Action plan guides Alberta's water management

Healthy aquatic ecosystems, conservation and education are priorities in the renewed Water for Life action plan. The strategy and action plan together set the direction for water management in Alberta over the next 10 years.

The plan lays out the actions Alberta intends to deliver over the next decade. It includes activities Alberta committed to deliver as part of its original Water for Life strategy and incorporates new actions to address the province’s emerging water challenges and current realities. The action plan also supports regional environmental objectives and Alberta’s cumulative effects management approach.

The Alberta Water Council’s 2006-08 implementation review acknowledged that Water for Life implementation is making good progress. The Council identified the need to: integrate and coordinate the management of land, water, air, biodiversity and the cumulative impacts of development; ensure partners have the funds and people needed to complete their work; and encourage Water for Life leaders and champions. They also made recommendations to increase focus on education and protect Alberta’s rivers, lakes and aquifers from overuse and contamination.

The Water for Life strategy is the blueprint for water management in Alberta, ensuring the province’s water quality and quantity supports our people, economy, and environment. Water for Life was originally released in 2003 and renewed in 2008 to meet the changing realities of our growing province. Implementation of Water for Life involves the efforts of many partners including non-government organizations, industry, provincial and other governments. The detailed action plan supports the successful implementation of the strategy’s goals and directions.

For a copy of the renewed strategy and action plan, visit www.waterforlife.alberta.ca

Dave Quest is the Member of the Legislative Assembly for the Strathcona Constituency.
If you have any comments or questions concerning this column or other provincial government issues, please contact Dave at his constituency office located at #168 – 2301 Premier Way, Sherwood Park, T8H 2K8. Telephone: 780.416.2492 or email: Strathcona@assembly.ab.ca