The Threats to Riparian Zones

in the Bow River Basin

EDRD 3450
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PART I: Introduction

The aim of this paper is to provide context for and describe current issues faced by the
Bow River basin and those organizations which manage it, with a particular emphasis on the
issues surrounding riparian zones. The Approved Water Management Plan for the South
Saskatchewan River Basin (Alberta) (2006), will be the primary document of interest for this
paper. This document contains recommendations which subsequently became management
strategies to improve the status and conservation of the South Saskatchewan River Basin and its
four sub-basins, including the Bow River basin. It focuses on water consumption and supply
issues, as well as the management and protection of riparian zones (Alberta Environment, 2006).
To ensure a comprehensive overview of issues and management strategies affecting this
watershed, I will also consult other relevant documents. Some topics which will be discussed are
water conservation objectives, as well as the policy framework of water licenses. This paper will
also encompass topics about managing water as it relates to industry and agricultural conflicts
and water uses, among other things. Together, these issues and this discussion should provide an
extensive view of water management policies and overall strategy for mitigating threats faced by
riparian zones in the Bow River Basin.

PART II: Context of the Watershed and Related Issues

Description of the Watershed and its Ecosystems

The Bow River basin is a sub-basin of the South Saskatchewan River basin and begins in
the Rocky Mountains of Alberta, flowing in Bow Lake and later becoming the Bow River
(Alberta Water Portal Society, n.d.). The basin stretches across a variety of landscapes and
ecosystems, as well as urban areas. The Bow River basin runs through the centre of Alberta’s
largest metropolis, Calgary, as well as several other smaller municipalities such as Airdrie, Banff
and Canmore. The Bow River basin has an area of over 25,000 square kilometers and is fed
chiefly by snow and glacial melt, as well as rainfall thus, leading to large seasonal variations in
flow (Alberta Water Portal Society, n.d.). It has several smaller tributaries, comprising the
Sheep, Elbow and Highwood Rivers (Alberta Water Portal Society, n.d.). Agricultural uses,
namely in the form of irrigation, are the largest consumers of water from the Bow River basin,
representing approximately seventy-one percent of total water allocation from the basin (Bow
River Basin Council, n.d.). The riparian areas in the Bow River basin are negatively impacted by
the large amount of intervention of flow of the basin, such as hydroelectric dams, irrigation
canals and land use management of these zones (Alberta Environment, 2006).
The ecosystems of the Bow River basin are highly diverse, as the landscape changes
greatly as the river flows east. At the highest elevation of the watershed, there is permanent ice
cover that forms part of an alpine tundra environment (Bow River Basin Council, 2010). This
then transitions into fir and spruce forests in lower mountain elevations (Bow River Basin
Council, 2010). Travelling down from the mountains’ slopes, east towards Calgary, the
landscape becomes valleys and foothills (Bow River Basin Council, 2010). East of Calgary, the
area transitions once again to become dry mixed grass prairie (Bow River Basin Council, 2010).
In the riparian zones of this landscape, cottonwood and poplar trees are usually found, these form
key components of the basin’s riparian zones (Bow River Basin Council, 2010). The basin also
contains a high diversity of small and large mammals, including elk, cougars, foxes and
jackrabbits. There are over 200 bird species found within the watershed (Bow River Basin
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Council, 2010). Amphibians that live in the basin serve as important indicators of the health and
quality of the watershed (Bow River Basin Council, 2010). Many of these amphibians are
monitored under programs like, the Alberta Volunteer Amphibian Monitoring Program (Bow
River Basin Council, 2010). Additionally, the Bow River and its tributaries are home to over 40
fish species such as the bull and rainbow trout, as well as, minnows, sturgeon and whitefish
(Bow River Basin Council, 2010).

Human Modification to the Watershed

Since the early days of the province’s inception in 1905, there has being many forms of
human modifications to the watershed. There are various dams and man-made structures
throughout the basin, the earliest of which was constructed in 1910 (Bow River Basin Council,
2010). These structures are mostly dams which have subsequently created lakes as sub-basins of
the watershed, although there are also weirs and irrigation canals. As stated above, these pose
significant threats to riparian zones and their management is a key component to the preservation
of these areas.

Issues and Threats Facing the Watershed and its Riparian Zones
The primary issues, which are the main focus of The Approved Water Management Plan
for the South Saskatchewan River Basin (Alberta) (2006) are largely focused on water usage and
conservation of the natural environment. Thus, the management issues that will be discussed in
this paper are the capacity of existing water storage, which has reached its limit, and the effect it
has on meeting water demand and consumption, protecting the aquatic ecosystems and their
environment, along with water conservation (Alberta Environment, 2006). Furthermore, the
main threats to riparian zones will be considered, these include the diversion of flows, and excess
removal of vegetation by livestock (Alberta Environment, 2006; Alberta Environment, 2007).

PART III: Management Strategies

Current Management Strategies

The management strategies that are employed by the Alberta government, as put forward
by the Approved Management Plan for the South Saskatchewan River Basin (Alberta) in 2006
are comprehensive and focused on economic development and protection of the watershed’s
environment. In order to deal with issues of water demand and consumption, several
management strategies exist to address these issues. These strategies include tracking water use,
upgrading computer modelling capacities, and improving water licensing and legislation to
ensure more effective water allocation that meets water needs (Alberta Environment, 2006).
Furthermore, the report sets forth the management strategy to develop water markets and
transfers as a way to redistribute water which has already been allocated (Alberta Environment,
2006). Also discussed, is the need for policies to modify water storage because the water
currently stored from the basin is used in full, this leaves the area vulnerable to water shortages
at times when flow is disrupted (Alberta Environment, 2006). Strategies regarding the
management of dams are also used to protect aquatic ecosystems and their environment. Once
reservoir inflows have peaked, the Government of Alberta releases water in stages which allows
the reservoir to return to its target level for that time of year (Alberta Environment, 2006).
Current management strategies use this time to manage flows in a manner that benefits the
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aquatic and riparian environment (Alberta Environment, 2006). These strategies are more
effective than previous holdback strategies (Alberta Environment, 2006).
Up until the last decade or so, the needs of agriculture and cities were placed high
above the needs of the ecosystems in and around the Bow River basin however, more recently
conservation efforts have become a top priority to governments and communities surrounding
the area. In other efforts to protect riparian zones, the government created the Aquatic and
Riparian Condition Assessment (ARCA) of the South Saskatchewan River Basin, also prepared
by Alberta Environment. ARCA assessed each sub-basin of the South Saskatchewan River
basin, including the Bow River basin. The creation of this document provides a great resource to
manage and protect riparian zones (Alberta Environment, 2006). Alberta Environment has also
created partnerships with other organisations in order to create land management plans to
encourage the protection of riparian zones (Alberta Environment, 2006).
Basin licensing closure was also approved under the Approved Management Plan for the
South Saskatchewan River Basin (Alberta), this forms part of a management plan to maintain
mainstem water quality (Alberta Environment, 2007). Also established under the plan was a
Crown Reservation of water in the Bow River basin (Alberta Environment, 2006). Further study
of water quality and land use impacts must be conducted in order to create effective management
strategies in these areas (Alberta Environment, 2006).

Effectiveness of Management Strategies

While the Approved Management Plan for the South Saskatchewan River Basin (Alberta)
tackles many pressing issues facing the Bow River basin, it does not provide a complete solution.
Firstly, this document lacks an educational aspect or strategies to create such a thing.
Conversely, Alberta’s Water for Life strategy attempts to incorporate educational tools into all
Water for Life actions (Alberta Environment, 2008). Secondly, the creation of ARCA is a great
resource, but further actionable strategies should have been created in tandem with ARCA. For
example, the dam and reservoir water release strategy detailed above is only applicable to
publicly owned dams and reservoirs (Alberta Environment, 2006). This means that privately
owned dams are not responsible for releasing water in stages and therefore do have the same
responsibility to benefit riparian zones as the public dams do. Further regulation should have
been implemented to address this. On the positive side of things, the partnerships established
through the Approved Management Plan for the South Saskatchewan River Basin (Alberta), as
discussed above, are a valuable resource which provide a well-rounded approach to the
management of riparian zones and mitigate issues associated with human caused bare ground in
these zones which can increase erosion.
Other areas that do not seem to be covered within the strategies outlined in this document are
the impact of invasive plants and algae and other aquatic plants. There is an issue with invasive
plants growing within the river basin. This is problematic because they tend to have advantages
over native plants (Bow River Basin Council, 2010). Eventually invasive plants lead to a decline
in biodiversity and pose problems to agricultural crops (Bow River Basin Council, 2010). The
impact of these non-native plants on riparian zones must be considered accordingly. Also, algae
and other aquatic plants are found in high quantities downstream of Calgary. The presence of
these things is caused by wastewater remains, stormwater, and agricultural runoff (Bow River
Basin Council, 2010). Thus, the aquatic environment protection discussed above, must do a
better job of limiting the presence of algae and aquatic plants in the Bow River Basin as these
have adverse effects on the ecosystems in the watershed.
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PART IV: Management Problems

Issues and Future Issues Being Overlooked by Current Policy

Beyond the issues with the management plan discussed above, there are a few key areas
that must receive policy or policy updates in order to ensure the maintenance of good water
management in the Bow River basin. As population and food demand grows, we must consider
the needs of agriculture for arable land and water that will impact the Bow River basin (Alberta
Water Portal Society, n.d.). If greater stress is placed on the land along riverbanks, then this
could threaten riparian zones. As noted above, livestock are a contributing factor to the
destruction of riparian vegetation. This will lead to competition between agriculture and riparian
zones, and the needs of both must be considered when creating management policies. However,
in the past economic needs have often been placed above environmental and intangible needs
and benefits. Whether or not the government and regulatory bodies will be able to successfully
and sustainably address this issue remains to be seen. Trade-offs of water quality, quantity and
availability to municipalities and settlements also need to be evaluated as the City of Calgary and
surrounding municipalities continue to grow (Alberta Water Portal Society, n.d.). The
disappearance and decline of many plant and animal species along the Bow River basin must
also be integrated into the management strategies of this watershed. This is where inter-
organisational partnerships become increasingly valuable, as conservation efforts must match
water management efforts.

What Other Management Strategies are Needed?

In order to safeguard the health of the Bow River basin, there are some additional
management strategies that are needed. I believe that the most important strategies to employ are
consumer incentives, public/ volunteer initiatives to protect and expand riparian zones, programs
for farmers to manage riparian zones on their land and to limit agricultural runoff. Consumer
incentives should provide water users with incentives to decrease their water consumption. This
could be initiated for every sector of consumers. Initiatives to protect and expand riparian zones
should also be implemented in a way that engages and educates the public about the importance
of these areas and allows them to be a part of their care and restoration. Programs for farmers
should be established to encourage them to employ best management practices on riparian zones
on their land. This would hopefully decrease the damage caused by livestock who inhabit the
area and its surroundings. Lastly, strategies should be more widely enacted to discourage
agricultural and turf runoff. This would include regulations that discourage the creation of golf
courses along streams in the watershed and provide incentive for existing golf courses to limit
their fertiliser use. Similar fertiliser best management practices should also be considered for
farms.

PART V: Conclusion

The management strategies put into action by the Approved Management Plan for the
South Saskatchewan River Basin (Alberta) are effective at managing water consumption and
allocation in the Bow River basin, but they fall short of providing the necessary policy to protect
riparian zones. The creation of ARCA as mandated by the management plan was successful in
identifying the threats faced by riparian zones in the watershed but did not suggest any concrete
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management solutions for these areas. Future increases in water consumption and population
growth also needed to be considered in greater detail, as this could have significant impacts on
the future of riparian zones. Overall, the strategies enacted by this management plan are
adequate. In my opinion, creating programs for public engagement has strong potential to
provide effective solutions for the protection of riparian zones. As competition for water
increases, the threats to these critical areas also increases. Water management policy in the Bow
River basin should reflect this.
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References

Alberta Environment – Government of Alberta. Aquatic and Riparian Condition Assessment of

the South Saskatchewan River Basin. (June 2007). Published by the Government of
Alberta. Retrieved from https://open.alberta.ca/dataset/274d8f92-9dde-4fb9-85c7-
c783fadb5969/resource/93661e85-3cd3-4d0f-a6f9-
b9c8c20f6ee0/download/aquaticriparianassessment-ssrb-jun2007.pdf

Alberta Environment – Government of Alberta. Approved Water Management Plan for the South
Saskatchewan River Basin (Alberta). (2006). Published by the Government of Alberta.
Retrieved from https://open.alberta.ca/dataset/7541cb1e-b511-4a98-8b76-
af33d7418fa1/resource/483eb9b0-29fd-41d4-9f81-264d53682b9a/download/2006-ssrb-
approvedwatermanagementplan-2006.pdf

Alberta Environment – Government of Alberta. Water for Life. (November 2008). Published by
the Government of Alberta. Retrieved from https://open.alberta.ca/dataset/16e373f7-
35c6-438c-8028-b9ab7e3e2fee/resource/bd7930bf-da3b-449a-8630-
ef0b11dde99e/download/waterforlife-renewal-nov2008.pdf

Alberta Water Portal Society. (n.d.). Converging factors affecting the Bow River basin.
Retrieved from https://albertawater.com/nexus/converging-factors-affecting-the-bow-
river-basin.

Alberta Water Portal Society. (n.d.). Water management decisions in the Bow River Basin.
Retrieved from https://albertawater.com/nexus/water-management-decisions-in-the-bow-
river-basin.

Bow River Basin Council. (2010). State of the Watershed. Retrieved from https://brbc.ab.ca/ecr/.