LETHBRIDGE, Alta. – Prairie irrigators may have a new regulator to deal with.
The federal fisheries department recently announced that it has decided to play a larger role in the protection of western fish habitat.
“Fish habitat is a very broad definition,” said Tom Olson with the department’s fish habitat protection branch.
“It includes virtually everything that a fish needs to carry out its life processes. It includes things they depend on directly and indirectly.”
The department’s decision could result in another regulatory body approving development on waterways and wetlands.
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“The simple and safe answer is, when there is going to be any in-stream work, refer it to fisheries and oceans,” Olson told the recent Alberta Irrigation Projects Association meeting.
The fisheries act prohibits the harmful alteration, disruption or destruction of habitat, which could include the potential harm done by substantially reducing water levels in an irrigation reservoir during a dry year.
While Olson realizes that a reservoir’s main goal is to provide water for irrigation, the department would like to know beforehand if water levels are going to dro-10-P.
Its first priority is to prevent losses to fish habitat, he added.
The act could also authorize the installation of fish screens in some areas to prevent fish from entering certain water bodies.
Development on a water course could violate the act by changing habitat.
The department may also examine work done in riparian areas, because they may be linked to food sources and downstream water quality necessary to fish life.
The fisheries staff wants to know who is developing a project. They want to know where it is and what mitigation plans are in place. The project could be refused if it does not comply with federal law.
The department is setting up four new offices next year in Lethbridge, Calgary, Edmonton and Peace River.
