Alberta invests in natural flood and drought protection with nearly $3 million in grants

The government of Alberta announced on Friday that it is providing grants totalling nearly $3 million to 12 organizations to help improve the flood and drought resiliency of communities across the province.

The grants, through the Watershed Resiliency and Restoration Program, include one grant of $750,000 to The City of Calgary – Water Resources for restoration of riparian areas that were severely damaged by the 2013 flood. Another grant of $749,000 is for the Alberta Birds of Prey Foundation for restoration of wetland features and creation of a 16.2 hectare wetland in a flood sensitive area.

Other grants, ranging from $12,500 to $300,000, are going to the Town of High River, Friends of Fish Creek Provincial Park Society, Taber Irrigation District, Lesser Slave Watershed Council, Oldman Watershed Council, Western Sky Land Trust, Trout Unlimited Canada, Bow River Basin Council, Foothills Research Institute and Red Deer County. The grants cover things such as riparian enhancements (fencing, plantings, grazing management and off-stream watering, for example) and assessment plans, Alberta Environment and Parks noted in a fact sheet.

The grants are issued to organizations that support the Watershed Resiliency and Restoration Program’s aim of protecting communities from flood and drought by improving natural watershed functions through the restoration of degraded areas, the ministry added in a press release.

In addition to education, outreach, and the development of analytical tools, grant approvals will fund the restoration of more than five kilometres of riparian areas and the creation or restoration of more than 16 hectares of wetlands, the ministry said. Most of the work will be done in the Bow River or Oldman River basins.

“Restoring Alberta’s natural flood and drought defences is a critical part of our government’s plan to better protect families, businesses and our economy from increasingly severe natural disasters,” said Shannon Phillips, Minister of Environment and Parks, in the release. “Improving the capacity of our natural landscapes to store water through measures like wetland and riverbank restoration is an added line of defence as we invest in major flood control infrastructure.”