

Look

at h

ow w

ell p

olic

ies a

nd re

gula

tions

are

forw

ard-

look

ing

and

able

to

add

ress

futu

re a

reas

of i

nter

est/h

ot-s

pots

(e.g

., Fox

Cre

ek).

AEP,

AER

, In

dust

ry,

Mun

icip

aliti

es

LONG

TERM

Gro

undw

ater

man

agem

ent i

s in

tegr

ated

and

ada

ptiv

e su

ch th

at

it ad

dres

ses c

umul

ativ

e eff

ects

an

d cl

imat

e ch

ange

and

is

sust

aina

ble,

now

and

in th

e fu

ture

.

Impr

ove

com

mun

icat

ion

proc

esse

s bet

wee

n gr

ound

wat

er st

akeh

olde

rs.

Shar

e gr

ound

wat

er le

arni

ngs b

etw

een

sect

ors b

y m

akin

g se

ctor

pr

esen

tatio

ns to

the

MPW

A bo

ard

or h

oldi

ng a

gro

undw

ater

foru

m.

MPW

A, A

EP, A

GS,

Indu

stry

, aca

dem

iaME

DIUM

TERM

Ensu

re c

olla

bora

tion

betw

een

mun

icip

al a

nd

prov

inci

al g

over

nmen

ts fo

r sus

tain

able

gro

undw

ater

m

anag

emen

t.

Faci

litat

e pe

riodi

c st

akeh

olde

r for

ums (

incl

udin

g Pe

ace

Regi

onal

Ec

onom

ic D

evel

opm

ent A

llianc

e, W

ater

Nor

th C

oalit

ion,

Agr

icul

ture

Se

rvic

e Bo

ards

, etc

.) to

shar

e iss

ues a

nd c

once

rns a

bout

sust

aina

ble

grou

ndw

ater

man

agem

ent.

MPW

A, A

EPME

DIUM

TERM


Out

com

esSt

rate

gic

Dir

ectio

nsAc

tions

Part

ners

Tim

efra

me

A m

anag

emen

t sta

ndar

d fo

r pr

otec

ting

aqui

fers

is k

now

n an

d ut

ilize

d.

Dev

elop

a st

anda

rd fo

r aqu

ifer m

anag

emen

t tha

t id

entifi

es ro

les a

nd re

spon

sibilit

ies,

asse

sses

risk

s, pr

ovid

es a

pro

cess

for c

olla

bora

tive

man

agem

ent,

loca

l ste

war

dshi

p an

d co

nflic

t res

olut

ion

and

impl

emen

t it f

or a

quife

rs a

nd/o

r gro

undw

ater

are

as

of c

once

rn (e

.g., G

rimsh

aw G

rave

l, Fox

Cre

ek, e

tc.)

Use

the

Grim

shaw

Gra

vel A

quife

r as a

test

cas

e to

dev

elop

, impl

emen

t an

d te

st a

n aq

uife

r man

agem

ent p

lan

incl

udin

g so

urce

pro

tect

ion

and

best

man

agem

ent p

ract

ices

to b

e us

ed a

s a te

mpl

ate

for o

ther

aqu

ifers

.

GGAA

, MA,

MPW

AME

DIUM

TERM

Dev

elop

cas

e st

udie

s sho

wca

sing

colla

bora

tive

wat

er m

anag

emen

t in

Albe

rta.

AEP,

AER

, In

dust

ry, A

AMD

C,

etc.

MEDI

UM TE

RM

Be o

n th

e lo

ok o

ut fo

r em

ergi

ng is

sues

on

indi

vidu

al

aqui

fers

.Vi

a st

ate

of re

port

ing

and

writ

ing

and

impl

emen

ting

the

IWM

P,

docu

men

t gro

undw

ater

issu

es a

s the

y ar

e id

entifi

ed a

nd p

ass s

uch

info

rmat

ion

on to

dec

ision

-mak

ers.

MPW

A, A

EP, b

oard

m

embe

r sec

tors

LONG

TERM


Appendix C: List of Related Regulations, Legislation and Policies Reviewed During the IWMP Process

ɣ Canada National Parks Act (S.C. 2000, c. 32) – Parks Canada ɣ Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act (R.S.A. 2000) – AEP ɣ Fisheries (Alberta) Act (R.S.A. 2000) – AEP ɣ Fisheries Act (R.S.C. 1985, c. F-14) – Department of Fisheries and Oceans ɣ Forests Act (R.S.A. 2000, c. F-22) – AEP ɣ Forest Reserves Act (R.S.A. 2000, c. F-20) – AEP ɣ Migratory Birds Convention Act (S.C. 1994, c. 22) – Environment and Climate Change Canada ɣ Municipal Government Act (R.S.A. 2000) – Alberta Municipal Affairs ɣ Navigation Protection Act (R.S. 1985, c. N-22, s. 1; 2012, c. 31, s. 316.) – Transport Canada ɣ Provincial Agricultural Operations Practices Act (RSA 2000 Chapter A-7) – Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development

ɣ Provincial Safety Codes Act (R.S.A. 2000, c. S-1) – Alberta Municipal Affairs ɣ Provincial Parks Act and Wilderness Areas, Ecological Reserves, Natural Areas and Heritage Rangelands Act – Alberta Tourism, Parks and Recreation

ɣ Provincial Wildlife Act (R.S.A. 2000, c. W-10) – AEP ɣ Public Lands Act (R.S.A.2000, c. P-40) – AEP ɣ Regional Health Authorities Act (R.S.A. 2000, c. R-10) – Alberta Health ɣ Soil Conservation Act (R.S.A. 2000, c. S-15) – Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development ɣ Species at Risk Act (S.C. 2002, c. 29) – Environment and Climate Change Canada ɣ Water Act (R.S.A. 2000, c. W-3) – AEP ɣ Willmore Wilderness Park Act (R.S.A. 2000, c. W-11) – AEP ɣ Athabasca Watershed Council ɣ Alberta Wetland Policy (2013) ɣ Land-use Framework (2008) ɣ Municipal Government Plans ɣ Wapiti Corridor Management Plan ɣ Water for Life: A Renewal (2008) ɣ Framework for Water Management Planning (n.d.) and Framework for Watershed Management Planning (2008)

ɣ Water Conservation Objectives ɣ Wapiti River Water Management Plan ɣ Heart River Watershed Management Plan ɣ The Mackenzie River Basin Transboundary Waters Master Agreement, 1997 ɣ Mackenzie River Basin Bilateral Water Management Agreement, 2015 ɣ Métis Elders Knowledge Gathering Workshop ɣ Constitution Act (1982); Section 35


Appendix D: AbbreviationsAAF Alberta Agriculture and Forestry AAAF Association of Alberta Agricultural Fieldmen AAFC Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada AAMDC Alberta Association of Municipal Districts and Counties ABMI Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Institute ACA Alberta Conservation Association AEMERA Alberta Environmental Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting Agency AEP Alberta Environment and Parks AER Alberta Energy Regulator AGS Alberta Geological Survey AHS Alberta Health Services AI Alberta Innovates ARWQI Alberta River Water Quality Index ASVA Association of Summer Villages of Alberta AUMA Alberta Urban Municipalities Association BMP Best management practice CAPP Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers CEP Conservation, efficiency and productivity DUC Ducks Unlimited Canada ECCC Environment and Climate Change Canada EIA Environmental impact assessment EMEND Ecosystem Management Emulating Natural Disturbance Project ENGO Environmental non-governmental organization FCM Federation of Canadian Municipalities FN First Nation GGAMAA Grimshaw Gravels Aquifer Management Advisory Association GoA Government of Alberta GoC Government of Canada GOWN Groundwater Observation Well Network IK Indigenous knowledge IWM Integrated watershed management IWMP Integrated Watershed Management Plan LUF Land-use Framework MPWA Mighty Peace Watershed Alliance MRBB Mackenzie River Basin Board NAIT Northern Alberta Institute of Technology NPSP Non–point source pollution NRBS Northern River Basin Studies PAD Peace-Athabasca Delta PADEMP Peace-Athabasca Delta Ecological Monitoring Program PC Parks Canada PCA Parks Canada Agency PFRA Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Administration SoW State of the Watershed TEK Traditional ecological knowledge TNC The Nature Conservancy UNESCO United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization WBNP Wood Buffalo National Park WPAC Watershed Planning and Advisory Council WRRP Watershed Resiliency and Restoration Program WURS Water Use Reporting System