Watershed Planning and Advisory Council’s (WPACs) in Alberta are tasked with the development of integrated watershed management plans (IWMP’s) in their respective basins.

An Integrated Watershed Management Plan (IWMP) is a guiding document for use by landowners, governments, planners, and all other stakeholders in a watershed. It sets out common goals and objectives for the log term management of land and water resources in the basin. IWMPs are developed cooperatively by stakeholders from across the watershed; it includes residents, local industry, interest groups and others. An IWMP sets shared goals for the watershed and outlines actions, that when implemented by water and kand managers, lead to the achievement of those goals. State of the Watershed reports provide background information and context on the current health of a watershed and are used to guide the planning process by identifying watershed health concerns, data gaps and priorities for on the ground action.

A watershed management plan is considered integrated when:

• The planning process is inclusive and broad and combines the needs of diverse watershed stakeholders;
• There is recognition of the balance between ecosystem, community and economic health;
• The process respects the integration of activities on the land and their impact on water.

Economic, administrative and environmental benefits of watershed management planning:

• Providing various levels of government with information to make decisions on a whole watershed basis;
• Helping local boards and councils and other decision makers prioritize limited resources;
• Giving community members a voice in protecting and restoring watershed resources;
• Providing greater access to resources for project implementation;
• Targeting activities and programs to areas that need greater protection or to areas where limited resources will be most effective;
• Setting a baseline for measuring the success of management efforts and reduce the cost of remedial actions by preventing future problems.