Context
Source water is untreated, raw water from surface or groundwater sources used for drinking water or other uses. Source Water Protection (SWP) is a risk management process. It is designed to maintain or improve conditions (quality and quantity) of water through proactive and collaborative identification, assessment, and management of risk.
Visit this page for more information on SWP.
Visit this page for more information on the web tool (coming soon!)
Project Scope
This project is intended to address gaps in characterizing source water by developing a web-based tool that brings together the data (e.g., land use/cover, stressors, water quality, and water quantity) and assesses the state of source water supply and quality as well as how current and future land use activities could affect sources of drinking water. The project is also developing associated educational and communications resources to assist with using the tool.
The objectives for this project are:
- Users and other stakeholders understand the need for SWP risk assessments and are aware of the SWP web platform.
- An inventory of SWP data sources, risk assessment tools, and procedures.
- An understanding of the capabilities of the web platform given technological and budget limitations.
- A web platform that provides access to data to support the risk assessment process for SWP planning.
- Awareness and experience among stakeholders and end users with the web platform, tools, and educational resources and their feedback on the project resources incorporated.
- A final report on the web platform, resources, lessons learned, and recommendations for an implementation phase and a strategic plan for SWP in Alberta.
- Effective communication of the project work and deliverables.
Previous SWP Project
In 2018, the Alberta Water Council (AWC) formed a project team to provide guidance on protecting sources of drinking water in Alberta. The project included surveying drinking water providers and assessing source water protection (SWP) practices, processes, risks, and initiatives in Alberta. Results of the project supported development of a "Guide to Source Water Protection Planning" and the "Protecting Sources of Drinking Water in Alberta Companion Document".
The Guide lays out six steps to help drinking water providers develop SWP plans in collaboration with other key groups in their source water area. The companion report summarizes information to be considered when protecting public, private, and individual drinking water sources in Alberta.
The previous project found that while several communities have voluntarily developed SWP plans and several tools exist in Alberta to support SWP, there is a need for more efficient and timely access to data to support the risk assessment process. Furthermore, most municipalities and non-municipal drinking water providers in Alberta do not have the tools or capacity in-house to do SWP on their own, particularly small and rural communities.
This project builds on the steps of SWP outlined in the Guide, specifically, Step 1, "Involve key groups and create a vision", and Step 2, "Characterize your Source Water Area".
Documents
SWP Terms of Reference (Approved February 2021 and amended October 2024)
Videos
Guide to SWP Planning in Alberta
Web tool demonstration (Rocky Mountain House) October 2022
Web tool (The Healthy River Ecosystem Assessment System)