www.nswa.ab.ca www.nswa.ab.ca Vol. 1, Issue 2 2009

Municipalities in the NSRW NSWA Information Bulletin

Beaver County Leduc County The Municipal Guide: Tofield Beaumont Viking Calmar Planning for a Healthy and Sustainable North Saskatchewan River Watershed Holden Devon Ryley New Serepta NSWA’s Municipal Guide was published in 2006 and The Municipal Guide project originated under the direction Brazeau County Thorsby updated in 2008. It is a comprehensive resource, full of of an NSWAcoordinator and a steering committee made up Drayton Valley Warburg information, advice, ideas and tools. It was developed to of representatives from municipalities within the NSRW, Breton M.D. of Bonnyville help municipalities make decisions about land management provincial and federal government bodies, and non- Clearwater County County of Wetaskiwin and development at the community level. A steering government organizations. In the spring of 2005, the project Rocky Mountain House Parkland County committee led by NSWA and supported by municipalities in team collected information from municipalities about how the North Saskatchewan River Watershed (NSRW) their needs could be addressed by a Municipal Guide. County of Minburn Stony Plain designed the guide to provide an educational and planning Forty-eight representatives from twenty rural and urban Vegreville Spring Lake tool for municipalities. Individuals and groups within municipalities participated in three workshops to kick-start Innisfree Wabamun municipalities, such as developers, industry partners, the project. Mannville Smoky Lake County residents and other stakeholders may also find the guide Minburn At the workshops participants discussed an overview of the Smoky Lake useful. County of St. Paul Vilna project and reviewed a draft Table of Contents. They Elk Point Waskatenau Local land use activity directly affects the quality and commented on what they liked about the project, what St. Paul Strathcona County quantity of water in the NSRW; therefore, municipal concerns they had with the project and what implications County of Thorhild Sherwood Park governments are in a unique position to promote the guide might have in their municipality. They made Thorhild environmental stewardship as a means of protecting their suggestions for the final content of the guide. Sturgeon County local water resources. County of Two Hills Bon Accord Feedback from these three workshops shaped the form and Two Hills Gibbons This guide is a planning tool for municipalities and other land function of the Municipal Guide. The final draft was Derwent Legal managers interested inwatershed stewardship . Although reviewed by representatives from municipal, provincial and Myrnam Morinville the guide focuses on issues significant to municipalities federal governments and non-governmental organizations Willingdon Redwater within the NSRW, it also contains information that is prior to publication by NSWA. County of Vermilion River Westlock County applicable to municipalities in other parts ofAlberta. Vermilion Clyde Dewberry Cities Kitscoty Edmonton Marwayne Fort Saskatchewan Paradise Valley Leduc Lac Ste Anne County Lloydminster Alberta Beach Spruce Grove Onoway St. Albert Lamont County Bruderheim Lamont Mundare Andrew Chipman Yellowhead County CamroseFor more County information about the Municipal Guide visit our website: www.nswa.ab.ca www.nswa.ab.ca www.nswa.ab.ca

WHAT’S IN THE MUNICIPAL GUIDE? PURPOSE OF THE GUIDE

Chapter 1 Introduction: An overview of the purpose, Chapter 6 Municipal Infrastructure, This guide emphasizes issues significant to uses and limitations of this guide. Property and Operations: An overview of municipalities within the NSRW; however, municipal responsibilities relating to: the the information is also applicable to other Chapter 2 Watershed Overview: An overview of design of municipal infrastructure; the municipalities inAlberta. watershed issues; components and values of a management of municipal property; and the healthy watershed; how decisions are made; and how In fact, impacts on watershed health execution of municipal operations relating to activities occurring in individual municipalities affect resulting from population growth and watershed health. Topics include: green the overall watershed.There is also an overview of the development pressures are similar in spaces; transportation and road maintenance; current state of the North Saskatchewan River communities around the globe; therefore, waste disposal; agriculture services; watershed and general threats to watershed health. much of the information in this guide is woodlots; and the oil and gas industry. relevant beyond Alberta’s borders. Chapter 3 Overview of Legislation and Chapter 7 Municipal Bylaws: An overview of Government Bodies Relevant to Watershed Issues concerning bothurban and rural the use of municipal bylaws as tools for This guide can be used as a reference for Health: A summary of federal and provincial statutes municipalities have been combined in this protecting watershed health. Bylaws answering questions, for finding contact (acts), policies and government bodies that deal with guide to facilitate understanding and discussed in this chapter include those which information or for gathering ideas about actions various aspects of watershed health. encourage cooperation between the two municipalities can take to protect their watershed. protect natural areas and trees to prevent jurisdictions. While concerns and needs of Chapter 4 Municipal Planning and Development: pollution and to conserve water. rural and urban municipalities are often Each municipality has its own history, economy, A review of the relationship between municipal land Chapter 8 Cooperation and Collaboration different, watershed management is more social and environmental conditions, values and use and development decisions and watershed in the Watershed: A summary of the value of effective when there is cooperation across visions of how to protect the environment. It is not health. It examines a number of opportunities for and the strategies for municipal cooperation municipal borders. surprising that approaches to watershed planning incorporating watershed considerations into statutory and collaboration with other stakeholders in will vary from one municipality to another. This and non-statutory planning. The information in this guide is useful to the watershed. These stakeholders include guide offers information on various options for local municipalities whether they are just watershed stewardship and from this information Chapter 5 Water, Wastewater and Stormwater departments within a municipality, beginning to explore their role in watershed Operations: An examination of municipal roles neighbouring municipalities, residents, municipalities can develop approaches that are stewardship or if they are already active unique to each situation. relating to watershed health, which include: source community groups, industry groups, non- stewards. water protection; the management and treatment of governmental groups and federal and stormwater; the treatment and distribution of potable provincial government bodies. water; and the collection and treatment of wastewater. Chapter 9 Funding Watershed Stewardship: A summary of funding opportunities for The complete Municipal Guide is available on municipalities interested in securing funds for our website: www.nswa.ab.ca watershed stewardship projects.

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