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The table is set for change in the
region’s water management as the South East Alberta Watershed
Alliance (SEAWA) holds its first board election and general meeting
this Thursday.
ALEX MCCUAIG
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The table is set for change in the
region’s water management as the South East Alberta Watershed
Alliance (SEAWA) holds its first board election and general meeting
this Thursday.
Watershed planning advisory councils
(WPAC) were provincially mandated at the recommendation of the
Water For Life report released in 2002 to help locally manage water
resources.
“It comes from the idea of the
community making the decisions that affect the community,”
said Audrey Goodwin, SEAWA member and Alberta Environment regional
water strategist.
“The main focus of a WPAC is to do a
state of the watershed, do an inventory of what you have in terms
of data and research and put it together to identify some of the
gaps.”
Once that is done, any changes in terms of
management issues can be identified, according to Goodwin.
“Those who can make those changes on
the landscape are the people who need to be represented on the
board level. Those are the people who can make the changes actually
happen.”
WPACs mark are distinct change from the
old basin advisory councils that would make recommendations to
government to initiate policy.
“This is very different. This is a
group of partners coming together and each one can have a part of
the management plan.”
The partners will include representatives
of industry, agriculture, government and holders of the
region’s water licenses with each player responsible for
making their part in water management come to fruition.
The board election will be taking place
this Thursday at the Esplanade from 3 to 7:30 p.m. with those
interested in attending being requested to RSVP at
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Voting membership is open to the public as
well as free of cost and can be obtained by visiting
www.seawa.ca.
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