Leah Kongsrude talks about the role of Albertan municipalities in sub-basin watershed management. She describes those roles in the context of the Sturgeon River and what the cooperation of municipalities has meant for the watershed. Cooperative work to alleviate flooding, protect riparian areas and urban expansion led to similar standards for land-use bylaws and engineering standards. Encouraged by this success, St. Albert led the development of a multi-stakeholder group to work on watershed management for the Sturgeon River. But consensus did not emerge so the group had to dissolve. So St. Albert refocused on cooperating on a state of the watershed report for the Sturgeon Report. The status report provided recommendations for further municipal cooperation in watershed management for the Sturgeon River. Municipal based partnerships seem to be the way forward for watershed management rather than focusing on wider stakeholder involvement. Leah Kongsrude reviews the municipal success stories in the Edmonton region that show watershed cooperation works among municipalities. And she concludes by explaining why municipalities are successful in cooperative watershed management.
Leah Kongsrude is the Environmental Manager with the City of St. Albert, Alberta. Her presentation was part of the North Saskatchewan Watershed Alliance Annual General Meeting, June 26, 2013 at the Enjoy Centre, St. Albert, Alberta.
