Prairie Water StrategiesA Synthesis of Strategic and Coordinated

Action at a Provincial and State Level

D. Swanson, B. Oborne, S. Barg and H. Venema

Purpose of the Study

• To identify innovations and challenges in strategic and coordinated action for water resources

A pathway to sustainable development cannot be charted in advance.

Rather, the pathway must be navigated through processes of learning and

adaptation.

Analysis Framework

Continuous process of …• leadership (the setting of goals and objectives)• planning (inter-departmental and watershed

level) • implementation of a mix of policy instruments• multi-level coordination and participation • monitoring of key water indicators learning

and adapting to new information

Research Methods

Alberta Saskatchewan Manitoba Interprovincial

North Dakota Minnesota International Boundary

Case Studies

(~20 pages)

Detailed Analysis (~70 pages)

Synthesis (~15 pages)

Key Findings

LEADERSHIP

Commitment – to the sustainable management of water resources within a respective jurisdiction.

A single comprehensive water strategy document

Alberta’s Water for Life strategy

The Manitoba Water Strategy

Observation: Each jurisdiction has made a commitment

Prairie Provinces Water Board

Targeted strategy and agency mandates

A strategic mandate of a government partnership,

Safe Drinking Water Strategy

Sask Watershed Authority

Water Management Framework

SaskWater Corp

Focus – articulation of broad goals specific objectives

• Innovations– Alberta short-, medium- and long-term goals

and objectives (with a 10-year future horizon) – Saskatchewan attention to a Safe Drinking

Water Strategy which was given a five-year target completion time (by 2007).

• Gaps– Forward looking outlook that extends to next

generation

Key Findings

Planning

Strategic and Administrative Structure – how is government organized to formulate and deliver effective

water policy?

• Innovations– Alberta Water Council and Sask. Deputy

Minister Review Committee– Manitoba Water Stewardship – Saskatchewan Watershed Authority

• Gap – An assessment process to identify lessons

learned with regard to different governmental structures seen in the prairies

Key Findings

Multi-level Coordination and Participation

Watershed Partnerships

• Innovations– Watershed financing in MB via Water Stewardship

Fund and existing CD program– Alberta has a comprehensive watershed management

framework inviting any Albertan to participate (from local to regional)

– Saskatchewan has a substantial level of dedicated staff support and a systematic process for watershed planning.

• Gaps– only a limited number of watershed plans have

actually been completed within the prairie basin

Key Findings

Implementation

Mix of Policy Instruments

• Innovations– Manitoba riparian tax credit.– Alberta’s Water Act now permits water allocation

rights holders to transfer their licences

• Gap– Of the over 140 policy instruments surveyed among

the four jurisdictions, we could find only two instances of an economic instrument being used for water resources management or stewardship.

Key Findings

Monitoring, Evaluation and Adaptation/Improvement

Monitoring of Water Indicators

• Innovations– state-of-watershed reporting in the three leading

watersheds in Alberta– Saskatchewan flexible suite of province-wide

watershed indicators to support its stress-condition-response analysis framework

– SaskH2O.ca – Integrated reporting (Alberta’s Measuring Up;

Manitoba’s SD Report and 2005 Performance Report)– Manitoba’s Deerwood Association/WEBS program

and the Tobacco Creek Model Watershed• Gap

– Watershed level indicators

Concluding Remarks

• A water strategy process is no panacea• However, … is critical for adaptive

management and sustainability at local and provincial levels

Doing

LearningAdapting

Must be free and able to

interact

Trial and error process of ...

Rihani 2001

Doing

LearningAdapting

Must be free and able to

interact

Trial and error process of ...

Rihani 2001

Concluding remarks• Significant innovation seen throughout the

prairie water basin

• Gaps do exist signaling a need for:– time-bound and formal next generation commitments– Widespread watershed planning & management and

clear linkages with existing and new local, provincial, Aboriginal and federal initiatives

– Use of economic instruments– Systematically monitored state-of-watershed

indicators and forward-looking assessment to inform strategy and policy adaptations at local and provincial levels

THANK YOU

• Draft Synthesis paper and supporting case studies at http://www.iisd.org/natres/water/pwps_background.asp

• Detailed draft report and U.S. case studies to be posted soon.

Comments and Suggestions Please

dswanson@iisd.ca