South Saskatchewan River Basin Draft Plan Released

November 10, 2005

Draft plan affecting water management on the Bow River and surrounding South Saskatchewan Watershed released: Bow Riverkeeper Encourages Public to Provide Input to the Plan

The Alberta government has recently released a draft water management plan for the South Saskatchewan River Basin (SSRB) intended to balance the water demands of the economy and the environment. The draft plan includes two key recommendations:

  1. That Alberta Environment stop accepting applications for new water allocations in the Bow, Oldman and South Saskatchewan River sub-basins. There will then be a review by the government to determine how unallocated water should be used in the future.
  2. The creation of objectives recommending how much flow is to remain in the Bow, Red Deer, and Oldman Rivers. The draft plan recommends that the flow objectives for the Bow River increase by 10 percent from current objectives.

Bow Riverkeeper's Its Our Water Future campaign is geared to educate the public about the importance of maintaining sufficient streamflows for the river's health and to promote sustainable watershed management that emphasizes water conservation and demand-side management of water use. We are in the process of evaluating the draft and will provide you with our analysis in the near future. We will also keep you informed about the plan and its implications for the health of the Bow.

The main purpose of the draft plan is to recommend how much flow is to remain in the main rivers of the South Saskatchewan Basin (Bow, Red Deer, and Oldman Rivers) for the aquatic environment and, conversely, how much water remains available for allocation. According to Alberta Environment,

"The plan is designed to ensure water is managed wisely and to encourage conservation, so the province can continue to meet water demands as the population and economic activity grow."

PROVIDE YOUR FEEDBACK!

All Albertans are invited to provide their feedback on the draft water management plan by December 9. The draft plan and supporting documents, including a link to a questionnaire, is also available online at www.environment.gov.ab.ca or by calling toll-free 310-0000, then 403-297-6250.

The public may provide comments on the draft plan using one of four options. Input will be accepted until 4:30 pm, December 9, 2005:

  1. Complete an online response form

  2. Send an e-mail to: mailbox(at)equusgroup.com
  3. Send a letter to:
    Equus Consulting Group Inc.
    #250, 9707 - 110 Street
    Edmonton, Alberta T5K 2L9

  4. Attend one of seven open houses/public meetings to be held in Red Deer, Drumheller, Bindloss, Calgary, Brooks, Medicine Hat and Lethbridge this fall. Watch your local newspaper for dates, times and locations.

For more information, including complete versions of reports, please refer to the Background Studies section. Additional information about the Draft Water Management Plan is also available here:

For more information about the South Saskatchewan River Basin Water Management Plan, contact Doug Ohrn at 403-297-6462 (toll free in Alberta by first dialing 310-0000).