The Nose Creek Watershed Partnership (NCWP) – a body of neighbouring stakeholders dedicated to protecting the watershed – was pleased to receive a $30,000 grant from the Alberta EcoTrust Foundation.
“This much-needed funding will help us build a model to better understand current watershed conditions and predict future conditions based on growth in the area,” said Jessica Sleeman, chair of the NCWP.
The partnership, according to Sleeman, comprises “the jurisdictions in which Nose Creek flows” – Rocky View County (RVC), Airdrie, Calgary, Crossfield, the Calgary Airport Authority and the Bow River Basin Council.
“Our goal is to protect riparian areas and improve water quality in the Nose Creek Watershed,” she said.
The partnership was notified it had received the grant June 12, Sleeman said, and announced Aug. 13 that it would be used for Phase One of NCWP’s Nose Creek Watershed Hydrologic/Hydraulic and Water Quality Model. The model, Sleeman said, will outline the approach to achieving NCWP’s goal.
According to Sleeman, the first phase involves compiling data and creating a framework to guide the development of the model. The entire cost of Phase One will be a maximum of $100,000, and she said the initial phase is anticipated to be completed by fall 2020.
The next step, she said, will involve developing the model. Future phases will see the model applied, the assessment of the watershed’s state and the evaluation of the watershed management strategies.
The project is an integral part of NCWP’s work, which Sleeman said has been ongoing since the partnership was formed 20 years ago. The organization developed a water management plan 10 years ago, containing policies and water-management strategies agreed upon by all partners to “protect the water quality and prevent any further degradation of the creek,” she said. The plan was updated in the fall of 2018.
“I’m pretty happy that, over 20 years ago when the partnership formed, people had the foresight to get together – because there’s obviously no boundary around the watershed – and have a consistent approach in how they would apply policy and management principles to the watershed,” Sleeman said.
The Nose Creek Watershed faces several challenges, she noted, ranging from the effects of increasing residential and commercial development to agricultural activity. These challenges can result in the degradation of water quality and the loss of riparian areas. In combating these challenges, Sleeman said, it’s vital to have a consistent approach across jurisdictions.
“If you don’t and you’re not managing that appropriately, the worst-case scenario, if all the partners weren’t on the same page, is you [would] see more flooding,” she said. “Residents want to have an overall healthy quality of water and watershed, and I think residents perceive Nose Creek as an amenity to the community.”
