Planning & Analysis

Integrated Watershed Management Planning

Integrated watershed management planning is an ongoing process of identifying issues in a watershed, engaging with community members, stakeholders, and experts to determine shared goals, targets, and solutions, and then working together to implement desired changes.

The Planning process


Developing an Integrated Watershed Management Plan (IWMP) is a complex challenge involving different watershed issues, multiple groups and sectors, and changing social, ecological, and economic conditions. Since beginning in 2010, the IWMP process has been highly collaborative and iterative, with each step of the way helping to lay the groundwork for the next.

As a living document, the IWMP will expand and evolve after Phase One to address a broader range of watershed health issues.

Planning Publications

Blueprint: An Integrated Watershed Management Plan  - Phase 1: Water Quality

Blueprint is a living document, developed in phases. Phase 1: Water Quality addresses two key areas: surface water quality and groundwater quality, recognizing that the two are fundamentally interconnected.

State of the Watershed

An essential foundation for the IWMP process, the report looks systematically at watershed health across all 15 sub-watersheds of the entire Red Deer River watershed.

Background Technical Reports

Four technical reports developed by independent consultants to support the IWMP process.