March 28, 2024

The AIDA is pleased to announce the final report of the Assessment of Strategic Management Projects to Support Economic Growth  project has been released. The current drought being experienced within the South Saskatchewan River Basin is a reminder of the importance of continued planning for short and long term water management and adaptation options to mitigate from drought and flood and support growth in the South Saskatchewan River Basin (SSRB). This project recognized that ambition by facilitating stakeholders collaboration to analyze and discuss the benefits and impacts of potential water management adaptation options within the basin.

Springboarding off previous related work, this project used the South Saskatchewan River Operational Model (SSROM)  as a tool to understand the local and basin wide impacts of proposed adaptation options under both historic river flows and climate change scenarios identifying plausible and positive options that could provide local and regional water management benefits in the SSRB. The final report’s Adaptation Roadmap  details 23 proposed infrastructure, policy and management change options that should be considered and implemented and an additional five activities requiring continuous improvement to strengthen SSRB water management into the future.

Additionally, the EcoMetrics© methodology was utilized to identify potential economic, social and environmental benefits of the adaptation options identified through project modelling.

The project working group consisted of over 40 stakeholder participants including municipalities, First Nations, irrigation, industry, watershed planning and advisory councils, other environmental non-governmental organizations, Alberta Agriculture and Irrigation and Alberta Environment and Protected Areas.

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