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Location: Alberta Government > Environment > Water > Northern River Basin Study - Home > Table of Contents > Background - The People of the Basins and the Genesis of the Study

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NRBS - Home Table of Contents		Northern River Basins Study Final Report 1.0 Background 1.6 The People of the Basins and the Genesis of the Study The philosophy that people are an integral part of the environment has unique significance for basin residents. Many still hold to traditional lifestyles that rely on a natural environment. The rivers provide a direct source of drinking water for many inhabitants, and habitat for fish and other game species. The rivers are also a means of transportation and the basis for culture. For indigenous peoples, the basins hold an added significance. The intimate connection between these peoples and the land spans generations and provides a source of strength and spirituality. Due to their lifelong experience with the rivers, native elders and other traditional residents embrace a wealth of knowledge regarding the natural cycles of the ecosystem and the changes in the land. Over the last several decades, the rate of development in the basins has accelerated with the growing marketability of the basins' rich resources and the introduction of technologies to harvest these resources. Paralleling this was a growing unease among basin residents that these changes may be damaging the natural ecosystem. To many, "development" had become a word that implies the deterioration of their cultural and natural lifestyles. Inseparable from these sentiments was the realization that prudent management strategies are required to enable the sustained use of the basins' resources for all stakeholders. The groundswell of public concerns regarding northern development would eventually give rise to the Northern River Basins Study. Issues surrounding the forest industry played an important role in the genesis of the Study. The upswing in the forestry sector was paralleled by a similar rise in environmental awareness across the country. Forestry-related concerns focussed on the effects of land clearing and the potential impacts of pulp mill effluent on the aquatic ecosystem (see Section 3.2 for more information related to forestry and the environment).
NRBS - Home Table of Contents Top of Page		[Photo 8 on CD3: no caption] In the late 1980s, these concerns came to the forefront with the proposal by Alberta-Pacific Forest Industries Inc. (AlPac) to build a bleached kraft pulp mill on the Athabasca River near the town of Athabasca. AlPac was not the only proposed pulp mill during that time period, but it would hold by far the largest FMA in Alberta and many residents felt the mill was approved with no prior public consultation. As a result, it received the lion's share of public concern and publicity. In response, a joint Alberta-Canada Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) of the proposed mill was performed. The AlPac EIA, and the public hearings that followed, planted the seeds from which grew the Northern River Basins Study (NRBS). The review process brought together the three governments that maintain jurisdiction over the majority of the river basins area: Canada, Alberta and the Northwest Territories. In its 1990 report, the joint EIA Review Board identified the need for further investigations to fill knowledge gaps concerning the cumulative effects of contaminants on the Athabasca-Peace River system. Two more environmental reviews followed before final approval was given to the AlPac mill, resulting in several upgrades to the effluent treatment process. In addition, the three governments acknowledged the need for further information regarding the impacts of development on the aquatic ecosystem. On September 27, 1991 the three governments formally signed the Agreement Respecting the Peace - Athabasca - Slave River Basin Study Phase II - Technical Studies (otherwise known as the Northern River Basins Study). The Study area was defined as the Alberta and Northwest Territories portions of the Peace, Athabasca and Slave River mainstems along with their important tributaries and deltas. The Study would be funded to a maximum of $12.3 million, with costs borne equally by the governments of Canada and Alberta.

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