Water Resource Management

Water Resource Management refers to the planning, development and distribution of water resources in grassland ecosystems to equitably allocate fresh water to sustain the natural environment, enable economic development and support recreational activities.

Water resource management practices provide strategies to reduce flooding, prevent erosion, protect water quality and quantity, and reduce the impacts of drought while protecting a variety of ecosystem services, such as filtering nutrients and pathogens from surface runoff to protect streams and lakes.

A combination of poor water resource management and livestock grazing near aquatic areas has resulted in degraded water quantity and quality, especially those areas located near streams and rivers. By implementing beneficial water management practices, ranchers and land managers can minimize or eliminate the negative effects of livestock grazing in riparian areas.

As one Saskatchewan rancher put it, “Water is your gold. Without it you have nothing .” Water resource management is key to attaining a sustainable livestock operation while maintaining water quality and productive aquatic ecosystems.

South 7 Ranches

Barrhead, Alberta

Chad and Stacey Meunier have owned and operated South 7 Ranches for seven years and have been farming for 20 years. Stacey has taken the Ranching for Profit School twice and her family farm was managed under Holistic Management principles.
Spirit View Ranch Rycroft, Alberta

The Weder Family

In 1996, the Weder’s acquired a quarter section of land and 10 beef cows in Camrose, AB. They then relocated to Peace Country in 2003, and increased their herd to 60 cows, 20 open heifers, and began ranching on 880 acres of deeded land.
The Weedon Ranch

Swift Current, Saskatchewan

Located in Swift Current, Saskatchewan, the Weedon Ranch lies across a sandhill ecosystem where water and grass management are a top priority. The focus of the ranch’s sustainability management strategy is on the development of an efficient and reliable watering system.
Weedon Ranch Swift Current, Saskatchewan

The Weedon Family

The Weedon Ranch encompasses approximately 11,500 acres of native prairie range and 1,920 acres of tame grass in the dry brown soil zone of Saskatchewan. Located in Swift Current, the ranch is mostly in a sandhill ecosystem, making water and grass management a priority.
Z-BAR RANCH LLC

Barber County, Kansas

This project was designed to improve rangeland health for livestock, manage grazing distribution, control invasive trees, improve wetland management, and enhance habitat for aquatic and grassland-dependent wildlife species.