Member Spotlight: WaterSMART Solutions Ltd.
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In the face of a changing climate, water stewardship is essential not only for the protection of the natural world, but also for the success of the organizations and communities existing within it. WaterSMART Solutions Ltd. (WaterSMART) is a company with a team of passionate experts proving water stewardship need not come at an organization’s detriment. Its global network of special advisors and team members solve complex water management issues for the benefit of both its clients and the watersheds in which they operate.
Throughout its history, WaterSMART has worked collaboratively to address Alberta’s most pressing water management issues: flooding and drought. Projects such as the Bow River Reservoir Options (BRRO) initiative, in collaboration with the Government of Alberta, highlight WaterSMART’s experience with flood mitigation. These days, several of WaterSMART’s current projects are centred around the most pressing water risk now facing Alberta: low water supply.
South Saskatchewan River Operational Model (SSROM)
A primary way WaterSMART addresses water supply risk is through collaborative watershed management, utilizing advanced hydrological and climate models to develop roadmaps for water management. These roadmaps then support the decisions of water users in a changing climate.
A prominent example is the use of the South Saskatchewan River Operational Model (SSROM), a tool which enables the comparison of adaptation strategies across the South Saskatchewan River Basin (SSRB) to create the Roadmap for Sustainable Water Management in the SSRB. In early 2024, WaterSMART will publish a report on the completion of this project, demonstrating how the model can be used to support collaboration and decision-making about water management in the basin.
This most recent phase of the SSRB work introduced a comprehensive economic analysis, broadening the roadmap to consider not only the potential for water conservation, but also the economic impact of each available option. WaterSMART worked with EcoMetrics LLC and applied its trademarked EcoMetrics® methodology to the roadmap. This methodology identifies, quantifies, and values (in monetary terms) the social, economic, and environmental benefits of investing in nature-based solutions. This allows for the estimation and comparison of value (gained or lost) between the options outlined in the roadmap.
With the addition of the EcoMetrics® methodology, the SSRB Roadmap provides a lens through which to see the future of water management given climate change, water conservation efforts, and financial impacts all in one. WaterSMART believes environmental stewardship should not be at odds with economic development, both in watershed management and across all applications and industries throughout Alberta.
Alberta’s Agricultural Water Futures (AWF)
Close to half of Alberta’s water is allocated to agriculture, which primarily uses the resource for irrigation. The anticipated further development of agriculture and irrigation districts in the province highlights the need for efficient water use in the industry. The Alberta Agricultural Water Futures (AWF) project is a collaboration between WaterSMART, Alberta Innovates, PrairiesCan, and Nutrien to assess water stewardship in Alberta agriculture.
This project aims to educate companies on the financial benefits of investing in water stewardship, thus encouraging the practice across the agri-food value chain. To further this objective, two spin-off projects have been proposed. The first involves the development of an educational report, which would provide producer-targeted watershed and water stewardship information as part of the Alberta Environmental Farm Plan Program. The second is a response to the primary issue uncovered for producers: the burden of sustainability reporting.
The AWF project reveals a significant burden in managing the high level of administrative reporting required for sustainability practices on the farm. This proposed spin-off project aims to identify the breadth of reporting requirements for producers and ultimately recommend a suite of tools, and a methodology for using them, which could help lighten the load.
WaterSMART recognizes that agriculture is a major contributor to Alberta’s prosperity, and proper water management is a key component for the expansion of irrigable acres to feed the growing world. Finding a way to streamline the process of sustainability reporting for producers will strengthen not only the agriculture industry, but also the environment.
Water system knowledge in the energy sector
As another frequent user of Alberta’s water resources, the energy industry also benefits from WaterSMART’s expert knowledge of water systems, availability, and risk. For example, WaterSMART supports Canada’s Oil Sands Innovation Alliance (COSIA) under the Pathways Alliance and the Water Technology Development Centre (WTDC), helping further the development of technologies and best practices for oil sands operators to reduce costs and environmental impacts. Through Petroleum Technology Alliance Canada (PTAC), WaterSMART also collaborates with upstream operators to enable responsible water use within the hydraulic fracturing sector in Alberta.
Individual clients across the energy value chain also turn to WaterSMART for thoughtful solutions to their specific water challenges. WaterSMART helps clients identify and address water risks and opportunities by applying deep expertise in Alberta’s water systems from hydrologic, regulatory, and competitive perspectives to each client’s unique operational context. Depending on client needs, this support can inform decisions on water storage, water license applications, water source identification, and water supply shortage risk management.
Operators in the energy sector, and all resource industries more broadly, are under pressure to manage their water resources wisely. Doing so helps to address operational risks, address stakeholder and investor concerns, reduce costs, identify opportunities for value creation, and meet regulatory requirements. With WaterSMART’s help, companies can better understand, manage, and disclose on their water-related risks and opportunities, while improving economic performance and reducing environmental impacts.
Corporate water strategy
While these solutions to water risk and opportunities are often applied at a specific location, WaterSMART also helps companies with broader, more strategic efforts. Using a robust process inspired by the internationally recognized Alliance for Water Stewardship, WaterSMART works with clients to develop a decision making framework for water management, also known as a corporate water strategy.
A corporate water strategy, which can be summarized on a single page for effective internal and external communication, helps companies to define how they are impacted by the conditions of the watersheds in which they operate; how they will mitigate their impacts to the natural environment and other water users within those watersheds; how they will manage water risks and opportunities to ensure their operations remain resilient; and how they will foster a collaborative internal culture to achieve their strategic water goals. WaterSMART guides clients through the development of a corporate water strategy, as well as its implementation, using specific, actionable steps and metrics.
Collaboration at its core
Convening groups of people with diverse perspectives and expertise is a core competency of WaterSMART, and one which is applied in many settings. WaterSMART’s in-house experts and global network of advisors provides the organization with an unparalleled understanding of the water system to enable sustainable development across industries and end users.
Overall, WaterSMART acts as a driver for the strategic implementation of best practices for water management, risk management, and communication. With climate change disrupting the predictability of our ecosystems, water availability is now an ever-evolving variable. WaterSMART aims to make water stewardship the norm.
Thank you to WaterSMART Solutions Ltd. for preparing this article for use by ACR.
If you would like to have your organization, project or product featured in an ACR blog and Resources Letter, let us know! Contact communications@acr-alberta.com.
