CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR SOURCE WATER PROTECTION PLAN IMPLEMENTATION IN SASKATCHEWAN: LESSONS FOR CAPACITY BUILDING

Abstract

Source water protection (SWP) is defined as a land use management and planning process aimed at the protection of surface and groundwater sources from contamination. Currently in Saskatchewan, the Water Security Agency is leading much of the planning and management with the goal of safe drinking water sources and reliable water supplies. The Water Security Agency has developed SWP planning initiatives across the southern portion of the province. Rates of SWP plan implementation in Saskatchewan are uneven and dependent on multiple factors. Using document review and key informant interviews, this study identifies factors facilitating and constraining source water protection plan implementation in selected areas and describes capacity building needs for SWP plans implementation in Saskatchewan. Results are discussed based on four capacity areas: financial, institutional, technical and social capacity. The results in this study show that capacity areas in need of improvement include stable financial resources, training opportunities for local watershed groups, public awareness, adequate stakeholder involvement, SWP plan re-evaluation, and information/data access. The result of this research contributes to the understanding of SWP plan implementation relating to capacity building needs at the watershed scale in the prairie region.