Derek Lovlin has been involved water management issues in the Bow River basin of southern Alberta since 1999. He summarizes the challenges of infrastructure management for water storage and delivery in southern Alberta. Climate change and invasive species (e.g. zebra mussels) can dramatically Alberta's water future. Stakeholder expectations: an example is water storage reservoirs that are drawn down quickly in the summer for irrigation versus the expectations of urban residents who view reservoirs as recreation lakes. Staff recruitment is a major long term issue; expertise will be a problem. Dam safety, infrastructure funding, disaster planning are interlinked.
Derek Lovlin is the Manager of Operations and Infrastructure for the Bow Basin with Alberta Environment and Sustainable Resource Development, Calgary, Alberta.
From March 12-14th, 2013, people involved in water issues in Alberta met in Red Deer to discuss ideas and plans for managing water resources. The conference, jointly hosted by the Canadian Water Resources Association (CWRA) Alberta Chapter and Alberta Watershed Planning & Advisory Councils (WPACs), emphasized the integrated planning that is necessary for water management in the future.
The Alberta Land-use Knowledge Network was able to record many of the keynote speakers and conference presentations.