The Beaver River
State of the Watershed (SOW)
Viewing the current state…
Coming soon! In partnership with Fiera Biological Consulting Ltd., LICA is developing a new State of the Beaver River Watershed Report. Check back to this page for updates!
Purpose, Intent, Benefits
As a Watershed Planning Advisory Council, LICA’s role is to assess, report on, and share the State of the Beaver River watershed.
The SOW is determined by many natural factors, such as geology and climate, in addition to various pressures that are exerted due to human drivers. Notably, many of the issues that may be causing a decrease in watershed condition or health can be attributed to a single or common driver and/or pressure (Fiera Biological Consulting Ltd., 2024).
SOW reports help to form a clear understanding of the current state of the watershed and are a valuable and insightful exercise to identify potential problems and areas of concern. These watershed assessments form an understanding of the current condition, and how it got there. It is an important step in prioritizing areas for improving and protecting the watershed’s condition (Government of Alberta, 2008).
Additionally, as recommended in the Beaver River Integrated Watershed Management Plan, the report should be updated to reflect the current status of the watershed’s condition and consider new information collected to support the assessment.
Driver, Pressure, State, Impact, Response Framework
Indicators used in the assessment and reporting of the new Beaver River State of the Beaver River watershed report.
About the Beaver River Watershed
The Beaver River watershed is located in the boreal plain of east-central Alberta and west-central Saskatchewan, in Treaty 6, 8 and 10 territories and in the Métis homeland. The total drainage area of the Beaver River at its confluence with the Churchill River is 50,003 km2, with about half of the watershed (22,000 km2) in Alberta (Beaver River Watershed Alliance (BRWA) 2013).
A glance at the past…
The first State of the Beaver River Watershed Report was completed in 2013. This used watershed health indicators to assess how current and historical conditions across the Beaver River watershed match up against ideal conditions. To view the state in 2013, click below.
2013 State of the Watershed
Summary Report