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- Summary of Beyond the Pipe, a report that was submitted to the North Battleford Water Inquiry.
Ducks Unlimited Urges North Battleford Inquiry to Think "Beyond the Pipe" 
Report confirms benefits of "pre-treating" water through healthy watersheds and natural wetlands before it reaches intake pipes of water treatment facilities
North Battleford SK, Dec. 5 – A Ducks Unlimited (DU) report, submitted yesterday to the North Battleford Water Inquiry, clearly confirms that managing land-use activities within watersheds is critical for water resource sustainability and the protection of drinking water. The report, entitled Beyond the Pipe, also defines the need to conserve wetlands and riparian buffer zones - vegetated areas adjacent to water - because of their capacity to clean water.
The report, prepared by Saskatchewan field office staff and Ducks Unlimited Canada's research arm, the Institute for Wetland and Waterfowl Research (IWWR), is a compilation and review of international scientific evidence regarding the link between watershed features, water quality and water quantity.
According to Bill Chappell, Ducks Unlimited biologist in North Battleford, involvement in the Inquiry provides the conservation organization with an opportunity to clearly outline the role of wetlands and associated habitats in improving water quality.
"We've been working in Saskatchewan for over 60 years to restore and conserve wetland habitats," Chappell said. "Wetlands and riparian areas are broadly recognized as providing important fish and wildlife habitat. But people don't make the link between wetlands and the role they play in improving water quality before it enters the pipes that carry it to our homes."
In its report, DU reviews provincial water resource management policies and identifies opportunities for policy and program improvements.
"We are bringing some really viable options to the table for the government's consideration," Chappell said. "We've had an office here in North Battleford for over 36 years. Ducks Unlimited staff are part of this community and we want to ensure that our water supplies here and throughout the province are safe for future generations."
Phil Curry, Ducks Unlimited policy analyst, said current regulations in Western Canada afford limited protection to wetlands and riparian zones.
"Unfortunately, the positive effects of wetlands and associated habitats on water quality are largely unrecognized so, not surprisingly, these important areas continue to disappear," Curry said. Seventy per cent of wetlands in the Prairies have been drained, plowed under and filled in during the last 100 years.
"Given the increasing importance of our water resources, it's time we look at the broader benefits that a watershed's wetlands and buffer zones provide to society," Curry said. "Our report identifies opportunities where water resources can be managed more effectively in Saskatchewan. We would look forward to working with the provincial government in implementing the suggestions we have laid out."
Ducks Unlimited's report to the North Battleford Water Inquiry is aligned with the report it submitted to the Walkerton Inquiry in April of this year. Ducks Unlimited Canada conserves Canada's wetlands and associated habitats for waterfowl, other wildlife and people. More than 6,500 Saskatchewan landowners have voluntarily elected to work with Ducks Unlimited to conserve wetland habitats.
