New report explores municipal management of water bodies

This article is Part 5 of a series developed as part of the Community Conserve Initiative.  Community Conserve is a forum for Alberta municipalities to identify common environment and conservation issues, then pool their resources to address them.  It is managed by the Miistakis Institute and Environmental Law Centre with the support of AUMA and RMA.

Alberta’s water bodies are a precious resource and their regulation and proper management is essential for, among other things, safe drinking water, healthy aquatic ecosystems and watershed resiliency. A new publication in the Environmental Law Centre’s Municipalities and Environmental Law Series for the Community Conserve Initiative explores when and how municipalities can regulate the water bodies within their boundaries.

Section 60(1) of the Municipal Government Act (MGA) purports to give municipalities “the direction, control and management of the bodies of water within the municipality.” However, plenty of questions arise about the extent of this authority. What constitutes a body of water? Can they be permanent, temporary or seasonal? What about natural versus man-made? 

Municipal Management of Water Bodies answers these questions and more.

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