Natural Infrastructure for Water Solutions (NIWS)
Taking natural infrastructure from novel to normal.
Natural Infrastructure for Water Solutions (NIWS) is scaling up natural infrastructure on Canada's Prairies—for cleaner water and more resilient communities. Natural infrastructure allows us to plan and work with nature to help meet infrastructure needs. NIWS hopes to take the idea of natural infrastructure from novel to normal, championing water infrastructure solutions in rural communities, cities, and government planning processes.
Working alongside stakeholders and champions from many sectors, we are:
- Making the business case for natural infrastructure, by demonstrating how impactful and cost-effective it can be
- Encouraging local municipalities to adopt more natural infrastructure projects
- Enabling access to funding for those who want to implement natural infrastructure
- Making sure that natural infrastructure is supported and championed by all levels of government.
The natural infrastructure sector contributes billions to the Prairie-wide economy and creates jobs. Our latest REPORT shows the estimated direct contribution to the GDP of the Canadian Prairies was CAD 4.1 billion in 2022. It's also estimated the sector directly employed over 33,000 people in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. We need greater investment in this sector, which is required to treat and supply clean, fresh water to the millions who live on Canada's Prairies.
Why Natural Infrastructure?
Natural infrastructure is a way to plan and work with nature to meet our infrastructure needs.
In communities across the prairies, you probably have seen stormwater ponds in neighbourhoods, rain gardens, or green roofs—just a few examples of natural infrastructure. Preserved ecosystems such as wetlands (both natural and designed), restored ecosystems, like a replanted riparian area, or even a nature-based engineered feature, all provide water benefits and are natural infrastructure.
Natural infrastructure can provide specific infrastructure benefits, with the potential for many other social, economic, and environmental benefits. There is increasing evidence that natural infrastructure can deliver much-needed water outcomes cost efficiently while also providing areas for recreation, habitat to support wildlife, and improving the overall resilience of our communities.
Natural Infrastructure In Your Community
Floating treatment wetlands help keep our fresh water clean and healthy. These small artificial platforms are being used successfully in storm and wastewater management. Not only do the plants take up nutrients and contaminants themselves, the plant roots and floating island material provide extensive surface area for microbes to grow. The unique ecosystem that develops creates the potential to capture nutrients and transform common pollutants that would otherwise plague and harm our lakes into harmless byproducts.
Water retention is natural infrastructure that can provide flood, drought, and water quality benefits, but also additional benefits as a result of water management and naturalized infrastructure—such as improved habitat, biodiversity, and even carbon storage. Monitoring both water quantity and quality allows us to better understand a site’s performance and the various influences that site design, operation, and maintenance have on enhancing it and other related co-benefits.
Natural wetlands being actively managed for flood control. The sustainable method of watershed management used in the Pelly's Lake Water Management Area project prevents excess nutrients from being put into the watershed, aids in habitat regeneration and the diversity of animals, and sees the cattails harvested at the end of the season for livestock bedding and other sustainable uses.
More NIWS
How can we improve on freshwater health and prevent plastic pollution?
INC-4 is the fourth meeting in a series of international negotiations that aims to develop a global treaty on plastic pollution, which can and should have big implications for freshwater quality both in Canada and beyond.
Strategic Environmental Assessment for the Mining Sector
Strategic environmental assessments (SEA) are an essential tool for policy-makers working to develop a sector-wide vision for responsible mining.
Blackouts and Backsliding: Energy subsidies in South Africa 2023
Blackouts and Backsliding presents the latest energy subsidy data for South Africa.
Sustainable Asset Valuation of Parques del Río Norte in Medellín, Colombia
This economic valuation demonstrates the benefits of expanding urban green space in the city of Medellín, Colombia.
What’s Next After UNEA-6: Why “synergies” is more than a buzzword
In an era marked by escalating environmental challenges and geopolitical tension, the Sixth United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-6) called for more cooperation to tackle the triple planetary crisis.
Progressing National SDGs Implementation
An independent assessment of the voluntary national review reports submitted to the United Nations High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development in 2023.
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