living feature
“What we like to say is that we are all downstream.
No matter where you live, you are downstream of other
people, and others are downstream of you as well,”
explains Shannon Frank, Executive Director of the Oldman
Watershed Council (OWC). “It’s critical that we protect that
source water and that everyone works together to address
the challenges that we are facing. From climate change to
fl ushing the toilet, everything has an impact.”
OWC brings together stakeholders from all sectors.
From different levels of government, to farmers and urban
homeowners, they work together to talk about issues
and discuss solutions. With a grassroots community-based
approach, OWC is able to identify what needs to be done
and take action with few barriers. However, being focused
on having a balanced approach that represents all sides
of an issue, they invest signifi cant time into developing
collaborative solutions that might require compromises
between competing interests.
“Compared to some other watersheds, Southern Alberta
is much more developed and has been for a longer period
of time, so it’s often at the forefront in many water
management issues,” Shannon explains. “We have more
types of land use happening, which all compete with each
other and all need land and water. Between livestock,
irrigation, oil and gas, logging, and urban development,
everything adds up to a cumulative impact which presents
greater challenges and greater responsibility.”
Exploring the Lethbridge landscape by river gives one
another perspective on these competing interests and
the dynamics at play between our natural world and the
impacts of modern life.
We paddle by the two small islands carved out by fl oods which
contained houses many years ago. Stormwater outfalls begin to dot the
river banks, pumping out a rush of water carried from neighbourhoods
throughout the city. The Lethbridge Country Club soon appears on
the east bank, another lush green landscape contrasting the not-yet
blooming parkland that surrounds it. We reach the half-way point of
our journey at the weir, a physical interruption in our leisurely paddle
that forces us to acknowledge the source of Lethbridge’s drinking water,
with the intake stream for the water treatment plant located just before
it. Each of these landmarks is another point of human interaction and
adds to the strain on the river system.
We pull the boats out of the river and begin the portage around
the weir. A father fi shing with his son meets us on the opposite side,
enjoying the sunny afternoon.
“Anything biting today?” I ask.
“Not yet, but it don’t matter much to me,” he replies with a grin.
A group of boy scouts, clad in matching red kerchiefs, troop along
the river banks. With a fl urry of people happily enjoying the river
LETHBRIDGELIVING.COM
JUL-AUG 2017
21