Watershed Management and Support
WaterSMART has a unique and unmatched skill set in watershed management and modelling. Our depth of experience enables us to understand the interconnections and complexities of watersheds. This knowledge translates into better results for our clients, including higher resilience to external impacts, optimal water management and a healthier watershed.
Our unique watershed consultation skill set includes:
- A thorough understanding of water regulations and legislation.
- Expertise in watershed and climate science and water stakeholder work.
- Experience with irrigation expansion through collaboration with irrigation districts.
- Watershed modelling proficiency.
- Facilitation, stakeholder engagement and communications expertise.
We use these skills to ensure watershed decisions balance the necessary economic, political, social and regulatory inputs. We also ensure that decisions lead to economic growth, sound environmental management, reduced watershed impacts, stakeholder understanding and agreement, and a healthy watershed.
Featured Watershed Management and Support Projects
.
South Saskatchewan River Basin Watershed Management
Using a suite of decision support tools, WaterSMART collaborated with a group of stakeholders and watershed working groups to explore climate variability scenarios, identify the impacts and risks to the river system and its users, and identify and model adaptation strategies for the Bow and Oldman River basins.
By identifying and communicating key drivers and context for climate change adaptation in the South Saskatchewan River Basin (SSRB), this project succeeded in leaving a legacy of data, information and tools to inform future work throughout the rest of the SSRB.
Bow River Water Management
WaterSMART provided facilitation and live modelling tools for the Bow River Water Management project. Work involved facilitating the ~40-member Bow River Working Group as it assessed and refined recommendations for flood and drought mitigation options, including assessments of three major reservoir options on the Bow River. Work concluded with the initiation of a feasibility study.
Tasks included:
- Developing scenarios for potential operational and infrastructure flood mitigation opportunities in the Bow River Basin.
- Identifying schemes to offset increased watershed management risk in the basin.
- Developing scenarios for drought mitigation opportunities with improved (or at minimum, not reduced) ecosystem health.
- Improving resilience to the impacts of flooding and drought in the watershed.