| | A second type of partnership under the Water for Life strategy is the Watershed Planning and Advisory Councils (WPACs). These multi-stakeholder groups will provide a means for Albertans to become more involved in maintaining safe, secure water resources in Alberta’s major river basins.
“Depending on how you split them up, there are seven or eight major watersheds in Alberta,” explains Petra Rowell of Alberta Environment. “There could be 10 or 12 WPACs, depending on how each group evolves and what works best for the stakeholders.”
Rowell says existing basin groups, including the Oldman Watershed Council, Bow River Basin Council and North Saskatchewan Watershed Alliance, are in the process of obtaining official WPAC status. She says WPACs will also likely form for the Red Deer River, Battle River, Milk River, Lesser Slave Lake, and Cold Lake-Beaver River basins. In the very large Athabasca and Peace River basins, the stakeholders might choose to form two groups within each basin.
Although each WPAC will develop and operate according to its own needs, Rowell says there are some general requirements for all WPACs. For example, their membership must be inclusive and representative of stakeholders in the basin, and they should operate on a consensus basis. Also, they need to follow good operating principles like preparing annual business plans and publishing annual reports.
The WPACs will have various important functions. For example, they will provide a forum for sharing information and perspectives among the stakeholders in the basin. They will assess the current state of the watershed, create and implement a watershed management plan and evaluate the plan’s effectiveness. Each WPAC may also conduct educational programs, such as promoting sustainable practices for agriculture, industry and urban areas. The WPACs will also provide input to the Alberta Water Council through their Council representative.
Rowell emphasizes, “A lot of these things are just evolving, and there are no hard and fast rules. It’s really about partners and players coming together, and figuring out what the issues are, how best to attack those issues, and building the capacity to implement solutions.”
Breathing life into the strategy
The Bow River Basin Council (BRBC), one of the existing basin groups, has recently been designated as the WPAC for the Bow River Basin. This multi-stakeholder group includes more than 120 member organizations and individuals from the basin. It is dedicated to conducting activities for the improvement and protection of waters in the basin.
The BRBC was very involved in development of the Water for Life strategy. BRBC Executive Director Mark Bennett says, “We think the water strategy is a very good, well conceived idea. Our membership is very intent on doing what we can to breathe life into it and help it succeed.”
Bennett says the BRBC is excited about being included in the partnerships envisioned by the strategy. He notes, “It is important to remember that a partnership is a relationship between individuals or groups that is characterized by joint rights, close cooperation and shared responsibilities to achieve mutual goals – in this case the water strategy.”
Established in 1991 as a registered non-profit charitable organization, the BRBC already conducts many WPAC functions. For example, it has almost completed a comprehensive state-of-the-watershed report for the basin. It took on the role of the Basin Advisory Committee for the Bow River as part of the South Saskatchewan River Water Management Plan initiative.
The BRBC has worked on such topics as urban storm water issues and riparian guidelines. As well, BRBC members sit on steering and advisory committees for various water-related initiatives. The BRBC also actively supports local watershed groups in the basin. For instance, it conducts quarterly networking and education forums on different water management issues for BRBC members. It also funds projects to protect and conserve the waters of the basin. And it provides in-kind resources, with BRBC staff working on the committees of some local groups.
Bennett says, “Basically, we undertake activities that benefit the water and the watershed. By doing that, we are helping ourselves, the water strategy, and the province.”
Watersheds on the Web
Along with www.waterforlife.gov.ab.ca, other websites about Alberta watershed-related agencies and groups include:
|
|