2011 Alberta Branch Conference

Land and Water: Reducing our impacts

Alberta Branch
Holiday Inn
April 10-13, 2011
Red Deer, Alberta

The theme for the 2011 Branch Conference is “Land and Water: Reducing Our Impacts….What happens on the land, doesn’t always stay on the land....”. The conference was co-hosted by the Canadian Water Resources Association (Alberta Branch) and the Alberta Low Impact Development Partnership.

About the Conference:

Alberta is a young place, and many of us are still tied to the land more strongly than in some other parts of the world. However, like people everywhere, most of us have a limited understanding of the way our activities on the land alter our prized water bodies. What happens in Vegas may stay in Vegas, but what happens on the land doesn’t always stay on the land. Tirelessly writing a never-ending report card, water bodies record our every land-use decision and grade us accordingly.

Wherever land is taken out of its natural state—whether for agricultural production, resource extraction, or urbanization—runoff increases. In the runoff are clues to the associated human activities: nutrients, pathogens, hydrocarbons, metals, road salt, pesticides, and so on. Water bodies are at the receiving end of this voluminous soup.

Since water and land refuse to “stay inside the lines”, managing land use for the protection of our water resources requires extensive collaborative effort. In order to address our impacts, we know we must bring together science across disciplines, planning across jurisdictions, and policy and regulation rational across scales. Are we getting an ‘E’ for our efforts? Where is there room for improvement? What next?

Recognizing the need for increased collaboration, the Canadian Water Resources Association (Alberta Branch) and the Alberta Low Impact Development Partnership are partnering to present the 2011 annual conference for both organizations. From science to policy to practice and everything in between, join us for a exciting program exploring issues, new ideas, policies and best practices for runoff management.

Monday April 11, 2011 - Morning Plenary Session
Keynote Presentations

• Paul Fesko - Calgary's Water Future - Risks and Opportunities
• Judy Stewart - Water Management and Cumulative Effects: What private landowners need to know
• Dr. Hamid R. Habibi - Monitoring and biological impact of environmental contaminants in Southern Alberta Rivers
• Marilou Montemayor - The Red Deer River Watershed Alliance Starts Its Integrated Water Management Plan

Monday April 11, 2011 (Afternoon Sessions)
Plans and Policies: What Works and What Doesn't

• Jason Unger - Cumulative conundrums: difficulties in regulating cumulative impacts on surface water quality in Alberta
• Xiangfei, Li - Water Management and Cumulative Effects: What private landowners need to know
• Liliana Bozic - Stormwater Reuse in the City of Edmonton

Watershed Protection: Issues and Studies Part 1

• Al Sosiak - Lake and Watershed Management Projects at Pine Lake, Alberta
• Stephan Weninger and Alex Monkman - The Impacts of Centralization of Wastewater Discharges into the Red Deer River on the Expansion of the Red Deer River Wastewater Treatment Plant
• Alicia Dmytruk - Enhancing the Capture of Urban Runoff Contaminants

Monday April 11, 2011 (Afternoon Sessions)
Stormwater Management in Small Towns and Rural Areas

• Blaine Feske and Al Corbett - Rural Water Management by Drainage Districts in Alberta
• Michael Kitchen and Roy Ermter - Storm Drainage Challenges in Southern Alberta
• Garnet Dawes - Didsbury North Industrial Sustainable Wetland

Watershed Protection: Issues and Studies Part 2

• Norine Ambrose - Critical evaluation of conservation efforts - converting good intentions into effective programs and healthier landscapes
• Ken Lewis - Red Deer County’s Off the Creek Program: A case study in using public funding to support private landowners in adopting environmentally beneficial management practices

Tuesday April 12, 2011 - Morning Plenary Session
Students and Young Professionals First Nations Water Issues Round Table

• Nina Modeland - Integration of First Nation Communities into Water and Wastewater Management in the Bow Basin
• Clayton Manning - Effects of Strathmore wastewater effluent on Bow River water quality and on downstream Siksika well waters

Tuesday April 12, 2011 - Morning Plenary Session
Low Impact Development: Policies and Innovation

• Bert van Duin and Judy Stewart - Stream and Wetland Building Development Setback Policies: Challenges, Myths, and Experiences
• Steph Neufeld and Lyndon Gyurek - An Integrated Approach to Watershed Protection in Alberta from a Water Utility Perspective

Tuesday April 12, 2011 (Morning Sessions)
Managing Water and Effects on the Aquatic Habitat

• Jon Fennell - Managing What We Have: A Review of Alberta's Water
• John Jackson - Westslope Cutthroat Trout Responses to Landscape Disturbance in the Upper Oldman River Watershed
• Carolyn Campbell - Management of Headwaters Recreation Impacts in Alberta’s Eastern Slopes

Tuesday April 12, 2011 (Afternoon Sessions)
Land Use and Water Quality Challenges

• Gloria Wilkinson - Bow Basin Watershed Management Plan Phase Two: Focus: Land Use, Headwaters, Riparian Areas and Wetlands - Addressing the Challenges
• Colleen Phelan - Is there a problem with agricultural pesticides in surface water?
• Tom Daniels - Managing Water Quality During Forestry Road Construction and Maintenance in the West Central Alberta

Low Impact Development - Theory and Implementation

• George Roman - Municipal Land Use Planning to Protect Water Resources
• Dennis Westhoff and Ben Lee - LID Residential Subdivision Study: A Theoretical Case Study in The City of Calgary
• Mike James - Soil - Water - Trees : The Foundation of Green Infrastructure

Tuesday April 12, 2011 (Afternoon Sessions)
Effects of Nutrient Transport on Water Resources

• Andrea Brack - Reducing Impacts on Land and Water from Confined Feeding Operations in Alberta
• Kristen Lorenz - Assessing Livestock Manure Impacts on Groundwater Quality in Alberta
• Barry Olson - Evaluating Nutrient Beneficial Management Practices in Alberta Agricultural Watersheds

Rain Gardens and Bioretention

• Craig Kipkie - Stormwater Rain Gardens – 101 Design Considerations
• Craig Kipkie - Stormwater Rain Gardens – 102 Implementation and Maintenance Considerations
• Leta van Duin - Plants for Prairie Rain Gardens