Protecting our Water

NCIA is involved in numerous initiatives that work toward managing industrial water use and water quality in the Industrial Heartland and Capital Region. This includes being an active member of the multi-stakeholder Water Steering Committee established to guide the implementation of the Water Management Framework for the Industrial Heartland and Capital Region (2008).

The Framework presents a collaborative, cumulative effects management approach to protect the reach of the North Saskatchewan River, from Devon to Pakan, which is directly impacted by municipal and industrial effluent discharge. Its objectives include:

Make Alberta a world leader in water and water reclamation.
Minimize the impact or footprint on the North Saskatchewan River by improving the quality of the water and ensuring water conservation practices are in effect.

A 2015 report describing the advancement on the goals, priorities and next steps of the Framework after 8 years of implementation is also available.

Water Management Framework for the Industrial Heartland and Capital Region: 8 years of implementation

For more information about water management, visit the Alberta Environment and Parks website.

What is a Cumulative Effects Management Approach?

It's not new for Alberta to consider cumulative effects when managing the environment. What is new is the formal merging of the methods - science and technology - into a coordinated, integrated and legislated system now well underway in Alberta.

The cumulative effects management approach allows various stakeholders within the region to work together and agree on environmental outcomes. These outcomes will be set with full consideration of social, economic and environmental implications. Under the cumulative effects management approach, the responsibility of meeting those standards is shared fairly among all stakeholders – municipalities, provincial government, regional organizations and industry. For industry, this means that in addition to approvals, other non-regulatory and policy tools (including economic incentives, education and voluntary action), will be used to achieve environmental outcomes.

Existing environmental regulations will remain in place under the new system and individual companies will still need to know and be held accountable to enforceable requirements. But the present environmental management system will now include cumulative effects management as part of regular business, which means new approvals for the region will be considered within the context of the current and future impacts on the region.

Cumulative effects management is not only about managing for today, but managing for our future generations and ensuring that they have a healthy, sustainable economic and environmental landscape in which to live, work and play.