Transcription of ALBERTA WATER COUNCIL
1 ALBERTA WATER COUNCILALBERTA WATER COUNCILW ater for Life Implementation Review 2016 to 2019 ALBERTA WATER COUNCIL WATER for Life Implementation Review 2016 to 2019 About the ALBERTA WATER CouncilThe ALBERTA WATER COUNCIL (AWC) is a collaborative partnership that provides leadership, expertise, and sector knowledge and perspectives to help governments, Indigenous Peoples, industry, and non-governmental organizations to advance the outcomes of WATER for Life. It advises the Government of ALBERTA (GoA) on matters pertaining to the successful achievement of the outcomes of the WATER for Life strategy and on effective WATER resources management policies, practices, and AWC regularly reviews the implementation progress of the WATER for Life strategy and champions the achievement of the strategy s goals.
2 The AWC may advise on government policy and legislation in some instances. However, the Government of ALBERTA remains accountable for the implementation of the WATER for Life strategy and continues to administer and contribute to WATER and watershed management activities throughout the more information about AWC s work, contact: ALBERTA WATER COUNCIL 14th Floor, Petroleum Plaza South Tower 9915-108 Street Edmonton, AB T5K 2G8 Telephone: 780-644-7380 Email: Web: Photo Credits (left to right): Low-pressure irrigation pivot. Andre Asselin, ALBERTA WATER CouncilWater treatment plant.
3 Andre Asselin, ALBERTA WATER CouncilRiparian river bank. Anuja Hoddinott, ALBERTA WATER CouncilOld Chief Mountain from Police Outpost Lake Provincial Park, iStock Photo bgsmith (bottom of pages)Copyright June 2021, ALBERTA WATER CouncilJUNE 2021 Preface WATER for Life in the Time of COVID-19 Although the focus of this review of WATER for Life implementation progress is for the period 2016 to 2019 inclusive, the events occurring in 2020 must be acknowledged. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and its associated social, economic, and environmental costs will be felt for years to uncertain times like these it is reassuring and perhaps taken for granted that ALBERTA s WATER management system continues to operate effectively.
4 Every time we wash our hands, we can be thankful that ALBERTA is blessed with a good supply of raw WATER and that a small army of provincial and municipal essential workers keep our drinking WATER and wastewater infrastructure operating efficiently. As Albertans look to rebuild our economy in the wake of the pandemic, we can be assured that our WATER supply and allocation system will continue to support the needs of our people, as well as our agricultural and industrial sectors. And finally, as we look to our local parks (often associated with a lake, river, or wetland) for relaxation and rejuvenation, we can feel fortunate to have such a wealth of green spaces and healthy watersheds where we can reconnect with can take solace in knowing that, although it is not perfect, ALBERTA has a well-functioning WATER management system that Albertans have helped to put in place and sustain over time.
5 It took a century of concerted and proactive effort to ensure that we now have a framework of policies, legislation, plans, and best practices in place and this framework supports our needs in challenging times. Over the past 17 years, the Government of ALBERTA s WATER for Life strategy and the multi-sector partnerships that have been forged through it have shone a light on this WATER management framework. The strategy has been tested, and its strengths and weaknesses have been regularly assessed. This sustained scrutiny and these ongoing efforts to improve our WATER and watershed management systems, with the input of all relevant sectors, has served Albertans well in the past.
6 But as always, we must ask, will it continue to serve us well in the future?To reduce risks to our WATER supply, managers have engaged in a number of initiatives in recent years, such as looking at potential contaminants, mapping 1 ALBERTA WATER COUNCIL WATER for Life Implementation Review 2016 to 2019flood plains, making drought mitigation plans, and looking at the impact of forest fires, among others. Generally, these risks have been considered as singular occurrences. Only recently have we been forced to reconsider WATER management in times of multiple crises ( , climatic events, pandemics, economic downturns, infrastructure failures) affecting ALBERTA communities and watersheds, all at once.
7 Whether our complex WATER management system is robust enough to support us during such times of multiple and sometimes recurring crises is hard to it is still early days regarding what we will learn from the pandemic, now more than ever, we can appreciate the need to proactively improve WATER management in ALBERTA . WATER issues are not always top of mind for everyone and may not have the traction that other issues have, but it is important that WATER for Life continues to shine a light on our WATER resources and that improvements to WATER management continue to be embedded into the everyday business of provincial and municipal governments and other WATER -using sectors.
8 Hopefully, this report and its recommendations will help identify what this work needs to look like in the coming 2021 Executive Summary and RecommendationsThe ALBERTA WATER COUNCIL (AWC) was established under the Government of ALBERTA s (GoA) WATER for Life strategy. Consistent with its mandate, the AWC regularly reviews the implementation of the strategy. To conduct this work, AWC created the WATER for Life Implementation Review Committee (the committee) in 2004. Since then, this standing committee has undertaken five reviews. During the last review, which covered 2012 to 2015, committee members suggested that in the next review period, the committee review its methodology.
9 As well, they identified the need to develop performance indicators to improve future reviews and to better inform ALBERTA s WATER managers. These two tasks were added to this sixth review of WATER for Life strategy implementation, which covers the period January 1, 2016 to December 31, inform this review, the committee undertook several data-gathering exercises including reviewing pertinent documents and initiatives, conducting a sector survey, holding roundtable discussions with Government of ALBERTA staff involved in implementation activities, and working with Watershed Planning and Advisory COUNCIL managers to gather input from their boards.
10 The committee then formulated recommendations in a draft report, before engaging peers and AWC sectors in their review. A final report with recommendations and a communications plan were provided to the AWC board of directors for approval in the winter of 2021. The committee also oversaw work on WATER for Life implementation performance indicators during this period and revised its terms of reference and the WATER for Life Implementation Review How-To Guide. After reviewing the committees work, the AWC approved their report and recommendations to improve WATER for Life implementation progress and WATER and watershed management in ALBERTA :3 ALBERTA WATER COUNCIL WATER for Life Implementation Review 2016 to 2019 Recommendation 1.
