The Government of Alberta has announced funding to better protect communities, residents and ecosystems from floods and droughts.
A total of $3.5 million will go to 20 initiatives aimed at restoring riverbanks and watersheds, stabilizing streambanks, and improving the natural movement of water.
Associate Minister of Water, Grant Hunter, says funding will support one city, two counties and 17 non-profits.
“Our government is proud to fund and support our local partners who play a vital role in restoring wetlands and riparian areas while fostering stewardship to protect Alberta’s water systems for future generations,” says Hunter.
The funding supports many central and northern Alberta organizations and their projects, such as:
- Lesser Slave Lake Watershed Council — $255,000: This project will implement best management practices for flood and drought resiliency throughout the Lesser Slave region, working with landowners to achieve on-the-ground changes to watershed health.
- North Saskatchewan Watershed Alliance — $229,600 — This project involves a Riparian Web Portal coordinator and various outreach initiatives associated with the data portal, including teaching others how to contribute to it.
- Mighty Peace Watershed Alliance — $44,400 — This project will improve the function of small tributaries in the Peace Watershed through crossing structures, adjusted agricultural practices and bioengineering to minimize and restore the impact of human activity on selected small tributaries.
- Ducks Unlimited Canada — $96,035 — This project involves five workshops in boreal Alberta discussing the importance of wetlands and how watershed planning and advisory councils can engage in wetland work. Workshops will be customized to each subregion.
- Battle River Watershed Alliance — $242,800 — This is a Best Management Practices project working alongside landowners, with a secondary goal of completing a land cover assessment of the Sounding Creek sub-watershed. The project will support flood and drought mitigation in the watershed.
Applications are now open for another $3.5 million in funding to support for watershed resilience and restoration projects. Organizations, non-profits, Indigenous communities, and municipalities can apply until September 15, 2025.
The full list of approved projects is available here.
With files from LethbridgeNewsNOW.
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