The Oldman Watershed Council (OWC) is mandated to create a State of the Watershed Assessment that rates the current health of the watershed by compiling scientific information. The OWC’s most recent State of the Watershed Assessment was released in 2010, and examined environmental quality for three critical parts of the natural world: terrestrial and riparian habitat, water quantity, and water quality.
Multi‑year droughts have heightened the need for reliable water sources, particularly for livestock producers whose creeks, dugouts, and springs have run dry. Through a partnership with Living Lakes Canada, we are supporting the creation of a community‑based groundwater‑monitoring program for the Oldman watershed.
The Canadian Aquatic Biomonitoring Network (CABIN) is one of the tools that the Oldman Watershed Council (OWC) uses to establish baseline stream-health conditions and to monitor changes at sites where we, or our partners, implement restoration or beneficial management practices. OWC is building capacity for aquatic biomonitoring by leading the creation of a CABIN reference model for the Eastern Slopes.
