Watershed

LICA is one of eleven Watershed Planning and Advisory Councils (WPACs) in Alberta.  We are the WPAC for the Beaver River Watershed.  WPACs are designated by the Government of Alberta to carry out planning and education functions through the Water for Life Strategy (2003).  The end goals include:

  • healthy aquatic ecosystems
  • reliable, quality water supplies for a sustainable economy
  • a safe secure drinking water supply

Watershed Planning

LICA is leading development of an Integrated Watershed Management Plan (IWMP) for the Beaver River Watershed. An IWMP is a guidance document and planning tool for resource managers, including governments, planners, Indigenous communities, other stakeholders, and landowners who manage water and land resources, and 1) identifies goals for maintaining and/or improving watershed health, and 2) provides recommendations on how to i) reach those goals and ii) monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of IWMP implementation. LICA is committed to engaging with stakeholders, First Nations and the Métis in the watershed throughout the development of the Plan to ensure it reflects diverse viewpoints and is relevant, accurate, and implementable.

←  Click on the IWMP icon to find more information about the Beaver River Integrated Watershed Management Plan

 BEAVER RIVER WATERSHED

RIPARIAN ASSESSMENT

Riparian areas are the transitional zone between water and up-land. They are essential to watershed health and provide numerous benefits including trapping and storing water and sediment, filtering and buffering water, and increasing biodiversity. Through funding from the Watershed Restoration and Resiliency Program with the Government of Alberta, LICA funded riparian assessment of the Jackfish-Muriel Creeks Watershed, Reita Creek and the Upper Beaver Watershed.

 

The Upper Beaver Watershed report can be viewed here.

 

To view the presentation on these reports, please follow the link to our YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/tUAe_Ik0vtc

 State of the Watershed

A cornerstone initiative of the BRWA is the Beaver River State of the Watershed Report. This report uses watershed health indicators to assess how current and historical conditions across the Beaver River watershed match up against ideal conditions.

To view the Summary Report click on the link below.

2013-State-of-the-Beaver-River-Watershed-Summary-Report

 

 Stewardship

The WPAC strongly supports the work of local lake and watershed stewardship groups. Due to the high number of accessible recreational lakes in the watershed, there are several groups of local citizens committed to the health of their lakes.

Whenever possible, the WPAC will work with these stewardship groups in one of the following ways:

  • Partnerships on assessment and reporting initiatives (including cost sharing)
  • Support of management planning objectives, notable on-the-ground restoration work
  • Partnerships on education and awareness campaigns
  • Technical support in management planning, grant writing, and other initiatives.

KEEP OUR LAKE BLUE CAMPAIGN

                                                        

In the summer of 2019, LICA partnered with the Moose Lake Watershed Society to launch a campaign encouraging people to take action to reduce runoff and pollutants, such as phosphorus, from entering Moose Lake. Residents around Moose Lake were invited to take one new action to reduce runoff and pollutants on their properties. Households that signed up to Keep our Lake Blue received a lawn sign to display their commitment to clean water, and they were provided with a list of 52 actions they could take to reduce runoff and pollutants. From this list, the average household implemented 2 new actions this summer, took 31 actions in previous years, and did not take 17 of the actions. Upon receiving the campaign information, one resident changed his plan to install an asphalt driveway to a driveway with a permeable surface. LICA looks forward to partnering with the Moose Lake Watershed Society in the summer of 2020 to expand the Keep our Lake Blue campaign.

CAMPAIGN GUIDE ACTIONS TO IMPROVE WATER QUALITY