Cumulative Effects Assessment of the North Saskatchewan River Watershed using ALCES 2009-2010
The North
Saskatchewan Watershed Alliance (NSWA) was designated in 2005 as the
Watershed Planning and Advisory Council (WPAC) for the North
Saskatchewan River basin, under Water for Life: Alberta’s Strategy
for Sustainability. Part of its mandate as a WPAC is to prepare an
Integrated Watershed Management Plan (IWMP) for the North Saskatchewan
River Basin (NSRB). This plan will include advice to the government of
Alberta regarding the watershed values and trade-offs that are
acceptable to a broad spectrum of stakeholders.
The North Saskatchewan River Basin is
one of the largest and most populated major watersheds in Alberta. As
such, it is at the core of providing valued services to Albertans. The
importance of providing water for drinking and industrial purposes is
understood by all, but the full range of services and values of this
river go well beyond utilitarian values. The North Saskatchewan River
Basin (NSRB) has historical, recreational and spiritual values, supports
Alberta’s natural capital of biological diversity, and provides
ecosystem services such as water purification, sewage disposal, flood
control, and climate amelioration. The value of these important
services, however, can be substantially diminished through incremental,
gradual encroachment of human development and related impacts on
watershed function. As part of their work towards the IWMP, the NSWA
desired to gain a better understanding of long-term, cumulative impacts
of development on the watershed, and to highlight potential conflicts
between development and sustainability. The NSWA engaged the ALCES©
Group to undertake a high-level, strategic and exploratory cumulative
effects modeling for the NSRB. Report can be downloaded at: http://nswa.ab.ca/sites/default/files/NSWA2009alces-final-report-oct8-2009.pdf.
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