Published: TAP IN - ATCO's Heartland Industrial Water System

In 2007, the Government of Alberta (GOA) implemented the Water for Life strategy as part of an initiative to help preserve the province’s water resources for future generations. To be successful, the GOA recognized local solutions were critical and further developed the Water Management Framework for AIH and the Capital Region (WMF). This framework is specific to the industry-heavy stretch of North Saskatchewan River (NSR) extending from Devon to Pakan.

With more than 40 companies engaged in major industrial operations in AIH, a primary consideration of the WMF was the number of water intake structures along the affected section of the NSR. In addition to the quantity of water being withdrawn by these industrial facilities, the ecological footprint of having multiple intake structures on the NSR could not be ignored.