| "Our main interest in having our portion of the Battle River assessed was to get some guidance as to the best ways to keep the cattle out of the river," says Dave Solverson. "We do not want to pollute." Now the Solversons have an option that protects water quality in the river while improving their cattle’s performance.
This past summer, Dave, his brother Ken and nearly 30 other producers with land along a 30-mile portion of the Battle River volunteered to have an assessment of the health of their riparian lands. They were all part of the Battle River Riparian Partnership. This multi-agency group includes the County of Camrose, City of Camrose, Cows and Fish program, Alberta Conservation Association, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Administration, and the Alberta Environmentally Sustainable Agriculture Program.
Riparian areas are lands next to streams and lakes. Healthy riparian areas perform many functions such as filtering out contaminants for better water quality and providing forage and shelter for cattle, flood protection, and fish and wildlife habitat.
Dave Trautman, Assistant Agricultural Fieldman for the County, says the landowners' response to the initiative is "exceptional." Almost every landowner on this portion of the river was willing to participate. Trautman himself is one of the landowners in this watershed. He says, "My family has farmed here for 90 years, and we want to leave behind a legacy of proper stewardship for future generations."
Cows and Fish staff conducted the confidential assessments over the summer, using a set of consistent criteria to accurately describe the condition of each landowner’s riparian lands. Trautman says the assessments provide a starting point for landowners to take voluntary actions to address any identified concerns in ways that will benefit their operation and the environment.
The Solversons have a large cow-calf operation. Their home ranch has about four or five miles of land bordering the north side of the winding Battle River. Even before receiving the results of the riparian health assessment, they were able to make a key change in the management of their riparian land.
Solverson says, "Part of the project was a demonstration solar pumping unit that Dave Trautman set up. They used our ranch to demonstrate the pumping unit to begin with. Then we developed our own system, and they took the demo unit to other places within the County. It was helpful to have had the demo unit to see what we needed."
A Demonstration Unit Helped the Solversons and Others Evaluate Solar Pumping
Photo credit: Dave Trautman/County of Camrose
The Solversons placed the pump’s intake in a deep spot along the bank and put the water tank within 50 feet of the river. "Once we set up the tank, the cattle did not access the river at all. They started drinking from the tank, and they preferred that to going into the river."
Keeping the cattle out of the river is important for protecting water quality. When cows drink directly from a river, they can contaminate the water with manure and sediment from damaged stream banks.
No fence was needed to keep the cattle out of the river at the Solversons. Fencing is not considered to be a practical option by most of the local landowners because of the high risk of damage by beavers and floods, says Solverson. "We are looking at alternatives to fencing, and the best alternative is pumping the water to the cattle."
For the Solversons, the pumped water also resulted in better cattle performance. "Especially with the calves, we found it far superior to them actually entering the water to drink."
The riparian health assessment results were given to the landowners this winter. In February, Trautman had a follow-up meeting with them "to explain how to read the assessments and to get feedback from them as far as what their future needs would be." In the coming years, Trautman hopes to expand the initiative to other portions of the Battle River.
The Battle River Riparian Partnership is currently focusing on the portion of the river that flows from the County of Camrose’s boundary with the County of Wetaskiwin to Dried Meat Lake. This portion is the source of water for the City of Camrose.
City Engineer Ted Gillespie says, "The City of Camrose has a specific interest in the Battle River and the lake in that it’s our water source for the community. And we recognize that we’re a partner in the watershed. Our storm and sanitary systems discharge into that watershed. And we’re hoping that we’re doing our part. But really the impact to us is from the whole watershed, both within the County of Camrose and upstream of the County of Camrose. We’re hoping to develop this partnership to encourage good management on everybody’s part."
The City is taking a number of measures to reduce its own impact on water quality, notes Gillespie. "We’ve upgraded our wastewater treatment facility. We also have ongoing public education programs to reduce the pollutants that are discharged through the storm sewers in the community into the storm sewer system. Any new storm sewer system that’s installed has to provide on-line treatment in the form of ponds to reduce both runoff rate and the silts, sediments and so on that are in the water."
Gillespie is pleased with the good cooperation between the City and the County on this initiative. He says, "I think everyone has to work together. Water quality is everybody’s problem. Everybody is contributing to the issue, and we all have to live with the results."
For more information on the Battle River Water Riparian Partnership, contact Dave Trautman |