Watershed management – Resources

Watershed management

• Alberta Water Council. Description: The Alberta Water Council monitors and implements strategies to ensure safe drinking water and protect aquatic ecosystems.
  In their report the Alberta Water Council provides 12 recommendations to improve watershed management in Alberta by developing a framework to integrate shared governance and a watershed approach into the existing policy and legislation.
• Enabling Partnerships
• Framework for Water Management Planning
  A reference guide outlining the process for water management planning and the components required for water management plans in Alberta. The framework provides general guidance for a consistent approach to water management planning.
• Glossary of Terms Related to Watershed Management in Alberta
  An easy-to-follow glossary of common terms directly associated with water and watershed management in Alberta. The glossary serves as a tool and reference for Water for Life partnerships and working groups.
• Guide to Watershed Planning
  A guide for Water for Life partners outlining the best practices for watershed management planning in Alberta. This guide outlines a process for a consistent approach and provides useful tools and resources for watershed management planning.

State of the watershed reporting

• Handbook for State of the Watershed Reporting
  An overview of the process elements for compiling and evaluating existing and available information for the purpose of completing a broad-scale screening of the physical features, resources and conditions of a watershed. This handbook introduces users to the concept of watershed-scale assessments via watershed health indicators and includes an extensive listing of data and information sources from across the province.
• Guide to Reporting on Common Indicators Used in State of the Watershed Reports
  Completing another key action of the Water for Life Action Plan, the Alberta government released the above noted guide as a reference for groups reporting on conditions within their watershed. The guide sets out criteria and direction for consistent reporting on a subset of watershed health indicators commonly found in state of the watershed reports. The main audience for this document includes Alberta's Watershed Stewardship Groups and Watershed Planning and Advisory Councils.

  The Guide to Reporting on Common Indicators Used in State of the Watershed Reports is a companion document to the Handbook for State of the Watershed Reporting released by the Alberta government in 2008.

Assessing environmental performance

• Indicators for Assessing Environmental Performance of Watersheds in Southern Alberta
  An introduction to generic condition and pressure indicators for land, water quantity, water quality, and aquatic and riparian ecosystems. This report explores the relationship between land and water, and explains how select indicators are linked to environmental outcomes.
• Indicators for Assessing Environmental Performance of Watersheds in Southern Alberta: A Summary Document
  This summary document is meant to provide guidance to Watershed Planning and Advisory Councils and Watershed Stewardship Groups in terms of identifying environmental indicators to monitor the environmental state of watersheds and assess progress towards achieving environmental outcomes.