Reverse Engineering the Sustainable Development Process

The Eastern Irrigation District (EID), located in semiarid southern Alberta, Canada, is adapting 80 years of integrated water and land management experience to enhance the economic, social, and environmental benefits of a 1.5 million acre region. Commenced in the early 1900s as a settlement project by the Canadian Pacific Railway Company Ltd., the present day EID delivers water to more than 270,000 acres of irrigated farmland, provides the water distribution and storage network for a regional population in excess of 20,000 people, meets the water requirements of a thriving livestock industry, manages the irrigation network as the lifeline for more than 40,000 acres of critical wetland habitat, and provides the land and water base for expanding outdoor recreation activities. In addition to its water management mandate, the EID owns and manages more than 600,000 acres of native and improved rangeland, making it, governments excepted, the largest private landowner in Alberta.

In practical terms, the EID has succeeded in managing important and vital natural resources in an integrated and sustainable manner. The water management network of weirs, canals, reservoirs, wetlands, and drains, in combination with the management of native and improved rangeland, has led to a dynamic and interdependent economic, social, and environmental fabric. This type and extent of development would not have been possible but for the diversion of water from the Bow River into the EID region and the practical common sense that has been employed by successive farmer-elected directors of the EID. It has been a "grassroots" development, worked from the bottom up - a partnership between the land, the settlers, and the environment they created to live in.

Since the early 1900s and the initial construction of the irrigation network, this region has adapted to shifting trends. Throughout this period of time, the EID has allowed integrated resource management to evolve as a natural component of irrigated farming. Today's shifting trend to "sustainable development" is engineering a new impetus for continued refinements to resource management practices - but it also underlines a concern that the existing delicate working balance could be destroyed.

In today's EID, water handling capabilities are being improved. New technologies are being implemented. Computer simulation models are being set up to help system managers and operators test alternative resource management practices and determine their potential affects before implementation. These initiatives, exercised with care, should ensure that current benefits are sustained and enhanced for future generations. Working to manage limited resources and achieve multiple benefits is at the heart of EID's desire to demonstrate sustainable development.

This chapter demonstrates the extent to which such development and management procedures have been successfully implemented in the EID. It explores what is currently being done to ensure that the EID continues its tradition of integrated resource management practices. We will also suggest how such broad-based integrated resource management objectives can be achieved in other locations. This chapter is not based on a theoretical examination of what might be possible. Instead, it dissects and "reverse engineers" the elements of eight decades of experience in support of present-day and future needs for sustainable development.

Sustainable Development and Integrated Resource Management

Much has been written about sustainable development during the past decade. The definitions, focus, and initiatives related to sustainable development shift and change in many jurisdictions throughout North America. The varying definitions are based on the economic, social, environmental, and political realities of each region. Regardless of the definition, sustainable development suggests a condition wherein the decisions undertaken today do not prevent possible alternative decisions in the future. In addition, it is generally accepted that sustainable development is driven by a need to demonstrate increased environmental awareness in our day-to-day lives and decision making. Sustainable development is preferable to the perceived types of developments and decisions that have been undertaken. For example, there is an underlying assumption that many developments have not been sustainable. Our current focus on sustainable development is returning us to an era of pioneering spirit. Most of us are personally acquainted, either through our families or other associations, with people who pushed settlement into the North American Great Plains during the past 100 years. The drive and initiative of those early settlers are the elements that need to be re-created to meet today's challenges.

Today we are less concerned with pure settlement and livelihood issues. We are becoming more cognizant of quality of life and environmental issues. Meeting the challenges posed by increased environmental sustainability for current and future developments will require a broad view of our current resources, strengths, and weaknesses. This inventory must also be combined with the sensitivity and understanding that the different aspects of our lives, economies, and the environment are highly interdependent. Maintaining an appropriate balance between these important components is vital. Success in demonstrating sustainable development will require that issues be looked at from both "macro" (regional) and "micro" (local) perspectives. Sustainable development, in every practical meaning of the term, suggests that the resources that are available need to be managed and viewed in an integrated fashion - relying on their respective values, strengths, and adaptability, and within the context of well-understood and broadly supported objectives.

Sustainable development need not be thought of as a "theory only" approach to resource management and planning. The EID has practiced an integrated approach to resource management throughout much of its eight decades of operation. Our experience suggests that sustainable development can only be accomplished on the foundation of such an approach. The EID is currently involved in refining the management structures of its operations. This will ensure that a multiple-purpose (integrated) approach to resource management and allocation continues to be practiced. As a result, the significant benefits to the region and its citizens are not only maintained but effectively enhanced.

The EID has been able to achieve and demonstrate many of the aspects of sustainable development throughout much of its eighty years of operation. Many of the benefits of sustainable development that are currently valued in the region were created with water and land acting as the catalyst to development. Ensuring that resources are managed in a manner that best guarantees a broad scale of success is a major day-to-day and long-term function of the EID.

The EID is located in the southeast corner of the province of Alberta, Canada (Figure 1). The EID's region of jurisdiction is approximately 1.5 million acres (2,345 square miles). The EID is a non-government, wholly autonomous organization, incorporated under the provisions of the Irrigation Act (Chapter I-11, RSA 1980), a statute of Alberta. It is operated by an elected board of directors selected from the irrigators in the region. It is managed on a day-to-day and year-round basis by a professional staff of about 85 persons.

The Current Status of Achievements in Sustainable Development

The EID region benefits from an integrated resource management approach. The diversion of water from the Bow River into lands that are naturally deficient of water, but rich in soil texture and heat units, has acted as a catalyst to transform the once-barren prairie into a region of diverse and substantial benefits. Although the EID's main focus of operations is the management of a water distribution network in support of irrigated agriculture, it has been able to adapt its operations to ensure that as much benefit as possible accrues to the region through the management of the available resources. Our primary client, the irrigator, is a member of the same community. What we do, and how we do it, also enhances his community and improves his quality of life.

The status of achievements in sustainable development are reviewed in this chapter, based on the following categories: crop production and agribusiness; range management; recreation developments; wetlands, wildlife, and environmental enhancements; and water management status.

In keeping with this integrated resource management approach, it is important to remember that none of the resources in the region is mutually exclusive of the others. Each of the components of the region exists and thrives based on the success of the interaction of the components.

Crop Production and Agribusiness

Irrigated agriculture commenced in the EID region in 1915. It coincided with the completion of the initial system construction. Before water diversions into the region, the area now encompassed by the EID was native prairie, with little or no standing water in the entire 1.5 million acre region. Original surveys of the region undertaken by the Dominion Government before the turn of the century had created the impression that the region was "devoid of timber or pasturage of good quality." In fact, Captain John Palliser, who led the expedition, noted that "settlement of the area lying south of lands along the North Saskatchewan River should be avoided." The entire EID region, and all of southern Alberta, falls within the land surveyed by Palliser. His vision of the future, however, did not take into account the ambitions of those who wanted to settle in the region and make it work for them.

Irrigation grew gradually during the early administration of the Canadian Pacific Railway Co. Ltd. (CPR). The fertile soils, abundant heat, and diverted water allowed the region to begin its transformation to a virtual oasis. Since 1935, when the administration of the irrigation network was turned over to irrigators, the amount of land irrigated annually has gradually increased. Today, more than 270,000 acres of land are irrigated. Although initial cropping patterns in the region showed a large dependence on cereal grains, the crop diversity has steadily increased. Along with the primary agricultural production has come an expanding value-added agribusiness and food processing sector. The economic ties between on-farm production and agricultural product processing are continuing to grow and to gain in importance. In the EID region, much of the direct linking between production and processing takes place within the various sectors of the beef industry.

Irrigated crops are grown on about 4% of Alberta's arable lands, but they account for more than 16% of the total value of primary agricultural production. In southern Alberta, the total economic contribution from irrigated agriculture expands and ripples throughout the economy because of the high integration of value-added agribusiness with on-farm production. Recent statistics indicate that, on average, 80% of the value-added agri-businesses in southern Alberta are directly linked to irrigated agriculture.

Within the Eastern Irrigation District the same interdependence exists. In 1994, the EID completed an economic evaluation of the "value" of the irrigation system to the regional economy. This report indicated that the Can$219 million in gross farm production translates into Can$1.03 billion in total regional economic activity associated with the irrigation infrastructure. Based on the diversions of water for the same period, each acre foot of water accounted for approximately Can$1,790 in economic activity. The high level of integration between primary production and value-added agri-industries affects cropping patterns. In 1994, crop diversity in the EID region was classified as follows:

60% forages - directly related to the beef cattle industry
23% cereal - as a component of crop rotation, export, and feed grains
10% oil seeds - primarily canola, to meet an expanding global demand for vegetable oils
7% specialty crops - ranging from market gardens to pedigreed seed production

It is important to recognize that evaluating the social and economic contributions of agriculture offers only a small part of the overall picture of the benefits of multiple purpose and integrated resource management. The same irrigation network is also the only water supply to meet the needs of many other important components in the level of sustainable development that has been achieved and now needs to be protected and refined.

Range Management

Some of the largest areas of native prairie in western Canada are owned and operated by the EID. Part of the regional legacy that the CPR left to the founders of the EID was a large tract of native range. This land, currently more than 600,000 acres, meets the needs of domestic cattle, waterfowl, wildlife, and recreationists while providing a measure of long-term economic stability in support of the operation, maintenance, and rebuilding of the canal system.

EID-owned rangelands are managed jointly between the district and a number of other "tenant" organizations. Much of the grass resource is leased to 10 community grazing associations as summer pasture. As we noted earlier, the overall agricultural value of these lands is limited because of a general lack of water throughout the region. By careful management of diverted water volumes, water has been distributed throughout the native prairie to improve range use while forming the foundation for more than 40,000 acres of critical wetland habitat - habitat that would not exist without the infusion of water.

Many species of wildlife also use these large areas of range. Deer, antelope, coyotes, foxes, ground squirrels, prairie falcons, various species of hawks, and even threatened species such as burrowing owls all make use of the native prairie and the infused water supplies. In addition to these activities, this land base is used for hiking and horseback riding, consumptive and non-consumptive uses of wildlife, and a significantly sized oil and gas industry. The EID's approach to resource management has allowed common management of many resources, thus allowing for the widest range of benefits possible from the same land base while still recognizing that each component may have areas of particular interest that need special attention and management.

Recreation Developments

Without the diversion of water from the Bow River in support of irrigated agriculture, there would be no water within the region. The presence of water, combined with the natural advantages of sun and heat in southeast Alberta, has lead to expanding water-based recreation activities. The EID's canal system contains 13 internal storage reservoirs of varying sizes that are used for a number of activities, including sport fishing (year-round); boating, sailing, and water skiing; camping, swimming, and hiking; lakeshore-located resort developments; and significant bird-watching opportunities. Recreation at irrigation facilities is on the increase. For many years - nearly a century - irrigation reservoirs were one of the "best-kept secrets" in the province because they provided recreation opportunities. The increase in urban populations looking for a quieter place to spend their weekends is now leading an exodus into the rural regions.

Water-based recreation is among the fastest-growing activities. The favorable climate, limited rainfall, and secure water supplies associated with the irrigated areas of the Eastern Irrigation District make them popular destinations. A study published in 1993 suggests that recreation activity expenditures at Lake Newell (the EID's largest storage reservoir) amounted to almost $1.1 million dollars - and that was during a summer with higher-than-average rainfall. In fact, the popularity of irrigation facilities is growing at such a rate that less than 20% of the recreation users are from the local area (McNaughton, 1993).

In addition to the reservoir-based recreation activities, the other components of the irrigation network are also increasing in popularity. Bird watchers have become avid members of the irrigated landscape recreation family. The diversity of bird species that can be viewed on a given day is hard to find in other regions of Alberta. Bird-watching groups make annual treks to the region's many wetland and prairie areas to catch a glimpse of their favorite species. In addition to the birds, other wildlife are also readily available for viewing. It is not uncommon to see more wildlife or more types of wildlife in one day in the EID region than you could during the same day in Banff National Park.

Interest in new recreation opportunities at irrigation facilities has also provided the impetus for new reservoir-based resort developments. The Lake Newell Resort is nearing its first full year of operation with year-round homes, summer cottages, and the largest inland marina in the province. In addition, it is providing for new public access and recreation facilities and is drawing new economic activities to the region. All of this is being accomplished within the same water management system that supports irrigated agriculture, thus adding to the overall benefits enjoyed in the region.

Wetlands, Wildlife, and Environmental Enhancements

Before the construction of the irrigation network, the extent of wetlands and wildlife in the EID region was minimal. The absence of any water in the region reduced the capability of the area to support wildlife populations, and wetlands would have been virtually nonexistent. Irrigation developments changed all that. The initial construction techniques used by the Canadian Pacific Railway Co. Ltd. meant that a certain amount of water leaked from the canal system. As this leaked water formed ponds in low areas along the canal, new vegetation emerged and wetlands began to be formed. These areas soon became vital to the species of plants and animals that made these new "wet" areas their homes.

After the irrigation project was transferred to the local control of area irrigators in 1935, the farming community needed to find other partners who had the interest and means to assist with the operational costs of the canal system. The mid-1930s were not kind to agriculture and were equally unkind, through drought, to wildlife and wetlands. By the early 1940s a relationship between the Eastern Irrigation District and Ducks Unlimited was being cultivated. The first joint farmer-conservation organization project in the EID was the Lake San Francisco Project just west of Brooks. Funding for the project came from the Ducks Unlimited California organization. The project provided a managed wetland area for waterfowl and secure stock-watering supplies in strategic locations for range cattle, thus increasing the carrying capacity and sustainability of the native prairie. These types of projects have continued over the past 50 years, and today the EID region showcases more than 40,000 acres of managed critical wetland habitat.

The focus on wildlife and other environmental considerations is not limited to waterfowl alone. A recently completed bird guide lists more than 240 species of birds that frequent the EID region and its irrigation network. Management plans for habitat areas now include the wetlands as well as the upland areas. Grazing management plans also consider the needs of wildlife and bird species. In some areas, native range has been augmented by irrigated pasture to increase the habitat values, add to the flexibility of range management options, and broaden the base of multiple purpose resource management success.

The extent of cooperation has also broadened. Although the initial habitat projects were primarily the result of a partnership between the EID and Ducks Unlimited, the federal government, Alberta's Fish and Wildlife Service, conservation organizations, local irrigators, and landowners have also joined in the initiatives. It is not likely that the benefits that exist today could have been achieved without such cooperation. The cooperative "you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours" approach has translated into a much higher demonstration of long-term success than a regulatory approach. Regulatory approaches that are designed to control development and force outcomes lack the proactive energies that are required to achieve and demonstrate sustainable development. As is the case with the water-based recreation opportunities, few of those who make use of and enjoy the wetlands, wildlife, and environmental enhancements in the EID region realize that the benefits exist as a consequence of and in direct relation to irrigated agriculture.

Water Management Status

All of the water diverted into the EID region comes from the Bow River. The point of diversion is at the Bassano Dam, located at the northwestern corner of the Eastern Irrigation District (see Figure 1). The irrigation network consists of almost 1,200 miles of canals, along with an almost equal length of drains, spillways, and return flow channels. Thirteen internal storage reservoirs are part of the canal system.

The irrigation network is operated to provide water for irrigated agriculture and rural, household, and municipal use for a regional population of more than 20,000 people; for industrial water requirements; and to meet the needs of wetlands/habitat and recreation. Although the operation and maintenance of the canal system is primarily driven by irrigated crop water priorities, the overall management structure includes recognition of the other uses of water in the region.

Water management in Alberta has been under increasing scrutiny as the public has become more interested in protection of the environment. During the past 15 years there has been a concerted effort to improve the water management and water handling capabilities of the EID canal system. Major canal rebuilding programs have been undertaken to ensure that limited water supplies meet as many needs as possible.

The canal system and its operation is in a state of evolution. Until recently, water management decisions were made by numerous field staff through a "hands on" approach based on the needs of their respective areas. This has changed so that the system is now operated as a whole, and "high tech" applications are used wherever they can be shown to improve service, save water, or meet other water needs.

Because of the overall length of the EID canal system, methods to better match water supplies with demands have lead to implementation of computer and remote-controlled water management structures. Eleven such sites will be operational in 1995. Diversions of water or releases of storage will be timed to arrive when they are needed, instead of being sent either early or late to account for the normal hours of operation. In addition, drainage channels returning to the river are monitored to evaluate canal operations, on-farm operations, and weather impacts. The intent of the EID's water management practices is to be accountable and audit the many benefits that are derived from the finite water supply - and to ensure that such needs are met on a basis consistent with multiple purpose resource management.

A Historical Synopsis of the Development of the Eastern Irrigation District

The present-day Eastern Irrigation District began as a project of the Canadian Pacific Railway Co. Ltd. During the early years of the Dominion of Canada, the federal government wanted to bring unity to the entire country through the building of a transcontinental railway. To finance the project, the CPR was to be compensated through land grants. It was the CPR's job to find the private investors to come up with the cash to build the railway, and then to develop lands for settlement. The settlement activities were intended to return money to the railway through land sale contracts as well as shipping contracts for goods and services.

Much of the land grant in western Canada fell within the region that had been named the Palliser Triangle. This region of the prairies was so named because of the earlier surveys of the region by Captain John Palliser. His characterization of the region suggested that settlement of the area was to be avoided, primarily because of the lack of water that he saw as being vital for any kind of settlement. Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on one's point of view) the lands granted to the CPR were primarily located within this semiarid region.

With the railway built and investors looking for their financial returns, the railway engineers sought ways to promote settlement in the region. Railway surveyors applied their track trade to canal alignments and trestle technology for flumes and aqueducts. The region had an abundance of unsettled lands, good soils, and favorable heat and crop growing conditions - if only water could be brought to the land. As a result, the CPR embarked on an ambitious program to establish "irrigation" as the future of the region. In southern Alberta, the CPR's interests covered most of southeastern Alberta, an area stretching from Calgary almost to Medicine Hat. For practical reasons, the project was divided into three regions: the western region, central region, and eastern region. Mainly because of uncertainty of land tenure and proximity to lands reserved for Treaty Seven Nations, no work was commenced in the central region. Work in the other regions commenced, and these areas have since become the Western and Eastern Irrigation Districts.

Work on the eastern region began with the building of the Bassano Dam in May 1910. The Bassano Dam is located at the eastern edge of the Blackfoot Nation on the banks of the Bow River at a place referred to as the Horseshoe Bend. The natural topography of the region made it a prime location to erect a large diversion structure and allowed much of the area to the east, north, and south to fall "below the ditch." In the next six-year period, much of the irrigation system that exists and operates today was built - a feat of engineering and brute human strength.

Looking back in time, the construction methods that were available at the time have proved to be vital in the transition of the region and in the first tastes of what we today wish to call "sustainable development." The compaction equipment that is used today, along with the ability to control seepage from canals and handle water in a timely fashion, did not exist during the early stages of development. Besides, water was in abundance, and the project needed to be constructed as quickly as possible in order to promote settlement of the region. The new canals did move water, and there were control structures, gates, dikes, dams, and reservoirs. In many cases, however, the canals leaked and created ponds in the low areas along the canal's length. The canals themselves were designed and located to take advantage of the natural topography. Land was not a problem - it too was in abundance, so there was little concern about canals that fingered out across the prairie, and little concern about the comparatively small amounts of water that leaked out of the system.

The push for settlement was on. As soon as the CPR had the initial works constructed, they began a worldwide campaign to attract settlement to the region. The settlers came, and water was first delivered to irrigation farms in 1916. In the early years, the irrigation project appeared to be headed for success. The railway company had been able to show that the lands they received as compensation for railway building could be developed to provide a return on investment. People certainly seemed interested in settling in the area - and crops did flourish. The irrigation project, however, soon became an irrigation experiment. Global economic conditions took a drastic downturn and irrigators had trouble maintaining their land contracts with the CPR. Add to this the onslaught of the drought of the late 1920s and early to mid-1930s, and the CPR found themselves in the position of having more commitments than they could hope to recover from their clients. The CPR began looking for a way out of this now "resource-draining" initiative.

Irrigators in the region realized that water was the only thing that would allow them any chance for a measure of success. They also seemed to know instinctively that if the project were in their hands they would manage it quite differently from the large railway company. Negotiations commenced to see if an agreement could be struck that would turn the project over to the local farmers.

Many meetings took place. The meetings and "hard bargaining" culminated in an agreement that saw the irrigators take control of the project in 1935. The CPR, for its part, had limited its long-term financial commitment to the administration, operation, and maintenance of the system by granting it to the new "Eastern Irrigation District." In addition to giving away the canal network, the CPR provided about two years' operating capital and the balance of the CPR's lands that had not been sold. Now success depended solely on the initiative of the local irrigators.

At the time the irrigators took over control of the project, much of the initial canal work was still in fairly good shape. Land contracts (now the collection responsibility of the new EID) were still much in default, and it did not appear that annual rates could be increased enough to cover all the operating costs of the system. As such, the new directors of the corporation, elected from the irrigators, set about finding ways to operate "cheaply" by making as much use of the resources at their disposal as possible. Grazing schemes were developed - but to be effective, water had to be brought out into the native prairie regions. Partners to assist with these costs were found in conservation organizations such as Ducks Unlimited.

The leaking canals also proved to be a boon in attracting cattlemen to the area. There was abundant grassland along the canal system and water was available in low areas. The water in these low areas had produced trees and shrubs that provided shelter for the animals, as well as for wildlife. Any idea that helped operate the system or raise some capital from some source other than the "hard-pressed irrigator" was searched out, found, and implemented. It was, in many ways, a question of survival - but in hindsight it was the basis for the highly integrated approach to resource management that is practiced today. The legacy of the early irrigators that continues today has been one of the merits of "Common Sense for the Common Good." It could be said that sustainable development in our region had its origins by default; there was no other means to achieve success.

Irrigation today is much more than agriculture. In the EID it is communities, industries, wetlands, wildlife, waterfowl, fish, recreation, and much more. The components of the successful irrigation package include:

Lifestyle
Community security (water = jobs)
Value-added industry
Diversification potential, much of which is not related to agriculture
A significant and sustained payback to a larger community

The town of Brooks, the major urban center for the region, recognizes the importance of water to the community through its adopted slogan, "Where Water Works Wonders."

Emerging Threats and Potential Consequences

It is not common to refer to some aspects of increased concern for the environment as a "threat" - in some circles such a statement is considered heresy, or at least naive. In terms of moving toward sustainable development, however, facets of environmental concern can get out of hand and may end up actually worsening the current situations. This appears to be the case in much of western Canada, where environmental activism (not resource management and conservation) is attempting to "turn back the clock" and "right the wrongs of the past."

Alberta appears poised to soon leave its current "geo-legal" time period. It is still in the pre-litigation era, but is fast approaching the time where only the decisions of courts will bear any weight in achieving objectives. It appears, from our perspective, that we are being exposed to a new environmental ethic - one that accepts as its baseline assumption that mankind is ultimately the cause of today's problems. We do not want to suggest that there is nothing wrong with the environment, or that we are doing the best job possible in all instances. We are, however, strongly suggesting that unless one adopts the position that we, as individuals and organizations, are vital to the solutions and to the success of the future, we have little chance of improving on our current situations.

To gain an appreciation for how sustainable development can be accomplished, it is important to look at the hurdles that might need to be crossed along the way. A significant hurdle to changing attitudes and progress appears to be embodied in the narrow-focused environmental activist organizations who want to win their cause at all (or any) cost. History has already shown that in many (if not most) instances, the consequences of their actions are not borne by those raising the issue. They are not directly affected. In fact, often they don't even live anywhere near the area or region that they attack to preserve or redress. In addition to the concerns that may be raised, this adversarial approach to problem resolution naturally puts people on their guard, protecting what they have. All of the energies and resources are focused on the problem - not on the solutions.

The adversarial negative initiatives, however, are often successful. Even without actual proof of problems with the environment, many environmental activists are chasing their own personal agendas, without regard to the overall needs of society. They attract the attention of the media, they are skilled at using the laws of land to express their narrow points of view, and they often have governments running scared. As a result, many North American jurisdictions find themselves now burdened with "top down" approaches to issue resolution. Governments are being pressured to reallocate resources and remake decisions. They attempt to resolve conflicts through planning, but tend to "act" based on departmental and sector lines. Often, instead of government involvement in issue resolution leading to integration, the normal result is that various branches of a government compete with each other.

Governments have also become prone to a belief that problems can be solved through regulations. There is a widely held belief in government circles that "rules" and "penalties" are the best tools to achieve change. No one really likes to be told what to do. We all have a natural tendency to dislike rules and to fight them. Often, when enforcement leads to conflict, no one can remember why the rules were created in the first place. Given the changes in economic realities facing governments at all levels, perhaps now is the time to give the problems back to those who can solve them. People - ordinary people, local citizens, residents, and so forth - need to find solutions to environmental and developmental issues by encouragement and innovation. We will all be better served by harnessing the energies and resources of people, instead of exhausting them in the courts.

In looking at the public's concern about the environment, water quality, air quality, quality of life, biological diversity, and the host of other "buzz words," one does not have to look any further than water to recognize how a narrow focus on issues can skew the results, or prevent one from achieving any objectives. Water gives life. Water knows no boundaries. In dealing with water issues we find that they are prone to conflict. A look at the interests of some of the players in the water arena gives us a clue to some of the problems we experience:

Governments are turf-driven - each department, agency, or commission is interested in its mission statement, and the various mission statements are more likely to be competitive rather than integrated.
Allocation of water is volume-driven and assumes that someone else has more than they need or deserve, or that they are more in need or more deserving.
Fisheries are river-focused and seldom look beyond the banks to evaluate overall societal objectives or take a hard look at the tradeoffs (we in Canada watch with great interest the numerous studies and competitions that are ongoing in the Pacific Northwest and a segment of society's current preoccupation with salmon).
Agriculture is crop-based, with farmers and irrigators concerned with what can be grown to make money this year and, in many cases, feeling at the mercy of governments around the world and being threatened out of existence (they could become our next endangered species).
Recreation is parks-oriented, with some parks requiring water and others not, but they are considered almost sacred in many parts of the country and are not to be jeopardized by letting too many people use them.
Industry tends to be municipally directed with availability of water sometimes used to entice business or industry to a particular community without full regard for the regional implications.
Municipalities themselves are preoccupied with water as a price/cost issue.
The population turns on the tap and expects the water to be there.
The planners that are called in to help solve the conflicts don't want to offend anybody.

As a result, we spend most of our time understanding the problems down to the most minute details and making sure everyone has a chance to voice their concerns about what the problem is and what causes it, and actually very little time deriving the solutions. It is not uncommon that the outcome of a planning or conflict resolution exercise only manages to establish blame, and it is universally the other person's fault.

As stated earlier, this adversarial approach pits people's energies and resources against one another, not in favor of the resources being fought over. Local and regional decision making is reduced. We become trapped by needing the government or the courts to come up with all of the answers. Narrowly focused initiatives do not consider the significant third party and the subsequent impacts that often occur. With water knowing no boundaries, who speaks for these other impacts, who evaluates or even considers the "tradeoffs"? Whenever we are seduced into micro-based issue resolution, without an appreciation for macro-based objectives and desired outcomes, we end up with a situation in which "the tail is wagging the dog" or "we have won the battle only to lose the war"!

Within the Eastern Irrigation District, a growing number of external influences may lead to an erosion of the level of sustainable development that we have been able to achieve during the past 80 years. The potential impacts of these influences on the region are significant. There are those who are standing up and demanding that water allocated to farmers be returned to the rivers to support the fish. The only interest such voices have is to win their cause. In such a case, what could be lost? Unilateral or legislated reallocation of water to meet a single use erodes multiple-purpose resource management objectives and practices. In our region, a loss of water means less water for wetlands, lakes/reservoir fisheries, recreation and tourism opportunities, regional economic stability, and agricultural production (existing and potential) and livelihoods.

In our case, this is not the future that we want. It is not the even the current circumstances that we enjoy. Such conditions were not the desires of those who settled our region and who took the initiative to make sure that everyone benefits from prudent resource management.

The Elements of Success in Demonstrating and Achieving Sustainable Development

The Eastern Irrigation District, throughout its history, has been able to evolve in a manner that showcases the advantages and long-term benefits of integrated resource management. The features of the region that make it attractive to people, business, and wildlife are highly interdependent. With the proper amount of attention, appreciation, and concern, it will be possible to ensure that these benefits are extended to future generations and that many new opportunities can be realized.

An examination of the EID's achievements, placed in the context of the history of its development, provides insight into how sustainable development can be achieved, or how its objectives and practices can be refined. In our region, we find it of great value to be able to "look to the past, to meet the challenges of the future."

Integrated Resource Management is the Key

Single-purpose resource management practices are no longer acceptable. The benefits that have been established in the EID region have taken place only as a result of integrating the needs of a diverse set of interests into an agricultural landscape. The new development and management ethic must ensure that multiple-purpose resource management is undertaken.

Challenge the Norm, or at Least Break Old Habits

If the EID's elected directors, local area irrigators, had waited for the government or some other agency or interest group to point them in a direction, it is unlikely that the irrigation network would have survived. The EID grew and became viable through self-directed initiative, not government policy. This was as important then as it is now - self-directed initiative is critical to the success of the region. As resource managers and those concerned with the future, we should not wait for others to come up with the solutions to our problems. We should take responsibility and exercise initiative. We do not need to wait for someone to give us permission - we just need to get started. If sustainable development is to assist in maintaining the "eco-system," the solutions, practices, and management efforts need to be both "eco-logical" and "eco-nomic."

Look for Innovation and Multiobjective Solutions, the Win-Win-Win Approach

There is seldom, if ever, just one solution to a problem. If you set out to look for multiple solutions to a set of concerns or issues, you are likely to derive solutions that can shift and adapt to changing conditions. Don't get trapped into believing that somewhere there is a perfect plan or a perfect process. Resource "accounting" also needs to evolve to the point where it is as broad in nature as the elements of the resources involved. This is particularly true where water is concerned. An evaluation of water supplied to irrigated agriculture that only considers primary crop production ignores the majority of the benefits attributed to water management. This narrow approach would sacrifice wetlands, fisheries, recreation, and economic stability.

Educate and Involve the Public

There is a wide gap between public relations and public involvement. Public relations, however, is sometimes called public involvement when a government, group, or organization wants to sell people on their ideas, plans, or objectives. To be successful over the long term in achieving sustainable development requires an open process where the public can become informed and involved. The key to this involvement is inviting others to be involved, listening to their concerns, and putting their energies to work in problem resolution. It is important to not overreact to external criticism. If you are unaware of what others think of your organization it will be difficult to know what they might expect. Consequently, you will have a hard time showing how their needs can be met within the context of your operations.

A Sustainable Development Primer/Checklist

The components of the EID's long-term success in integrated resource management include:

a broad approach to resource management issues (it is not possible to separate water from the other resources in the region);
our ownership of land, which made the integration of land and water management activities a "natural" process; and
a farmer/irrigator-directed organization - the solutions we have looked for have had to be of the pragmatic, sensible, common-sense variety.

We have found that by undertaking the risks of leadership we have, over the long term, been able to act rather than be acted upon. We know that the perceptions of what society wants and demands are changing, and we are well aware that we need to be part of the solution. Our history has left us with a cultural need to be proactive. If we had not been, and if we weren't today, the irrigation network and the social, economic, and environmental benefits of our region would slowly and surely be eroded and devalued.

Current Initiatives, Practicing What We Preach

Having achieved some significant and positive results during the past eight decades, the EID finds itself in a position where our "default" behavior must become much more deliberate. We must always be forging ahead with new initiatives if we are to ensure that our region makes the best use of available water supplies in achieving the broadest and greatest benefits. There is no standing still - we have to practice what we preach.

Crop Production and Agribusiness

Governments have long been involved financially with primary agricultural producers. Global competition in trade has often been influenced by government programs. This has had the effect of skewing the crops grown and the prices paid, and it affects the economic viability of farmers. The "debt" load of many developed nations and the movement toward global free trade will mean that those involved in agriculture will have to look more to fashioning their own destinies than to relying on governments.

In recognition of the trend toward less government support and intervention, the EID became a driving factor in the development of the Lake Newell Economic Development Authority. This corporate partnership with the town of Brooks was intended to capitalize on the features and advantages of the region to draw in new economic and value-added developments. The going is sometimes tough, but success is being realized. The local cattle feeding and processing industry is again in an expansion mode. In addition, there are new grain-based initiatives to produce alternative fuels.

Range Management

More emphasis is being placed on increasing range sustainability. Rest/rotation grazing systems, irrigated pasture, and new wetlands are being implemented. Range management plans are including upland management practices to increase wildlife values. Access issues are also being dealt with to ensure that external influences do not adversely affect the native prairie values. In addition, the EID has commenced initiatives in native seed production and harvesting to assist in native range reclamation efforts. Oil and gas exploration and production firms are actively cooperating with the EID to minimize the impacts of their operations on native prairie. These cooperative initiatives have lead to special siting requirements in recreational areas and in advancement of multiple well-drilling activities from a single location.

Recreation Developments

The features of the EID region that attract interest need to be managed to sustain their productivity. The numbers of people coming to the region for bird watching, wildlife viewing, water-based recreation, and so forth present a new problem - how do you manage success? The EID has undertaken initiatives to provide new (and controlled) public access to historical features. An interpretive facility was built at the site of the Brooks Aqueduct to allow visitors to gain an appreciation of the engineering accomplishments in the region. The same is true for most popular bird-watching areas. Trail systems, photography blinds, and viewing platforms have been built in cooperation with local interest groups to promote the wetland and wildlife values in a way that does not adversely affect what people are actually coming to see. In addition, the demands for new lake-based development are being pursued in a deliberate manner to ensure that flexibility of operations is not compromised. It would be contrary to integrated resource management practices to allow for any particular use to impede the other uses that initially created its value. If a reservoir exists to meet the needs of irrigated agriculture, it makes no sense to allow recreation developments to restrict the operation of the facility - that would lead to a reduction in net benefits to the region.

Wetlands, Wildlife, and Environmental Enhancements, Helping Mother Nature Help Herself

Even though much has been accomplished in this area, there is much work yet to do. To help push the effort ahead, the Eastern Irrigation District added a wildlife projects manager to its staff in 1990. The function of this person is to collect information about wildlife values in the region and to assist in developing operational plans that also consider the needs of wildlife, in addition to irrigation requirements.

The new focus on wetlands and wildlife is less in the creation of new facilities and more in the refinement of operation of existing sites - making better use of limited water supplies, adding upland management criteria to improve wildlife success, and looking to the value of linear habitat. Linear habitat goes hand in hand with canal design and operation. Properly accounted for, it is possible to allow habitat with the canal rights-of-way in a manner that supports the previously incidental habitat and also provides for wildlife movement corridors free from farming activities.

The EID is also involved in research activities to find alternate methods to control aquatic and surface weeds and vegetation and to improve water quality. The EID is involved in research on the use of grass carp (white amur) as a biological method to control aquatic vegetation. The EID has also made a commitment to provide regular public information through publication of a widely circulated newsletter, the WaterLine, and is soon to release the first of its Stewardship Series of Publications. These publications are intended to provide information to people and organizations to assist them in enhancing environmental and wildlife conditions through individual initiative. The first such publication is "Making a Place for Pheasants."

Value-Added Water Management

The Eastern Irrigation District has chosen to get involved in water management on a much broader scale than solely within our own region and area of jurisdiction. The EID is a founding member of the Bow River Water Quality Task Force and Council. It is now in its fourth year of water quality data collection and analysis. Data is shared with government agencies, basin municipalities, aboriginal groups, and the public at large. The EID has also invested in the development of high-tech analytical tools - computer simulation models - to assist it in testing alternative water management policies. These high-tech adaptations use water as the common denominator supporting integrated resource development. Other high-tech tools being implemented by the EID include an advanced GIS (Geographic Information System) to enable broad-based resource planning and operations. This GIS not only deals with water management from an irrigation perspective, but looks at all other land and water uses in the region.

Flow monitoring responsibilities, both diversions and return flows, have been taken over from the provincial and federal governments. This has been done to provide a higher and more complete level of data acquisition. It is also the basis for annual water audits and conservation and efficiency improvements. The EID is also a strong advocate of the need for and merits of water resource planning on a basin level. Recent initiatives may lead to cooperative (non-regulatory) agreements among irrigation districts, power utilities, municipalities, and conservation organizations to integrate water management facility operations in the entire basin. This will make the determination of priorities, solutions to water quality, instream flow needs, and many other environmental concerns easier to accomplish. This integrated, multiagency management and planning approach is the best way to ensure that the energies and initiatives of people and organizations are focused on managing the resources, instead of managing the regulations.

A How-to Guide - How Can You Make a Difference?

First, we need to understand that there are sectors of society that do not accept as viable the objectives of sustainable development; they are more interested in "turning back the clock" and promoting "un-development." Second, if we do accept that sustainable development is our target and objective, we must be prepared to make the difference - we cannot and should not wait for governments or someone else to do the job.

Based on our experience, there are some common steps that should work regardless of the region or political climate you live and work in. They take effort, but the ends will justify the means.

Take a good hard objective look at your needs, at least the ones you can identify today.
Try to determine who else may have similar needs or concerns.
Be prepared to work with others, some of whom may not initially share your objectives or accept your motives as being sincere.
Realize that regional needs can only be realized by integrating resources and objectives. This does not suggest that everybody gets everything they want; it more likely means a place for everything and everything in its place.
Don't be afraid to be the first to move.
Remember - common sense for the common good.
Finally, EXPECT SUCCESS!

If those who first settled the North American Great Plains had listened to their detractors, they likely would never have come or tried, and we would not have the abundance and quality of life that we now enjoy. We have been granted a legacy, and it is our responsibility and moral obligation to provide one to future generations. If we achieve sustainable development, we will have succeeded in this venture.

References

McNaughton, R. D. 1993. Recreational Use of Irrigation Infrastructure in Southern Alberta. Department of Geography, University of Alberta. Volume 3 of 7, Irrigation Impact Study, Alberta Irrigation Projects Association.

About the Authors

Jim Webber is a professional engineer with some 25 years in service to the agricultural community. He has a strong background in management of a large irrigation district and marketing of irrigation to government bodies. In the formation of farmer/board relationships within the Eastern Irrigation District in southern Alberta, Mr. Webber shares envisioning the future of irrigation and planning for its development. In what has become a top priority for his district, he has entered into a progressively growing program for education and implementation of new and efficient water management techniques. He is a supporter of multiuse water management practices that include recreation and wildlife, and he is active on the Bow River Water Quality Council. He has served on other provincial bodies advising government, and he promotes stakeholder involvement in all levels of government planning.

Dave Hill's role with the Eastern Irrigation District is in the area of water resource policy and planning. He has worked in the area of water management for more than 20 years, in both the public and private sectors. His current responsibilities have seen him take a lead role in the development of interactive computer simulation models that address long-term water resource planning and operations from a multiple-purpose water management perspective. Mr. Hill is a director of the Alberta Irrigation Projects Association, and in that capacity he led a recent initiative to develop an irrigation industry-wide response to environmental legislation and stewardship. He has also participated in the public workshops and meetings aimed at developing new water management legislation for Alberta. He played a key role in the steering of the 1993 Irrigation Impact Study and was a contributing author to the final (Vol. 7) report.