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Alberta Innovates A Roadmap for Sustainable Water Management in the Athabasca River Basin Submitted by: Dr. P. Kim Sturgess, C.M., P.Eng., FCAE CEO WaterSMART Solutions Ltd. 605, 839 5th Ave SW Calgary, Alberta T2P 3C8 [email protected] Submitted to: Dallas Johnson Director, Integrated Land Management Alberta Innovates 1800 Phipps McKinnon Building 10020 – 101A Avenue Edmonton, Alberta T5J 3G2 [email protected] Submitted on: September 28, 2018 The Sustainable Water Management in the Athabasca River Basin Initiative was enabled through core funding provided by Alberta Innovates and matching funds contributed by the Alberta Energy Regulator, Alberta Environment and Parks, ATCO, Repsol Oil and Gas, Suncor Energy, and Westmoreland Coal Company. This report is available and may be freely downloaded from http://albertawatersmart.com/featured- projects/collaborative-watershed-management.html Alberta Innovates (Al) and Her Majesty the Queen in right of Alberta make no warranty, express or implied, nor assume any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information contained in this publication, nor that use thereof infringe on privately owned rights. The views and opinions of the author expressed herein do not necessarily reflect those of AI or Her Majesty the Queen in right of Alberta. The directors, officers, employees, agents and consultants of AI and the Government of Alberta are exempted, excluded and absolved from all liability for damage or injury, howsoever caused, to any person in connection with or arising out of the use by that person for any purpose of this publication or its contents. Suggested citation for this report: WaterSMART Solutions Ltd. 2018. A Roadmap for Sustainable Water Management in the Athabasca River Basin. Produced by WaterSMART Solutions Ltd. for Alberta Innovates, Calgary, Alberta, Canada. 247 pages. Available online at http://www.albertawatersmart.com/. A Roadmap for Sustainable Water Management in the Athabasca River Basin Contents List of Acronyms .............................................................................................................................. vii Executive Summary ............................................................................................................................1 1.0 Introduction ...........................................................................................................................6 1.1 Context .......................................................................................................................................... 6 1.2 Project overview ........................................................................................................................... 7 1.3 Process methodology for the ARB Initiative ................................................................................. 8 1.3.1 Process .................................................................................................................................................... 8 1.3.2 Meetings ................................................................................................................................................. 9 1.3.3 Additional engagement with Indigenous communities ........................................................................ 10 1.4 The Athabasca Integrated River Model (AIRM) .......................................................................... 11 1.4.1 Base case ............................................................................................................................................... 12 1.4.2 Stress tests ............................................................................................................................................ 13 2.0 Facts about the ARB .............................................................................................................. 14 2.1 Geography ................................................................................................................................... 14 2.2 Hydrology .................................................................................................................................... 16 2.3 Climate change ............................................................................................................................ 18 2.4 Human activity ............................................................................................................................ 23 2.5 Water management .................................................................................................................... 28 3.0 Strategies for sustainable water management ....................................................................... 31 3.1 Water challenges in the ARB ....................................................................................................... 31 3.2 Strategy assessment through modelling and dialogue ............................................................... 32 3.3 Summary of strategies ................................................................................................................ 33 3.3.1 Effluent reuse: Enable reuse of industrial or municipal effluent to reduce reliance on freshwater ..... 36 3.3.2 Water conservation: Continue to achieve water conservation and efficiency improvements as communities develop ........................................................................................................................... 44 3.3.3 On-stream storage: Explore new on-stream multi-purpose storage options ....................................... 52 3.3.4 Off-stream storage: Develop new and existing off-stream storage sites to meet multiple basin water management objectives ....................................................................................................................... 70 3.3.5 Existing infrastructure: Alter existing water storage infrastructure and operations to meet multiple basin water management objectives ................................................................................................... 81 3.3.6 Environmental flows: Establish IFNs or similar targets for all tributaries in the basin as a precautionary water management measure ....................................................................................... 89 3.3.7 Navigational flows: Implement minimum flows to improve navigation in the lower Athabasca basin .............................................................................................................................................................. 97 3.3.8 Land conservation: Increase the quantity and improve the condition of conserved and restored land across the basin .................................................................................................................................. 104 3.3.9 Forestry practices: Support practices in Forest Management Agreements (FMAs) that minimize hydrologic change .............................................................................................................................. 112 3.3.10 Wetlands: Avoid further wetland loss or functional impairment and promote more wetland restoration, education, and best management practices focused on minimizing impacts ............... 116 3.3.11 Linear connectivity: Reclaim or deactivate linear features and reduce future linear disturbances in watersheds ......................................................................................................................................... 120 i A Roadmap for Sustainable Water Management in the Athabasca River Basin 3.3.12 Extraction industry reclamation: Continue to set and meet high standards of reclamation of extraction footprint to maintain or improve hydrological functions in a watershed ........................ 125 4.0 Additional learnings about the ARB ..................................................................................... 127 4.1 Where does the water in the ARB come from? ........................................................................ 127 4.2 Where does the water in the ARB go? ...................................................................................... 128 4.3 What will climate change likely mean for water supply in the ARB? ....................................... 130 4.4 How might melting glaciers affect long-term water supply in the ARB? .................................. 130 4.5 How might changes in land use affect water supply in the ARB? ............................................. 130 4.6 Which has greater potential effect on surface water quality and quantity: converting land into farmland or increasing irrigation? ........................................................................................... 132 4.7 Will using alternatives to freshwater in in-situ facilities make a noticeable difference in flow in the Athabasca River? ............................................................................................................... 132 4.8 Can shutting off water licence withdrawals improve navigation on the Athabasca River? ..... 134 4.9 What critical gaps exist in water related data, processes, policy, and knowledge for the ARB? ................................................................................................................................................. 136 5.0 Sustainable water management in the ARB ........................................................................