The first "pilot" of the cumulative effects management approach in Alberta is planning for the industrial heartland, which includes water management for the area northeast of Edmonton.

Last December, the Government of Alberta released the Water Management Framework for the Industrial Heartland and Capital Region. On the premise that "ample capacity exists in the North Saskatchewan River to support a healthy industry and growing population" this integrated water management plan is meant to manage industrial use of water, and water quality and quantity issues on the North Saskatchewan River in this area slated for significant industrial growth (AENV 2007, 13 and 4). This plan acknowledges the cumulative impact on the watershed that this industrial growth will have, but it offers few specific and immediate solutions.

The industrial heartland's water management framework will use water recycling and reuse to minimize future demand on the North Saskatchewan River as a water source and as a dumping ground through technology and infrastructure solutions. These solutions, however, will not apply to the existing and already approved facilities. Instead the integrated water network will apply only to new approvals, while retrofits might be implemented to achieve the Framework's overall sustainability goals.

What is the Industrial Heartland?

The "industrial heartland" is a 470 km² area set aside for industrial growth in a Joint Area Structure Plan of the counties of Strathcona, Sturgeon, Lamont, and Fort Saskatchewan. It will also be part of Capital Region Integrated Growth Management Plan, which Edmonton and the region's 24 other municipalities are currently developing. The industrial heartland stretches along the North Saskatchewan River from Devon to Pakan. In the heartland, up to nine bitumen upgraders are anticipated to join 40 existing chemical plants, petrochemical refineries, fertilizer plant, pipelines, and oil upgrader (Shell's Scotford Upgrader).

See the recent report by Pembina Institute, Upgrader Alley: Oil Fever Strikes Edmonton, for more information on the pressures building in the industrial heartland.

What is the Water Management Framework?

The Water Management Framework for the Industrial Heartland and Capital Region is largely a conceptual plan. It promotes integration of water supply and wastewater discharge, recycling of municipal and industrial wastewater, and minimization of cumulative impact in the area. The plan's integrated water supply network among the industrial facilities will use a combination of freshwater from the North Saskatchewan River and recycled and reclaimed water from the region's municipalities.

The Framework proposes a phased approach to achieving sustainable water use in the short, medium, and long terms.

The first phase (2007 to 2009) will begin building an integrated supply network. During this time an oversight committee will work on governance structure and mechanisms and funding for implementation of the Framework. An implementation committee will produce an implementation plan.

Alberta Environment anticipates the second phase (2009-2012) to have a functioning governance structure and completion of engineering designs and studies for implementation of the Framework.

The third phase (2012-2041) is meant to see continuous improvement of North Saskatchewan River's water quality and "world-class" water management in the industrial heartland.

Challenges

Despite the progressive approach to manage a massive increase in industrial activity in the area, a number of factors already, or are poised to, challenge the Framework's ability to truly address the cumulative impact of existing, approved, and anticipated industrial facilities in an area already suffering reduced water, air, and land quality.

Decline of water quality

According to Alberta Environment, the North Saskatchewan River's water quality already exceeds accepted levels of some compounds (AENV 2007a; AENV 2007b). While the ability of the river to assimilate (or dilute) contaminants is a driving force behind choosing management options (i.e. increasing flow to improve river flow for dilution), the addition of many new facilities are sure to challenge the ability to maintain and improve the river's current water quality.

Pressure on water quantity

The government considers the river to have capacity for future withdrawals, especially as current withdrawals return much of the water back to the river. However, demands on the river, which do not return water to the river, will increase dramatically over the next 20 years.

Bitumen upgraders — facilities that convert bitumen and heavy crude oil to synthetic useable oil products — are not yet heavy users of the North Saskatchewan; but they promise to be — each consuming from 5 to ten billion litres or more of water annually, depending on the size of the upgrader. River flows are also likely to decline due to climate change, deforestation in the headwaters, and other growth-related pressures in the watershed.

Recycling and reuse of water from the region's municipalities or other industrial facilities will help reduce the amount of water withdrawn from the river in the long term. However, with significant increase in industrial activity planned for coming years — much driven by oil sands exploitation in northeastern Alberta — impact to the river can only increase, as less water will be returned to the river and water demand will increase significantly.

Lack of details

While water system integration, recycling, and reuse are very progressive concepts, challenges exist for the framework. With few details laid out, applicability only to facilities that will be approved in the future (not those already approved), and no basis in current legislation, the plan remains conceptual and subject to the whims of stakeholders and government politics.

 

Sources:

Alberta Environment (AENV). 2007a. The Water Management Framework for the Industrial Heartland and Capital Region.

Alberta Environment. 2007b. Water-related issues in the industrial heartland.

Alberta Index. December 12, 2007. Water: Alberta government unveils masterplan for industrial heartland and Edmonton area.

AMEC Earth & Environemntal. 2007. North Saskatchewan River Basin. In: Current and Future Water Use in Alberta. Prepared for Alberta Environment.

Brooymans, Hanneke. October 2, 2007. Water use could double: Requests for local heavy-oil upgraders nearly match total current consumption. The Edmonton Journal.

CWN Group. February 20, 2008. North West upgrading project approved.

Government of Alberta. 2007, October 2. News release: Alberta rolls out new environmental strategy to protect air, land and water

Power, Samantha. December 2007. Rampant development raises residents' concerns about the future in the heartland. Vue Weekly.