State of the Watershed Reporting

State of the Watershed (SoW) or State of the Basin Reports provide a baseline of information for watershed planners and other decision-makers. While summarizing all known environmental information about a watershed, they also identify knowledge gaps and make recommendations for future direction. State of the Watershed reporting is a critical step in completing a Watershed Management Plan.

Aquality has been involved with State of the Basin reporting for several years in Alberta, and has considerable expertise in data assembly, report drafting, layout, design and final production. Aquality co-chaired the 2005 Bow River Basin Council’s Nurture, Renew, Protect: A Report on the State of the Bow River Basin. Most recently, Aquality produced the State of the North Saskatchewan Report 2005 for the North Saskatchewan Watershed Alliance. Aquality has completed reports for Chestermere Lake, Lac La Biche, Lac La Nonne, Moose Lake and the Heart River.

Within a planning area, information is gathered on a variety of topics including: water quantity, water quality, demands on the resource, land use, commitments to the flow regime, physical habitat characteristics and aquatic species present. Existing conditions that include current and proposed land uses should be considered, while policies, legislation, existing plans and commitments are all considered and incorporated.