The Water Management Framework for the Industrial Heartland and Capital Region, announced by Minister Rob Renner in December, 2007, was developed by a multi-stakeholder group including representatives from municipalities, industry, municipal waste treatment facilities, the North Saskatchewan Watershed Alliance and Alberta Environment, to manage water demands from the North Saskatchewan River and improve water quality. This Framework is a component of the Alberta Government's broad new course of actions to manage cumulative effects of human activity on the environment throughout the entire province, and fits within the Integrated Watershed Management Plan under development by the North Saskatchewan Watershed Alliance.
 
The vision of the Water Management Framework is to create a world-class integrated water management system within the North Saskatchewan River to sustainably support the environment, and social and economic development. The Water Management Framework will manage cumulative effects in the North Saskatchewan River, supporting the three goals of Alberta's Water for Life Strategy: safe, secure drinking water supply; healthy aquatic ecosystems; and reliable, quality water supplies for a sustainable economy. The end result will be a system that protects the aquatic environment, provides incentives to improve environmental quality, and is flexible to the unique demands of the Industrial Heartland and Capital Region.
 
Implementation of the Water Management Framework is underway in accordance with the high level implementation phases outlined in the Water Management Framework report. Implementation is being led by a multi-stakeholder steering committee comprised of representatives from Alberta Capital Region Wastewater Commission, StrathconaCounty, SturgeonCounty, the City of Edmonton, industry, the North Saskatchewan Watershed Alliance, Alberta Finance and Enterprise and Alberta Environment. Sub-committees of this steering committee are in place and focused on implementation activities related to baseline science, engineering studies, and governance and management of assets.

Current Status

• The multi-stakeholder group leading the implementation of the Water Management Framework for the Industrial Heartland and Capital Region is well established and provides the multi-stakeholder representation and support to effectively implement the Framework. Stakeholders will need to continue to work together and provide the resources required to build the system that is envisioned.
• Updating the baseline for industrial and municipal water demand, industrial wastewater discharged to the river, river water quality and quantity, and municipal effluent quality and quantity is underway.  Baseline and evaluative science is being developed to assure that the outcomes of the Framework are being met.  A water quality model has been developed to clearly understand the point source contaminant loading under various flow and development scenarios and to understand the local and basin scale water quality impacts.  A water quantity model has been developed to understand the natural flow variability, the region's impacts on supply, and the potential for wastewater reuse.
• Using existing infrastructure locations for current development to minimize the footprint on the North Saskatchewan River is underway. For example, new approvals are not allowing new intakes and industry are being asked to share existing intakes.
• Building on existing commitments to use reclaimed water is underway.
• An engineering study to evaluate industrial water supply and wastewater treatment alternatives in the Industrial Heartland and Capital Region is underway. The study is expected to be complete by the fall of 2010. The scope of work of the engineering study includes the development and evaluation of technical concepts and scenarios to achieve an integrated regional industrial water supply, wastewater treatment and waste stream management system and improve the quality of the receiving water source. This requires maximizing the use of existing infrastructure, wastewater recycling and reuse of municipal wastewater as a potential new source of water to support regional requirements.

Phase I (completed)
The first phase of the project was the development of a hydrogeology and groundwater database and data management system to support the remaining phases and was completed in 2004.

 

Phase II (completed)
Information gaps were identified, and Phase II of the project was commissioned to obtain the data required to fulfil the goals of Phases III and IV of study.   Phase II began early in 2005 and was completed in 2006. It involved drilling 23 test holes in FortSaskatchewan, SturgeonCounty and StrathconaCounty to address gaps in the existing information. Thirteen of those test holes were converted to monitoring wells, to complement the existing well networks operated by both industry and Alberta Environment in the region.
 
Phase III (to be completed by March 2010)
Phase III began in 2007, and involved a continuing assessment of current groundwater quality, as well as the use of computer models. Utilization of numerical groundwater modeling was used in conjunction with a decision basis for establishing the locations and completion details for the groundwater monitoring wells that will form the collective NCIA regional groundwater monitoring well network. The modeling domain will encompass the NCIA study area and address long term monitoring strategies for the continued protection and management of groundwater resources in the region. The process will incorporate existing monitoring well assets into the regional groundwater monitoring network where appropriate.
 
Phase IV (to begin sometime in 2010)
The final phase of the project will be to develop the regional groundwater monitoring network and provide recommendations for the implementation of a sustainable groundwater management strategy for a long term regional monitoring program.