Wetland Identification and Delineation Directive (Alberta Wetland Policy): Member update

06, Apr, 2021

ASET continues to participate with the environmental Professional Regulatory Association (PRO-10) group to create standards and review guidance documents. Previously, ASET contributed to and endorsed the 2017 Wetland Professional Practice Standard.

If you are involved in digitizing wetlands for pre-disturbance assessments, or in wetland design, you may be familiar with the provincial wetland policy applicable throughout Alberta. Recently, ASET took part in reviewing a draft update to the Alberta Wetland Identification and Delineation Directive. It appears from the review that even more emphasis is being placed on geomatics or technologically-derived indicators of wetlands.

You can regularly check the Government of Alberta’s Wetland Policy implementation webpage for updates to this directive.

Please note that Alberta Environment and Parks provided the following clause that they are keeping in the update to the directive:

“Evidence of unauthorized activities such as drainage ditches, tile drainage, excavation, vegetation removal, fill material or other alterations and activities affecting a wetland must be reported to the province by calling 1.800.222.6514 or by emailing erc.environment@gov.ab.ca.”

ASET thanks member Laurie Hamilton, M.Sc., C.E.T., PWS, RPBio, P. Biol. for taking part in the draft update review.