Forums - Red Deer River Watershed Alliance

COMMUNITY FORUMS

Six community forums were held as follows:

September 21 - Sundre, Alberta
September 22 - Red Deer, Alberta
September 23 - Oyen, Alberta
October 26 - Sundre, Alberta
October 27 - Red Deer, Alberta
October 28 - Oyen, Alberta

In essence, the forums were designed to hear presentations on the different watershed health indicators that were brought forward in the State of the Watershed Report. Resource people from different agencies, who had an expertise in a particular watershed indicator, made the presentations, which were followed by a facilitated question, comment and discussion period.

The subject matter for the September 2010 community forums was water quality and water quantity watershed health indicators including:

Nutrients
Bacteria and parasites
Pesticides
Instream flow needs

The subject matter for the October 2010 community forums was biodiversity and land use watershed health indicators including:

Urban, rural and recreational development
Agricultural development and riparian zones
Wetlands
Oil and gas development

The objectives and outcomes for these forums were as follows.

Objectives

To establish the context for the IWMP public consultation process and lay out the process timeline
To learn about specific indicators from resource people
To share information and experiences related to those indicators
To prepare participants for further discussions about indicators in subsequent forums and workshops
To ensure that everyone has an opportunity to be heard
To evaluate the process so that subsequent forums and workshops can better meet participants' needs

Desired outcomes

Participants have a better understanding of the indicators
Participants are better able to prioritize indicators at a subsequent workshop
Participants understand what the consultation process is all about
Participants feel they have learned something, they have had an opportunity to contribute ideas, and they have been heard

OCTOBER COMMUNITY FORUMS

(See below for September Community Forums)

Sundre Community Forum

October 26, 2010,

10:00 am – 3:00 pm

Julie Pierce (Ducks Unlimited) speaks on wetlands to about 40 Community Forum participants in Sundre.

Welcome / Background / IWM Objectives – Tom Daniels, Chair of the Board, RDRWA (download presentation)

Attendee Introductions (Total attendees 40)

Overview of consultation process (download presentation) – Alan Dolan, Facilitator, Grandview Consulting

Purpose of Meeting / Agenda Review – Alan Dolan

Recreation, Urban and Rural Development (download presentation)

Michael Kitchen, Osprey Engineering

Hit the nail on the head with respect to Bearberry Valley. There's development pressure from the County; residents are encouraged to subdivide but there's no talk about proper drainage in the wetland areas. These developments have a major, lasting impact.
Concern about flooding of the town of Sundre – not a question of “if” but “when.” The river is full of all kinds of debris (i.e., trees) – very little talk of river maintenance. Why is this?
Response from government is to leave the river to its natural flow (anecdotal)
Is the government aware of the extent of the issue with the bridge in Sundre?
Town of Pincher Creek had similar problems and applied interesting solutions.
Has this presentation been given to any municipal councils?
This is the first presentation to an audience. Attendee recommends that this presentation be given to municipal councils.
What has been found in your (Mike) experience in other recreational developments? Fish Creek Park (Calgary) – similar problems with mountain bikes.
Based on your experience, where would you put the priorities on the changes that need to be made to have the biggest positive impact on the watershed? Responsible planning (systemic instead of linear), drainage.
Who is going to enforce the development plans? Council must be steadfast.
Is government going to enforce the results of this IWMP? Are we just creating rules that won't be enforced?
It will carry some weight with Alberta Environment; the community investing two years to draft the plan should send a message to the government.
There seems to be a discrepancy between what does and does not get enforced.
What is the proper size of a development to provide for proper drainage? It's project- and site-specific.
What do you regard as a proper drainage development of a two-acre parcel, in your opinion? Someone has already completed the required study and a licensed installer installs the system.
Would like to see best practice guidelines imported from other communities successfully implementing low impact development.

Agricultural Development and Riparian Areas (download presentation)

Kelsey Spicer-Rawe, Cows and Fish

Have you noticed any relationship between the health of the riparian area and the size of the farm operation? Generally, there's no pattern. It depends more on time of grazing than size of operation.
Medicine River Watershed Society has done work on riparian areas
How far upstream does Cows and Fish go with monitoring? Beyond agricultural? C and F looks at all land types but less than 10% are in urban areas.
How often are you doing testing? Every year – about 200 sites a year.
Multiple tests from the same site? Yes.
Have you looked at any kind of incentive for landowners to come forward in conserving land (riparian areas)? There are programs to help pay for fencing and watering systems. County of Vermilion River is doing a pilot project — Alternative Land Use Services (ALUS) — $2/acre/year compensation to landowners for wetland preservation on private land.
How closely do you work with Alberta Environment / Fisheries and Oceans? They provide funding to the program and provide delegates to sit on the board (ex-officio).
How much input do they take from you? There is a good relationship of working / collaborating together. Obstacles are sometimes encountered in restrictive regulations.
It's not necessarily expensive to create conditions on private land to preserve riparian areas.
(Question for Alberta Conservation Association – Kelly Hooey) – Is there a new fish passage structure in the Town of Sundre (Red Deer River)? Have fish been using it to migrate back up the river?
Is there a policy of involvement for Cows and Fish on bank erosion? Not directly, but recommendations are made as requested.

Wetlands (download presentation - very large file)

Julie Pierce, Ducks Unlimited

A farmer has encroached on wetland and removed topsoil and clay – are there regulations for land under five acres? Is it legal? It is presumed illegal – a compliance hotline is available via Alberta Environment.
Old Man River watershed forum, Sustainable Resource Development was discussing creation of maps (satellite) to map forested and wetland areas – including down to four feet below ground level.
For the areas overseen by Ducks Unlimited, is the rate of wetland loss comparable to areas not under Ducks Unlimited oversight? Yes – losses are greater than acceptable.
Trying to get logging companies to stay out of small (year-round) creeks (Bearberry) – removal of deadfall and trees is impacting the watershed (drying up)
Ducks Unlimited focuses on standing water
These areas are a little more complicated than current legislation governs – the Integrated Watershed Management Plan process is intending to address this
Risk of flooding has increased as a result of logging companies keeping their roads accessible through means such as spraying (herbicides)
These issues are owned by industry and government legislation is intending to help correct the problems
There are forestry management practices in place that require industry to confer with government. A runoff water volume of 15% is used as a trigger for intervention.

Oil and Gas Development (download presentation)

Esther Johnston, Energy Resources Conservation Board (ERCB)

How much water (%) in the oil and gas process is lost / unrecoverable? The number varies from process to process – example given is 75% recoverable / 25% lost
Better practices exist for things like cutlines – i.e., cutting branches along site lines instead of removing entire trees
Regarding surface water — is somebody monitoring the conditions?
Every pipeline failure is investigated; contaminated soil is under the jurisdiction of Alberta Environment
Disclosure of fracking fluid contents – is the ERCB moving towards disclosure? Toxic materials are not allowed above ground. Once below ground water, toxic bases (oil-based) can be used – regulations do not currently exist.
When propane fracking is used, how toxic is it? It's becoming a little more common, not more toxic than other bases used.
When the pipeline broke along the Red Deer River, the news initially reported that 75 barrels, then 100, then 150 barrels of oil was spilled. What was the final number? Information to be provided.

Next Steps – Alan Dolan

Who else should be in the room for these sessions?

More individuals / private landowners
Newly elected / re-elected councillors
Feedlot operators
OHV users (Alberta Off-Highway Vehicle Association)
Olds Snowmobile Club
Minister of Environment (Rob Renner)
More people from Alberta Sustainable Resource Development / Alberta Environment
Panther (Watershed) Advisory Group

Feedback on process:

What are the goals / what is the purpose of the IWMP? Still not clear in layman's terms. How can we explain to others what this is all about? Say, over a cup of coffee . . .
How much water (ground and surface) do we have to consider for this IWMP? We don't seem to have that information, in spite of having completed the State of the Watershed Report. We can't have a successful IWMP without knowing water quantity.
RDRWA wants more people discussing these questions / concerns
RDRWA can learn from other WPACs – i.e., Bow River Basin has completed an IWMP
State of the Watershed Reports would be useful in public libraries
Water for Life Strategy is another good report / book for general reference
Is the issue of “sellable water” (bulk water exports) being considered in this planning process? No

Are there other ways to reach people to attend the sessions?

Provide other channels for involvement for those that can't get time away from work to attend the community forums
Mail out
Word of mouth
RDRWA website

General questions:

Water wells: how many are there and who owns them?

Red Deer Community Forum
October 27, 2010
10:00 am – 3:00 pm

Welcome / Background (download presentation) - Andrea Pagee, Environmental Planning and Partnerships Coordinator, Alberta Environment

Attendee Introductions (Total 31 attendees)

Overview of consultation process / schedule (download presentation) – Alan Dolan, Facilitator, Grandview Consulting

Recreation, Urban and Rural Development (download presentation)
Michael Kitchen, Osprey Engineering

Do “cattails” in ponds filter pollution or do they store it and release it later when they die/decompose? To some degree they break down and become soil, but there is some degree of transfer of pollution through the ecosystem.
RE: Oil and gas – can they use effluent water or do they have to use fresh water? They can use effluent water but it may be more cost prohibitive.
Is IWMP planning ever done before development occurs? The City of Calgary tries to, Red Deer River Watershed municipalities have multiple plans drafted. Problems with implementing the plans arise with changing conditions (i.e., economic, political).
Are engineers taught in school how a watershed should work? To some degree, depending on the area of specialization.
Tanking and trucking – agree that pollution ends up deposited “down the line” of the ecosystem
Gull Lake is receiving effluent from Rimbey – contributing to watershed degradation
Septic fields – nutrients still get to the watershed through the leach field
There are now regulations in place to remove nutrients but the dots aren't all connected yet. The regulations are there if industry will adhere to them.
Farming (potato fertilizer) is contributing more to Gull Lake degradation than effluent is
Sewage systems – an illegal (private) sewage system took over six months to finally be removed
In defence of lagoons – they remove nitrogen (eutrophication) but not phosphorus. The management of both is slightly different.
Municipalities and the roles they have – what happens on the very south shore of Gull Lake has to do with the summer village and its (municipal) maintenance plan. The shoreline has been degraded but not necessarily as a direct result of developers.
National engineering standards can conflict with local development guidelines, which make it challenging to incorporate responsible watershed management practices.
Too often, scope of concern by landowners is territorial – i.e., whatever occurs outside of their perimeter boundary is “outside of their concern.”

Agricultural Development and Riparian Areas (download presentation)
Kerri O'Shaugnessy, Cows and Fish

On the Weis farm, the cows were in the water. Is it a problem when fish aren't spawning?
Consideration for nesting birds is important
Sometimes not possible for cattle producers to fence the grazing area; Rotational grazing is recommended
Manure management – more details requested. Regulations are in place (info available on request from NRCB)
Former farmer: By preventing cows from entering water bodies and providing clean water sources for them, the overall health of the herd was improved.
When manure is spread on property, when do farmers have to work it in? Regulations are governed under the Agricultural Practices Act. Some permits may have more stringent requirements than others. NRCB can provide more information / education.
Cows and Fish is working on documenting the cost of particular projects for the benefit of its stakeholders.
Are agricultural riparian area studies done only in rural areas? No, they're also done in urban areas.
Riparian surveys – tracking animal life is more difficult to measure
Farmer comment: Once riparian areas are fenced off, it's not a matter of then forgetting all about it. Additional guidance is needed / requested to manage invasive species. Resources exist for this purpose, but they are sometimes difficult to locate.

Wetlands (download presentation - very large file)
Julie Pierce, Ducks Unlimited

Is Olds College looking at whether constructed wetlands can function as well as natural ones? Yes, they can answer that question more specifically.
Wetland drainage – where does acreage development fit on the spectrum? Is it considered an urban wetland loss? Yes.
Does Ducks Unlimited publicly disclose where the funds come from for the lands under its care? Funding comes through a number of sources including fund raising / donations, the North American Waterfowl Management Plan (US and Canadian government collaboration), and other watershed groups (note: not an exhaustive list of sources).
RE: the historical graph of impacts to wetlands (in the presentation) – if the graph were redone for current data, would it change? For the area of land around urban centres, wetland losses are 80-90%, but still small compared to rural area losses.
Is there legislation governing the development around (as opposed to on) wetlands? Yes.

Oil and Gas Development (download presentation)
Jennifer Lutz, Energy Resources Conservation Board (ERCB)

Commercial use – where is it going? (asked during presentation – deferred to Q&A time)
How much water is lost and how much is in the water cycle?
What is the allocated versus what is being used?
Net water usage as opposed to gross water usage?
In defense of the oil industry – the amount of service water put underground is fairly insignificant with the overall amount in the water cycle. Ocean levels are rising – as long as water is healthy when it reaches the ocean, let's use that water.
CBC Documentary “The Passionate Eye” – about ground water well contamination in Rosebud from fracking fluids – the contaminants are very harmful to human health.
It wasn't oil and gas related – there's a lot of naturally occurring gas in water wells. The media does not always get it right.
Is there a process where abandoned wells can be reclaimed? Call NRCB for information. There are time requirements for suspending wells.
17% of wells are recovered
Are abandoned pipelines being removed? No, they would cause more damage to the environment by removing them. They will eventually decompose back into the ground.
What is the timeline for that decomposition? The corrosion rates are different for each well and pipeline. Studies have not been done to have a reliable answer for that.
How is corrosion control done? Adding an electrical charge to the pipeline is done to prevent corrosion; removing the charge allows the corrosion to proceed. Fresh water may be used to fill the well / pipeline to speed up the corrosion.
When water and coal come together, not only will there be methane gas, but there will also be concentrations of other toxic/volatile substances.

Next Steps – Alan

Who else should be here?

Lacombe County, Ponoka County, Red Deer County, Mountain View, Rocky View, Stettler, Gull Lake, Sylvan Lake, Summer Villages (municipalities)
Fish and Wildlife, Oceans and Fisheries
First Nations
Alberta Municipal Affairs (Safety Codes – Officers and Inspectors)
Banks / Financial Institutions
Chambers of Commerce
Developers
Urban Development Institute (UDI)
Other WPACs

How did you hear about the forums?

Radio
Email
Newspaper
RDRWA website

Other feedback

Consider evening sessions
Hold future forum sessions in Hobbema or Ponoka
NRCB approvals conflicting with Ponoka municipal approvals
Other watershed groups have been successful in getting municipalities to incorporate their recommendations / studies into Municipal Development Plans
Applaud RDRWA's initiative to complete this IWMP

Oyen Community Forum
October 28, 2010,
10:00 am – 3:00 pm

Norine Ambrose (Cows and Fish) talks on agricultural impacts and riparian zones to Community Forum participants in Oyen.

Welcome / Background (download presentation) – Darran Dick, Manager, Special Areas

Attendee Intros

Overview of consultation process / schedule (download presentation) – Alan Dolan, Facilitator, Grandview Consulting

Recreation, Urban and Rural Development (download presentation)
Michael Kitchen, Osprey Engineering

“In addressing economic development with environmental protection, we need to find a good balance. Regulations are relaxed a little bit too often. Government needs to tighten up a few things to ensure the future safety of our watershed.”
Water licenses – issued as long as it's confirmed / promised that discharging will not occur unauthorized.
“It's one big vicious circle. How many tonnes of salt go out on the streets in Calgary in the winter? This whole story is as wide as it is long. How do we do it responsibly?”
“The nature of government and our leaders is short term – our systems are working against what we're trying to do here. How far ahead do you plan for what we're doing?”
We're planning about all this water, but where is it going to come from? How many times can it effectively be cleaned / reused?
The Meridian dam on the border of SK and AB – people there saying if they had water, they could grow tomatoes. We should be supporting those kinds of people in this planning.
Septic systems, built-in gravel, etc., what are they? (Explanation of septic systems and their intended function) – we need to look at the soil conditions first and then apply specific design of septic systems.
“At Sheerness [Generating Station] we have domestic sewage treatment – series of (three) ponds for cleaning, much water leaves that system by evaporation. The intent is to contain the pollution / contamination.”
Seismic rigs can cause wells to go dry.

Agricultural Development and Riparian Areas (download presentation)
Norine Ambrose, Cows and Fish

Is Cows and Fish involved with South East Alberta Watershed Alliance? Yes – they are the equivalent of the Red Deer River Watershed Alliance.
“We know more now than we did 50 years ago. Decisions are now being made on what we know today as opposed to being based on status quo assumptions.”
The cows know the water is at the river / creek – they'll stand on the ice to get to it. But, if a man-made water source is available, they will use it. 20 or 30 years ago winter watering systems weren't as available as today. Many great technologies exist today to prevent livestock from entering the water bodies.
Is fencing enough to solve the problem of bank erosion? Fencing of the stream bank is not necessarily solving the issue of erosion. Our goal should be good quality management on the entire property – not just the fenced area(s).
“I did an experiment last year (winter) with four cows – placed them on a piece of land without access to dugouts. They got used to eating snow and were just fine (health-wise) compared to the others. Some farmers are going to way more work than they need to.”
Conditions need to be monitored in these situations, however – i.e., lack of snow, hard-crusted snowpack, etc.
One of the highest demands on a cow at three years is adequate water consumption – older cows fare better with creative management practices
Horses break up the snow and antelope follow to access their feed
Cows can be trained to eat “weeds”
“I've seen cows drink manure water and be 20 feet from clean drinking water. They seem to prefer to access the water that requires the least amount of effort.”
Sustainable Resource Development manages crown lands for grazing. They should show leadership and set the example for riparian protection.
If we fenced every water body where there are cattle, think of the number of trees that would have to be removed and mining that would have to be done for the barbed wire
The whole thing is management – you can't exclude areas from cattle use and just leave them untended. Invasive plant issues and endangered species are just two examples of specific management concerns.
Wouldn't it be worthwhile to run some tests with water access for cattle? Yes.
Antelope will never go over a fence, only under. The highest the bottom wire can be is 16” from the ground.
What did streams in the grasslands look like in the past? Isn't there always some natural erosion? In the past the streams had much more streamside vegetation, so they had better functioning riparian zones.

Wetlands (download presentation - very large file)
Julie Pierce, Ducks Unlimited

In recovering from extended drought times, how do frogs come back? Frogs can overwinter – they don't need standing water to survive. Some years they don’t breed.
For a large percentage of farmers, it seems that every acre needs to be ripped up to produce a crop.
Does the Water Act cover filling in a dugout? Filling a man-made dugout is exempt, natural “dugouts” are covered by the Act (presumed).
If a wetland is lost, Ducks Unlimited looks to agricultural producers to restore the loss.
“I wanted to phone somebody when I saw wetland being damaged, but I didn't know who to call.” Call 1-800-222-6514
Where does the balance exist between farmers making a living in the face of economic hardship and the preservation of wetlands that could be converted to farmland so that farmers can stay in business? Ducks Unlimited has developed programs to help farmers diversify their operations that won't require the wetlands to be developed.
Wetlands have been viewed for so many years as wastelands because people can't “see” the functions they serve.
We don't see the damage until enough wetland area has been lost and by then it's too late to make a quick fix / repair.
Does the government incorporate “lure” crops to protect farmers' capital? Yes in certain areas. Sound cannons are also used. But eventually the effect of the sound cannons wears off and wildlife return.
“When Atco Power wants to upgrade its power infrastructure to meet public demand, the public says anywhere but on my land . . .”
Wetlands that have been cropped through have started to grow back (i.e., cattails) with the additional rain we've received this year.

Oil and Gas Development (download presentation)
Rhonda Busch, Energy Resources Conservation Board (ERCB)

Are they still using steam injections up by Cold Lake / Lloydminster / Bonnyville? Yes.
How much of that water can they recover from that process? It goes down as steam so the amount that condenses is hard to measure – a bit of it may come back. Produced water (i.e., saline water >4000 ppm) is being incorporated more to save fresh water from being used.
Is there a reason saline water is not being used for coal bed methane extraction? It's not used because of the chloride content in the water is damaging to the environment if it were spread out after use.
How do we know that drilling isn't affecting private wells nearby?
We need to be looking at quantity and quality of returns – more holistic resource management.
Atco Power – water quality testing is quite comprehensive. Sometimes the water returned after being used for cooling is of better quality than when it first comes in.
When a well is being decommissioned, do the well casings remain or are they removed? They remain and are sealed off to prevent hydrocarbon contamination of groundwater.
“I know of some landowners by Brooks who have experienced seismic shocks – now some of the water is coming up brown / brackish and turning parts of the land into sinkholes / water holes. Horses are having to be pulled out of it on occasion.”
Some water wells out by Manyberries are being drilled down to 750 – 800 metres.

Next Steps – Alan

Additional communication channels to use:

Radio – Q91 FM, 770 AM
Print – Oyen Echo, Hanna Herald

Who else ought to be here:

School Districts / Students

SEPTEMBER COMMUNITY FORUMS

Sundre Community Forum
September 21, 2010,
10:00 am – 3:00 pm

Welcome / background – Beverly Anderson, Executive Director, RDRWA (download presentation) Thanks to Red Deer River Municipal Users Group for funding of these meetings.

Intros / overview of consultation process – Alan Dolan, Facilitator, Grandview Consulting (download presentation)

Attendee Introductions (Total attendees 26)

Nutrients (download presentation)
Chris Teichreb, Alberta Environment

Can urban vs. agriculture nutrient contributions be quantified? No not easily
Pharmaceuticals – too hard (expensive?) to filter out
Gold Bar wastewater treatment plant is moving towards quaternary treatment of sewage water with membranes that remove pharmaceuticals
Not much data exists for headwater monitoring
Riparian setbacks set at 6 m right now by the province – can those be increased?
Erosion – after flooding, little being done by the province to prevent or repair erosion

Bacteria and parasites (download presentation)
Garth Gosselin, Alberta Health Services

Individual bacteria testing if a cluster of illness
Not a lot of historic information on bacteria / parasite testing in the watershed
Has been local testing for coliforms and E. coli on Little Red — Need to do DNA testing to figure out where it’s coming from, which is very difficult and expensive
Best to educate people on BMPs
Instances of giardia in Red Deer?
Water well testing occurring (private wells), particularly after flooding in Sundre area
How far does fertilizer travel before it's diluted? It varies, depends on soil, rainfall
E. coli levels are rising in some lakes

Pesticides (download presentation)
Marilou Montemayor, RDRWA gave presentation provided by Sarah Depoe, Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development

No glyphosate in monitoring list — should be tested because it is used a lot
Are government departments communicating with each other on pesticide levels information?
General questions being asked about urban pesticides used and for what – not much common knowledge
Confirm / find where statistics of pesticides in drinking water comes from (in presentation)
Are rodenticides (some of which contain arsenic) used / detected in the water?
Some pesticide companies are encouraging overuse of their products

Instream flow needs (download presentation)
Marilou Montemayor, RDRWA

In Sundre, there's no municipal licence for the Red Deer River – it's a net gain usage.
How do people find out if water licences are being exceeded? Who enforces it and how do they do that?
Glossary of acronyms would be useful for participants
Is anyone monitoring level of sedimentation in Gleniffer Lake (Dickson Dam)? Is it silting up?
Erosion studies (provincial government) – are riverbanks being investigated / repaired?
What has Alberta Sustainable Development done about IFN? Should IFNs be calculated for upstream of Dickson Dam?
What's the source of the flow of Red Deer River? Snow melt in the foothills.
Increased forestry activity because of insect pests is having an effect on river

Next Steps – Alan

IWMP Website – source of information for the community consultation process.
RDRWA Facebook page

Who are some of the missing stakeholders in the Sundre region?

Town of Sundre
Ag Services Board
Off-road vehicle group
Forestry sector
Sundre Petroleum Operators Group
MLAs
Developers
County Planning Departments
Council of Canadians (Bulk Water Exports)

Ideas to attract more people – fear factor...

Next session overview – October 26 (Sundre)

Feedback on process – all good – refer to evaluation forms, book next event at Seniors’ Centre as it is a better location.

Red Deer Community Forum
September 22, 2010
10:00 am – 3:00 pm

Participants at the September Community Forum in Red Deer have an opportunity to share ideas over lunch.

Welcome – Dug Major, Chair of Steering Committee, RDRWA
Thanks to Red Deer River Municipal Users Group for funding for these meetings.

Background – Beverly Anderson, Executive Director, RDRWA (review of the State of the Watershed Report) (download presentation)

Attendee Intros (Total attendees 42)

Overview of consultation process / schedule – Alan Dolan, Facilitator, Grandview Consulting (download presentation)

Nutrients presentation (download presentation)
Chris Teichreb, Alberta Environment

35 feed lots have been lost in the last few years in Central Alberta – is that reflected? No, the data is older.
What constitutes a feed lot? “Confined feeding operations” — anything that's over Government of Alberta thresholds (therefore, requires permits), which are animal-specific.
What is our most recent data on feed lots? This presentation data is from 2007.
One farmer would rather see the term “feedlot” replaced with “intensive livestock”
This year's rainfall has been higher than normal, is that contributing to higher concentration readings? Yes.
Have studies been done on why certain areas are having higher concentrations (specifically, Morrin area)?
When AB Environment does water sampling do it do core sampling to analyze sediments? No, it's mostly university work but AB government is kept informed.
Is there government monitoring of tributaries? Yes.
Is there planned expansion / intensification of studies? Potentially, programs exist – resource pending. No current increases expected unless groups come forward to lead / demand it.
Nitrogen – what influence does venting (oil recovery) have?
Has there been a focus on nitrogen and / or phosphorus increases?
Is there standardizing of indicators for nutrient study developing?
Has AB Environment ever done a mass spectrum analysis of what's in the river water? No.
Aerial deposition of dust – clarify. It's a non-point source contribution because it can be carried from miles away by the wind. Amounts can be quantified but not qualified in terms of origin.
Quality index report available? Chris will provide information to RDRWA.
Sources of nutrient contribution should be informed of the impacts they are having on the watershed where possible.

Bacteria and parasites (download presentation)
Garth Gosselin, Alberta Health Services

How long does is take from deer pooping in river to death of bacteria? Depends on temperature conditions relative to distance. How far can it travel via groundwater? Same situation – varies on conditions.
Is there E. coli in fish feces? No, they're cold blooded.
How much do we carry in our body day-to-day?
Viruses in water? Not confident to answer.
When do lake closure postings go up? When 200 ppm total coliform is exceeded.
By spreading sewage waste on fields, are we endangering populations. Not likely with proper exposure to at least eight hours of sunlight.
What's the best indicator to use for fecal coliform? Very close to E. coli indicators.
With the new chemicals (endocrine disruptors) being found in our water, has Alberta Health Services taken any steps toward categorizing it as a health concern? No, no policy has yet been drafted – it's not a large enough concern at the moment – more specific to Alberta Environment. The overall effects are still being studied.
Consider not just what is in our water system (aquifers), but which ones are retained in the system, in what concentrations and for how long.

Pesticides (download presentation)
Sarah Depoe, Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development

Are pesticide sales numbers available by region? Believe so.
Are pesticides registered for where they are used? Yes.
Presence of a pesticide may be because of use or persistence or both
Was glyphosate (Round-Up) part of analysis studies? No, but it has been found in water. Analysis is very expensive.
What are the half-lives of the most common pesticides? The more common pesticides have relatively short half-lives. Others have longer half lives but are used much less.
Who determines acceptable levels? Health Canada (Pest Management Review Agency)
Is there any data available on aerial spraying and restriction on proximity to water bodies. Yes they are not allowed to spray on or near water bodies.
What concentrations are we looking at for detection measures? Low detection frequency would be 0.001 mcg/L; high would be 0.1 mcg/L
How often are the concentration guidelines examined? Every five years for PMRA.
What are the cumulative effects of these compounds in water? Work is being done to evaluate – no reference readily available, perhaps in academia (not certain).
Leachability – what work is being done?

Instream flow needs (download presentation)
Marilou Montemayor, RDRWA

Deep injection of fresh water – is it affecting the (ground) water table? No, it is below that. Discussion around general impacts of water injection on water quality / accessibility.
16 cubic m/s threshold – history of establishing that as a standard (add to presentation), the impacts that Dickson Dam had on nature's process / cycle (i.e., fish) in order to provide a steady annual flow of water to Red Deer, Drumheller, etc.
It's difficult for dam operators to educate the public on dam operations

Next Steps – Alan

IWMP Website – resource of information for the community consultation process.
RDRWA Facebook page

Any suggestions on missing stakeholders in the Red Deer region?

General public
Petroleum producers
Large industry
First Nations
Forestry
Education
Recreational user groups

Other ways to promote the forums:

Elections candidates and elections forum hosts could spread the word
Perhaps host the forum on the weekend
Use internal government communication channels

Oyen Community Forum
September 23, 2010,
10:00 am – 3:00 pm

Welcome – Dug Major, Chair, Steering Committee, RDRWA
Thanks to Red Deer River Municipal Users Group for funding for these meetings.

Background – Beverly Anderson, Executive Director, RDRWA (review of the State of the Watershed Report) (download presentation)

Attendee intros (Total attendees 14)

Overview of consultation process / schedule – Alan Dolan, Facilitator, Grandview Consulting (download presentation)

Nutrients (download presentation)
Chris Teichreb, Alberta Environment

With all the rain in 2010, does flow increase impact concentrations? Yes.
Does the data come from composite samplers (continuous monitoring) or monthly reads? Monthly tracking, but some is done continuously – depending on resources.
Does the river water quality index take flow into account and does it have an influence? Yes to both.
Does it get more and more concentrated as water flows east? Yes, but it depends on the parameters.
What is Oyen region's grade on state of watershed? Refer to State of Watershed Report
How do we build relationships with neighbouring communities / regions to maintain healthy watershed conditions and not pass problems on 'down the line'?
A lot of nutrient run-off is from natural source (prairie land)
The cost of monitoring different contribution points – it would help a lot to have more.
Does Atco Power do monitoring? Yes, spot samples (i.e., pH, heavy metals) – aggregate readings not always consistently reliable in the short term. Air samples are taken as well – not necessarily analyzed for a connection to watershed health. The only time water is diverted from the river is in the summer months – about half of that evaporates (approx. 9 million m3).
This presentation is from longer-term monitoring (circa 2007 for this info)

Bacteria and parasites (download presentation)
Garth Gosselin, Alberta Health Services

What percentage of cases are reported vs. unreported? Approximately, 1 reported to 10 unreported.
70 cases of Giardia in central health region, seven from recreational water
45 cases of E.coli in central region, none from recreational water
Is testing becoming more regulated by AHS in the region? Not planned, Alberta Environment is responsible for that. AHS facilitates testing but the stewardship groups and volunteers supply the data / samples.
Is it compulsory for water works systems to test for E.coli? Yes, weekly in different spots around the communities.

Pesticides (download presentation)
Marilou Montemayor, RDRWA gave presentation from Sarah Depoe, Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development

“Malathion, that's the one that's always used in town. The chemical business is a corporate giant and that's who you mostly stay away from. There needs to be a ‘watchdog’ organization to increase awareness about and prevent the over-application of pesticides. It's better the tree turn yellow than me turn yellow.”
Glyphosate not analyzed because it is a very expensive test
Through which contributions are pesticides ending up in the water? Irrigation run off, primarily.
What would be the results of overuse of pesticides on food crops? If it kills the plant, how can it be safe to consume? Crop fields close to Calgary are looking desiccated
“If you can kill the bug with half the regulated rate, you're technically not abiding by the law.”
“To be proper, whatever is on the label is how you have to use it.”
“In a perfect world we wouldn't need all these chemicals in agriculture.”
“In spite of all that research, a cow that has access to perfectly clean water would still drink out of a manure puddle and not get sick.”
“The most economical and recommended way to eliminate pesticides on crop waste is to burn it and bury it.”
Most farmers in this region feel the pressure to over-use pesticides because of legislation requiring it.

Instream flow needs (download presentation)
Marilou Montemayor, RDRWA

What levels of pesticides are being found in glaciers? There's mercury in sea animals of the Arctic – carried through the jet stream from eastern seaboard of the US.
“Forest fires and volcano eruptions are a huge source of mercury in the air.”
What is the natural flow? Unimpeded movement of the water by dams, channels, etc. and “naturalized” flow is an attempt to mimic natural flow while including dams, channels, etc.
Have studies been done on Red Deer River tributaries IFN? No.
Isn't our flow rate controlled by the Dickson Dam? If so, how can we change the rate of flow of our river from that level to manage it responsibly?
Have there been any studies on how the Dickson Dam has impacted the flow of the river from before it was constructed to now? Recommendations in related studies for that information to be collected have been made. Studies should be done.
The Dickson Dam saved the flooding of infrastructure – that's partly why it was built.

Next Steps – Alan

IWMP Website – resource of information for the community consultation process.
RDRWA Facebook page

Missing stakeholders in the Oyen region?

Oil & Gas companies (Conoco)

Getting the Word Out?

Saw the Community Forum ad in the paper
Community advisory meeting yearly (Atco Power – in December)
Via School Board engage youth – class presentations