MOUNTAIN VIEW COUNTY - New provincial funding aimed at reducing the intensity, magnitude, duration and effects from flooding and droughts may benefit projects in Mountain View County, says Lorelee Grattidge, sustainable agricultural specialist with the municipality.
The provincial government announced Aug. 18 that it will be providing $3.5 million to fund 22 projects in rural and urban communities through the Watershed Resiliency and Restoration Program (WRRP).
“The WRRP funding has been around since 2014 and numerous organizations/projects in Mountain View County have benefited from the funding over the years and I know of new projects currently being submitted,” Grattidge told the Albertan.
A watershed is a land area that channels rainfall and snowmelt into streams, rivers and lakes. Most of Mountain View and Red Deer counties are in the Red Deer River watershed.
Projects in the area funded by WRRP in 2023 include $26,100 on livestock exclusion fencing along the Dogpound Creek, $290,000 to conduct riparian health assessments in the Red Deer River basin, and $99,000 to remote monitor watering systems in the Red Deer River basin.
Funding being made available this year will help restore riverbanks and wetlands, protect stream banks and improve natural drainage, said Rebecca Schultz, minister of Environment and Protected areas.
“We’re working with local communities and other partners to help fund practical projects that benefit communities across this province,” Schultz said in announcing the new funding.
Projects funded by the WRRP have led to more than 3,400 hectares of watershed lands being conserved in perpetuity under easements funded through the Alberta Land Trust Grant Program, she said.
Applications for the new funding close next month.
