Atlantic Coastal Action Plan (ACAP) Humber Arm – Newfoundland and Labrador
ACAP Humber Arm is a not-for-profit organization that began in 1991, serving the Bay of Islands and Humber Valley regions of the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador. The organization established itself as regional leader in water stewardship, focusing its efforts in areas of marine water quality, water conservation, environmental education, knowledge sharing, and partnership development. To promote water stewardship, the organization has developed and implemented several innovative hands-on education programs for youth, including the Trading Books for Boats program, Marine Debris program, and Environmental Explorer Camps. The organization also promotes water stewardship among stakeholders through their Smart Basin initiative, which facilitates partnership development and information sharing between municipalities, government, academic institutions, NGOs, industry, and First Nation groups.
Sambaa K’e Dene Band – Northwest Territories
Saamba K’e, meaning “trout lake place” in Slavey Dene, is the community on the shore of Trout Lake in southern NWT. Community members, including Chief Dolphus Jumbo and Senior Administrative Officer Ruby Jumbo, linked contamination at their landfill with water stewardship. They rounded up more than 50 drums and were able to move out 44 drums to a registered receiving facility. The contaminants, including used oil and flammable liquids, were stored in rusty drums that could leak into the ground, groundwater, and ultimately Trout Lake. 8000 litres of liquid were shipped out. The community continues to work on managing contaminants in their community. This is an excellent example of source water protection, which will encourage other communities to undertake similar activities to protect their water and talk about local water stewardship.
Clean Annapolis River Project – Nova Scotia
The Clean Annapolis River Project (CARP) is a charitable environmental organization located in Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia. Founded in 1990, their mission is to enhance the ecological health of the Annapolis River watershed through science, leadership and community engagement. Since 1990 the organization has seen many tangible successes including the removal of a derelict dam and restoration of riparian habitat for Atlantic salmon, 21 years of citizen science water quality monitoring, aquatic connectivity and fish habitat assessments related to culverts, agricultural programs, as well as species at risk research. Most recently CARP launched a community based social marketing program targeting water behaviours in rural homes such as drinking water testing and septic system maintenance to build capacity on the importance of sustainable rural water practices.
Centre for Water Resources Studies – Nunavut
The Centre for Water Resources Studies (CWRS) was established in 1981 by the Faculty of Engineering at Dalhousie University to address water issues facing Canada through applied research. The objective of the Centre is to pool the research resources of Dalhousie University to address real challenges faced by the water community and provide a platform for the development and appropriate application of water technology; water quality analysis and advancement; and outreach through knowledge transfer to their stakeholders. In 2010, CWRS partnered with the Government of Nunavut to develop a wastewater research project in six Nunavut communities. They are in their third year of this five year project studying cold climate passive wastewater treatment systems and their impacts on the environment. In 2012, CWRS expanded their research to also monitor potable water quality from source-to-tap in these remote communities.