Cumulative effects management

 

Activities on the landscape will have both site and activity specific impacts on the environment contributing to a cumulative burden of impacts on a regional scale which may not be sustainable and may be harmful to the region's air, water, land and biodiversity.  Managing the cumulative environmental effects of our activities in the region is frought with difficulty. Legal processes have typically isolated activities in the approval process and considered mitigation actions in isolation of the cumulative impact on the environment.  Regional planning provides an opportunity to address cumulative environmental impacts by enabling regional environmental management frameworks.

 

Numerous organizations have also been set up to monitor and address cumulative effects, including:

 

• the Industrial Heartland and Capital Region "Our Region Our Future"

• North Saskatchewan Watershed Alliance (NSWA -through its integrated watershed management plan)

 

Organizations such as the NSWA are focused more on water related management under the provincial Water for Life  Strategy.

 

Outlined below are some resources regarding cumulative impacts in the region as well as examples of environmental management frameworks from other regions.

 

Resources

 

Cumulative Effects Assessment of the North Saskatchewan River Watershed Using ALCES (ALCES)(pdf)

 

Determining Appropriate Nutrient and Sediment Loading Coefficients for Modelling Effects of Changes in Landuse and Landcover in Alberta Watersheds (B. Donahue, Water Matters)(pdf)

 

 

Recommendations to Improve Non-Point Source Pollution Management in Alberta (Alberta Water Council)

 

• Phase I Report:  T. Charette and M. Trites. 2011. Current state of non-point source pollution: Knowledge, data, and tools. CPP Environmental Corp, Edmonton, AB

 

• Phase II Report: Sanderson, K. and M. Griffiths (2012). Non-Point Source Pollution: A Review of Policies, Practices and Regulations in Alberta and Other Jurisdictions. Green Planet Communications, Edmonton, AB

 

 

Environmental Management Frameworks from other regions

 

South Saskatchewan Region

 

Surface Water Quality Framework

 

Air Quality Management Framework (NO2, O3 and PM 2.5)

 

Lower Athabasca Region

 

Surface Water Quality Framework

 

Air Quality Management Framework for Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) and Sulphur Dioxide (SO2)

 

Groundwater Management Framework