Advocates raise alarm over health of Medicine River Watershed

PONOKA COUNTY -- The Medicine River Watershed Society is raising concerns about the health of the local watershed.

In their recent presentation to Ponoka County, the organization said that the watershed continues to face various challenges, including nine years of drought conditions. They add that another challenge facing the watershed is the significant volume of freshwater use required by industry to meet the increasing demands of the energy sector.

According to the organization, there have also been reports that some water wells within the watershed that once provided 60 gal/min at a 60-foot depth, now need to be at 105 feet to get the same flow, while other wells are going dry. They add that not only is the water level in the rivers, streams, and lakes low, there are indicators that the aquifer is also becoming stressed.

In hopes of reversing some of the damage, the Medicine River Watershed Society has crafted a five-year strategic plan. The first aspect of their plan is to enhance monitoring of the watershed, to ensure there is appropriate and sufficient data to inform the government regarding the need to change policies and processes related to the granting of water diversion. This would be done by not only monitoring rivers and streams, but also water wells owned by local residents.

The second goal outlined in their five-year plan is greater advocacy. This will see the organization engage MLAs and Municipalities supported by the Paskapoo formation and its aquifers, and request assigned delegates from each municipality to participate in designated Council meetings to develop policy recommendations and solutions.

The organization also outlines the need for more educational initiatives to ensure the general public is informed about the importance of a healthy watershed, the risk factors that are affecting it, and each individual's role in ensuring that healthy water is available for future generations.

The Medicine River watershed, which intersects the rural Counties of Clearwater, Lacombe, Ponoka and Red Deer. It joins several other regional watersheds, including Gull Lake, that are currently facing year-over-year declines in water levels.