Overview
The Wapiti River basin lies within the Peace River watershed. Of all the basins in the Peace River watershed, the Wapiti basin has the highest concentration and diversity of water withdrawals and wastewater discharge. Communities in the Wapiti River basin had expressed concerns about water use from the river, particularly about diversions during winter low-flow periods and the potential negative impacts to the aquatic environment.
In response, a steering committee of local stakeholders was formed in 2012. Since then, the steering committee has engaged with the public, stakeholders and Indigenous communities and organizations, which led to the creation of the Wapiti River Water Management Plan.
The plan provides guidance and recommendations on balancing the needs of municipal water supply, industry uses, agriculture and other uses, while ensuring a healthy aquatic ecosystem in the Alberta portion of the Wapiti River basin.
Timeline
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Open
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Results under review
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Completed
Who is listening
Ministry of Environment and Parks
Input received
Albertans provided feedback on the draft plan using an online survey from February 10 to May 8, 2020.
Thank you for your interest.
Outcomes
The feedback was reviewed and a final plan was presented with recommendations to the Alberta government. Recommendations were adopted and helped form new policy for water licensing in the Wapiti River basin.
Prospective licensees and water licence applicants designed their plans with due consideration given to the Wapiti River Water Management Plan objectives. Water licence applicants within the basin made adjustments to their applications where necessary to meet the plan's water diversion limits.
The Water Conservation Objective of the Wapiti River Water Management Plan has been authorized and implemented under the Water Act (June 2020).
Documents
Wapiti River water management plan