Alberta Awards WaterSMART Solutions Contract for Drought Monitoring

Jan 17, 2024

Following three years of droughts and water shortages in parts of Alberta, the provincial government has awarded a contract to WaterSMART Solutions to enhance drought modelling to mitigate the risk of a severe drought in 2024, a Jan. 15 news release said.

“We are taking action to make sure Alberta is fully prepared to navigate drought in 2024. The work we are announcing will help the province conduct advanced drought modelling and explore innovative ways to maximize Alberta’s water supply. This is all a key part of our efforts to continue our work to help conserve and manage water now and be prepared for uncertain conditions in the future,” Rebecca Schulz, Alberta minister of environment and protected areas, said in the release.

WaterSMART has unique and proven expertise in watershed management, including working in the South Saskatchewan River Basin. The release noted Alberta’s government is closely monitoring snowpack, rainfall, river levels and water use throughout the province to develop early warning capacity and understand how much water will be available this year. Using this data, WaterSMART will then help the province conduct advanced modelling and explore ways to make the best use of Alberta’s water. In the coming months, it will model realistic river flow scenarios that Alberta may experience.

“People, industry, agriculture and the environment all depend on water for survival. This project will help ensure effective water management practices are in place by bringing together the largest water users to collaboratively determine the best solutions for managing through uncertain water conditions this year,” Kim Sturgess, CEO of WaterSMART Solutions, said in the release.

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Video: Why Invest in Canada’s Seed Future? | On The Brink: Episode 3

Darcy Unger just invested millions to build a brand-new seed plant on his farm in Stonewall, Manitoba so when it’s time for his sons to take over, they have the tools they need to succeed.

Right now, 95% of the genetics they’ll be growing come from Canadian plant breeders.

That number matters.

When fusarium hit Western Canada in the late 90s, it was Canadian breeders who responded, because they understood Canadian conditions. That ability to react quickly to what’s happening on Canadian farms is exactly what’s at risk when breeding programs lose funding.

For farmers like Darcy, who have made generational investments based on the assumption that better genetics will keep coming, the stakes are direct and personal.

We’re on the brink of decisions that will shape our agricultural future for not only our generation, but also the ones to come.

What direction will we choose?

On The Brink is a year-long video series traveling across Canada to meet the researchers, breeders, farmers, seed companies, and policymakers shaping the future of Canadian plant breeding. Each week, a new story. Each story, a piece of the bigger picture.

Episode 3 is above. Follow Seed World Canada to catch every episode, and tell us: Do you think the next generation will have the tools they need to success when they takeover? How is the future going to look?