Bow River Basin Council’s quarterly education forum a valuable resource for watershed information
The Bow River Basin Council hosted their quarterly educational forum last month. We found the event to be very informative and we encourage you to attend future events.
For those who missed it, we’ve summarized the event and provided links to a few of the presentations.
The BRBC forums are free events open to the public. There was a broad mix of attendees at this month’s event including individuals from City of Calgary, Alberta Environment and Parks, University of Calgary, Alberta WaterSmart, Bighill Creek Preservation Society, Canadian Water Resources Association, Beltline Neighborhoods Association, Hillhurst Sunnyside Community Association, a handful of concerned residents, and more.
In addition to these quarterly forums, the BRBC hosts informational events throughout the year that may be of interest to you (see examples of past events). We will be sure to notify you of upcoming events, including the next quarterly educational forum.
High Plains Industrial Park Stormwater Management Pilot by Dennis Westhoff, Westhoff Engineering Resources
Just east of Balzac in the Nose Creek watershed, Westhoff Engineering Resources has constructed the High Plains Industrial Park (HPIP) to capture stormwater and treat it for reuse. The treated water is not potable but it is suitable for irrigation purposes. The project, a partnership with Olds College, will not result in much profit (water will be sold at a half of price in Rockyview County) but rather the goal is to build resiliency through stormwater management. Currently, the facility is a pilot project but there is potential for expansion.
The Bow River Bioengineering Demonstration and Education Project by Michael Gallant, Kerr Wood Leidal
Soil bioengineering is a technology that incorporates living and non-living plant material with natural and synthetic material for stabilization. By incorporating live plants, the protection of banks will improve over time (as plants mature) vs. one-shot hard engineering, in which the level of protection does not increase but only stays static over time. The Fisheries Habitat Enhancement and Sustainability (FISHES) program is a demonstration project involving five test sites on the banks of the Bow River. The sites, located east of Inglewood near the Cushing Bridge, use a variety of bioengineering techniques and will be monitored for performance.
Source Water Protection Plan by George Roman, City of Calgary
The City of Calgary draws water for our municipal utilities from surface water in the Bow and Elbow river systems. Effective source water protection requires close cooperation with upstream stakeholders and partners. The highest risks have been identified as stormwater runoff from land development and transportation systems, and widespread wildfires on forest lands or grasslands. By protecting our source water, we are taking steps to ensure we have reliable, clean water for current and future generations.
Municipal Government Act Amendment discussion by Judy Stewart
Since 2015, new provisions have been added to Alberta’s Municipal Government Act (MGA) that arguably authorize municipalities to manage components of the environment, such as surface water resources and air quality at the local and regional geopolitical landscape scales. In this discussion, amendments to the MGA since 2015 were examined and analyzed in light of Alberta’s regional watershed scale land use policy, legislation, and regulations to determine if Alberta municipalities are now authorized to manage the environment, specifically surface water resources and water quality.
South Saskatchewan Watershed Management Plan 10 Year Review – Final Report by Mike Murray, Bow River Basin Council
At the request of Alberta Environment, four basin advisory committees (BACs) were formed (Bow, Oldman, South Saskatchewan, Red Deer) to develop recommendations about the future water management in the South Saskatchewan River Basin (SSRB). The priority was to determine how much water should be left in the rivers for the aquatic environment, and conversely, how much water should be available for consumption. Recommendations involved management of surface water licenses and did not address groundwater or climate change.
New Monitoring Program and Optimization by John F. Orwin, Environmental Monitoring and Science Division
Are we capturing the right kind of watershed data? John Orwin detailed the characteristics of effective monitoring programs and walked us through his quest for a high-quality, province-wide data system.
Bighill Creek Water Quality Report by Bighill Creek Preservation Society
When concerns about water quality arose from changes in local land use (land development, agriculture), a one-year study was undertaken to test Bighill Creek’s water quality. Study results and next steps were discussed.
If you have any questions regarding these materials or would like to see any of the other presentations, please email us at info@crcactiongroup.ca.
Regards,
Your CRCAG Board