Take Advantage of Local Tools & Programs to Assist with Drought Resilience

Wednesday, April 24, 2024

Drought resiliency is important to us at Rocky View County. With many users across several watersheds, the ability to conserve and use water efficiently in the County is a crucial part to mitigating the risks associated with the current drought situation.

With many news articles and workshops occurring regularly across the province, we are taking this opportunity to provide you with some news, updates and funding opportunities from various organizations to help you make the best of the current situation. Some of these programs you may find beneficial for long-term water management projects, to help alleviate any drought-like conditions in the future.

News & Updates

Local Drought News

The Bow River Basin Council has recently created a 2024 Drought Information page as a central hub for valuable information for residents and users of the watershed. Government and municipal resources, as well as irrigation district links can be found here to help answer some of your questions.

Provincial Drought News

Did you know that Alberta’s government ensures the quality and quantity of Alberta’s water under the Water Act, which is a legislation that supports and promotes the conservation and management of water in the province? There are 5 stages to Alberta’s risk management to drought, which can be found here. Currently, the province is under a Stage 4 advisory-Multiple Water Management Areas affected.

Irrigation District News

The Alberta Irrigation Districts Association (AIDA) has completed and released its final report of the Assessment of Strategic Management Projects to Support Economic Growth project. Utilizing previous work in the province, this project used the South Saskatchewan River Operating Model (SSROM), as well as over 40 stakeholder participants including municipalities, irrigation districts, First Nations, Alberta Environment & Protected Areas (AEPA), industry, watershed advisory groups and other NGOs to complete the work. More information about the SSROM Ph3 Adaptation Roadmap for the South Saskatchewan River Basin can be found here. You can also keep up with news and updates from our local Western Irrigation district here.

Rocky View County Water Well Watch

Are you a Rocky View resident that has access to a well? Have you heard of Rocky View Well Watch? This is an interactive map which lets users look up current well water data from various locations around the County for educational purposes. The goal of this project, led by Masaki Hayashi, is to engage and educate community members on local groundwater processes and sustainable development of water resources. More information can be found here.

Funding Opportunities

ALUS Rocky View County (Local Funding)

Rocky View County is currently accepting project applications from agricultural producers for the Alternate Land Use Services (ALUS) program. These projects provide ecological goods and services such as cleaner water and air, flood control and water retention, carbon sequestration, increased biodiversity and more. Some examples of these projects include; restoration or protection of wetlands, riparian fencing and offsite watering, native prairie restoration, drainage ditch rehabilitation, pollinator hedge creation, wildlife habitat establishment including species at risk habitat enhancement, and eco-buffer establishment. Farmers and ranchers whose projects are approved for this program will receive cost-share funding to establish their projects as well as an annual per-acre payment for the management and maintenance of the projects on their land. More information can be found here.

Rocky View County Agri-Incentive Program (Local Funding)

Assess the health of your riparian areas by taking advantage of the Rocky View County Agri-Environmental Incentive Program. This is one of the projects available for funding program to agricultural producers in Rocky View County. More information on the program, projects and funding eligibility can be found here.

Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership (Provincial Funding)

The Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership (SCAP) replaces the Canadian

Agricultural Partnership (CAP) which expired on March 31, 2023. SCAP is a five-year

(2023-2028), $3.5-billion investment by federal, provincial and territorial governments to

strengthen competitiveness, innovation, and resiliency of the agriculture, agri-food and agri-based

products sector. Programs include Efficient Grain Handling, Emerging Opportunities, Farm Technology, a Water Program, among others. More information can be found here.

Resilient Agricultural Landscape Program’s (Provincial Funding)

The Resilient Agricultural Landscape Program’s (RALP) objective is to accelerate the adoption of Beneficial Management Practices (BMPs) that maximize provision of Ecological Goods & Services (EG&S), particularly increased carbon sequestration and enhanced climate resilience. Funding is offered on a per-acre payment basis for a term of three years. More information can be found here.

The Green Acreages Program (Alberta-wide NGO Funding)

Green Acreages is now accepting applications from small acreage, hobby farm and recreational property owners to fund cost-shared, eligible stewardship initiatives on their properties. Through this funding initiative, eligible projects will be funded on a 25-75 cost-share basis up to a maximum of $4500 per project against cash expenditures with receipts. Property owners must contribute 25% of the total project cost in cash or in-kind value. Rocky View County is hosting a Green Acreages workshop on May 22^nd, more information can be found here.

AWES Agroforestry & Woodlot Extension Society (Alberta-wide NGO Funding)

Have a tree planting project in mind to help water and soil conservation on your property? AWES provides direct assistance to landowners, municipalities, organizations and rural individuals with planting project design and implementation, tree health assessment, municipal policy guidance, restoration and bioengineering planning, sourcing plant material, and the planting and maintenance of forested areas. Funding opportunities are also available through AWES and more information can be found here.

Rental Programs

Government of Alberta Water Pumping Program

Do you know the province of Alberta has several programs which may help producers, especially during these times of drought? The Water Pumping Program is to help a producer or group of producers rent pipe and pumping equipment to fill dugouts from nearby water sources. Equipment and pipe are delivered from dispatch locations across the province to the pumping site. Rental rates are for April 1 to October 31 and include one day of setup, one day of pumping and one day to dismantle the equipment. More information can be found here.

Posted in: Agriculture