The Headwaters Alliance: An Inter-municipal Approach to

Watershed Management Mary Ellen Shain, M.Sc.

Flowing Waters Conference -October 19, 2017

Headwaters Alliance

October 19, 2017

Alberta’s Water for Life Strategy

Headwaters Alliance

October 19, 2017

Headwaters Alliance

October 19, 2017

North Saskatchewan Watershed Alliance

Vision:

People working together for a healthy and functioning North Saskatchewan River watershed - today and tomorrow.

Mission

To protect and improve water quality, water quantity (instream flow) and the health of our watershed by:

seeking, developing and sharing knowledge; facilitating partnerships and collaborative planning; and working in an adaptive management process.

Headwaters Alliance

October 19, 2017

Headwaters Alliance

October 19, 2017

The North Sask. Watershed Alliance

Headwaters Alliance

October 19, 2017

The Headwaters Alliance

Headwaters Alliance

October 19, 2017

Headwaters Alliance

October 19, 2017

Riparian Health in the SOW

Headwaters Alliance

October 19, 2017

Why Are Riparian Areas Important?

Ecosystem services provided by riparian habitats:

Recharge aquifers

Filter water and increase water quality

Trap and retain sediment

Build and maintain streambanks

Store flood water and reduce flood water energy

Reduce and dissipate stream energy

Maintain biodiversity

Create primary productivity

Headwaters Alliance

October 19, 2017

Riparian Health for the Municipalities

Headwaters Alliance

October 19, 2017

Riparian Health in the IWMP

Headwaters Alliance

October 19, 2017

Long-Term Project Goals

Phase 1

Assessment of riparian health (condition and pressure) (Modeste sub-watershed pilot project)

Phase 2

Municipal use of data for restoration and conservation activities

Intermunicipal collaboration opportunities

Phase 3

Economic valuation of ecological goods and services (Modeste sub-watershed pilot project)

Partnership with ALUS Canada and Alberta Innotech

Riparian data

How do we use the

data now?

How do we use the

data later?

Headwaters Alliance

October 19, 2017

Modeste Wub-watershed Pilot Project:

Project Area

Headwaters Alliance

October 19, 2017

Limitations of Current Assessment Approaches

Impractical for large areas, such as an entire watershed

High costs

Time consuming

Restrictions associated with private land access

Image credit: NSWAImage credit: Cows & Fish

Headwaters Alliance

October 19, 2017

Modesté Study Objectives

1. Develop a new GIS tool for conducting rapid,

repeatable, and largescale assessments of riparian

condition using data that is freely available to the NSWA

2. Assess riparian condition in a GIS environment using

metrics that are

comparable to existing aerial videography methods

The results will be validated against airborne

videography data for a selected pilot study region

within the watershed

3. Map and quantify riparian condition across the Modesté

watershed using the newly developed GIS tool

Headwaters Alliance

October 19, 2017

Riparian Assessment in the Modeste

Watershed

1. Riparian Intactness:

Is riparian habitat present?

How intact is the riparian habitat?

2. Catchment Pressure on Riparian System

Function:

What natural and anthropogenic factors exist

that may increase or decrease pressure on the

ecological and hydrological function of riparian

habitats?

Headwaters Alliance

October 19, 2017

Methods for Prioritization Combining intactness and pressure scores allows land managers to more

precisely target areas for conservation or restoration

Combined intactness and pressure scores to created a prioritization matrix

using best professional judgement

Headwaters Alliance

October 19, 2017

Project Results

Headwaters Alliance

October 19, 2017

Data at various scales

HUC6, municipality, HUC8, stream, individual reach, RMA, land owner

Headwaters Alliance

October 19, 2017

Headwaters Alliance

October 19, 2017

Headwaters Alliance

October 19, 2017

Headwaters Alliance

October 19, 2017

Long-Term Project Goals

Phase 1

Health Assessment of Riparian Areas in Watershed (Modesté Pilot Project)

Phase 2

Municipal use of data for restoration and conservation activities

Intermunicipal collaboration opportunities

Phase 3

Economic valuation of Ecological Goods and Services throughout the watershed

Full watershed-scale (Modesté pilot area)

Riparian data

How do we use the

data now?

How do we use the

data later?

Headwaters Alliance

October 19, 2017

Phase 2- Municipal Collaboration

Headwaters Alliance

October 19, 2017

Draft Objective 1 (Fiera)

Objective :Conserve high quality riparian habitat.

Measure: Proportion (%) of Riparian Management Areas assessed as Moderate and/or High Intactness.

Actions

Incentivize voluntary conservation of riparian habitat on private land through payment for ecosystem services, changes to tax regimes, or other BMP programs.

Develop education and outreach programs to encourage stewardship and conservation of riparian habitats on private land.

Secure high conservation priority riparian habitats through purchase or through other land securement mechanisms available to conservation groups, land trusts, or municipalities.

Develop provincial and/or municipal development setback and riparian land management policies.

Create a municipal habitat conservation and restoration fund to allow for the securement of high priority riparian conservation areas.

Headwaters Alliance

October 19, 2017

Draft Goal 2 (Fiera)

Objective: Restore riparian habitats that have been impacted or impaired.

Measure: Proportion (%) of Riparian Management Areas assessed as Very Low and/or Low Intactness.

Actions:

Incentivize riparian habitat restoration on private land through payment for ecosystem services, changes to tax regimes, or other BMP programs.

Develop education and outreach programs to encourage private land restoration.

Partner with conservation organizations to promote and encourage restoration on private lands.

Create a municipal habitat conservation and restoration fund to pay for riparian habitat restoration on public lands

Headwaters Alliance

October 19, 2017

Draft Objective 3 (Fiera)

Objective : Manage external pressures on riparian

system function.

Measure: Pressure score of local catchments adjacent to streams.

Targets:

No net decrease in the pressure score of local catchments adjacent to streams.

Net increase in the cover of natural vegetation (e.g., forest) and/or wetlands

within high pressure catchments adjacent to streams.

Actions:

➢ Incentivize voluntary conservation of wetland habitat and natural vegetative cover on private land through

payment for ecosystem services, changes to tax regimes, or other BMP programs.

➢ Develop education and outreach programs to encourage stewardship and conservation of wetlands and other

natural vegetation on private land.

➢ Secure wetland and other natural habitats in high priority catchments through purchase or through other

land securement mechanisms available to conservation groups, land trusts, or municipalities.

➢ Create municipal land use bylaws that restrict land clearing or high intensity land use activities in local

catchments designated as high priority for conservation.

Headwaters Alliance

October 19, 2017

Long-Term Project Goals

Phase 1

Health Assessment of Riparian Areas in Watershed (Modesté Pilot Project)

Phase 2

Municipal use of data for restoration and conservation activities

Intermunicipal collaboration opportunities

Phase 3

Economic valuation of Ecological Goods and Services throughout the watershed

Full watershed-scale (Modesté pilot area)

Riparian data

How do we use the

data now?

How do we use the

data later?

Headwaters Alliance

October 19, 2017

Phase 3- Green Infrastructure Assessment

(IMWEB) of Modeste Sub-Watershed

Headwaters Alliance

October 19, 2017

Headwaters Alliance

October 19, 2017

Headwaters Alliance

October 19, 2017

Phase 3- Green Infrastructure

Assessment of Modeste Sub-watershed

economic costs of green infrastructure projects

societal benefits including reduced damage from flood

and drought

associated cost savings for upgrading or developing

municipal wastewater treatment facilities; and

the economic value of carbon sequestration in mitigating

greenhouse gas emissions.

Headwaters Alliance

October 19, 2017

Thank you!