Our Strategies

The four major strategies or functions of the Medicine River Watershed Society include: monitoring, advocacy, public awareness and funding.

1. Monitoring

a. 2025 Water Sampling of the Medicine River and its Tributaries

Every year, the MRWS partners with the Red Deer Watershed Alliance to collect water samples from the Medicine River and its tributaries. These samples are analyzed using a Creek Watch Laboratory Kit and the findings contribute to the government and community information data base. The findings are used to advocate for and promote measures to improve both the health and sustainability of our water supply.

2025 water sampling of the Medicine River and its tributaries in partnership with the Red Deer River Watershed Alliance will begin in April 2025 and carry on throughout the summer. Thank you to our partners and volunteers in supporting this extremely important role!

Click on one of the images below to learn more.

2. Advocacy

In the past year we have played a significant role in advocating for the health and sustainability of the Medicine River watershed through letter writing campaigns and arranged meetings with government ministries. Activities to support this advocacy role included:

a. Collaboration of MRWS and Friends of The Blindman River to jointly raise concerns to Minister Shultz

Read Letter sent to Minister Shultz from MRWSS and FBR

In 2025, the MRWS initiated a letter writing campaign- encouraging all community members to write to the Minister of Environmental Services and MLAs to make them aware of public concern regarding over extraction of water from the Medicine River and its tributaries during droughts. We also participated in the Alberta Environmental Services Engagement discussions and surveys not just outlining community concerns, but also providing options to be explored such as a review of the water allocation regulations, measurement of flow from slow moving streams and rivers, options for fresh water use by oil and industry- particularly during times of drought.

b. Meeting with Jason Nixon and Minister Rebecca Schultz on April 23, 2025

The board requested requested government assistance to establish:

A process for the active monitoring of groundwater in the Medicine River watershed.

2. A review of and changes to the water policy developed in 2007 and reviewed in 2018 to establish appropriate parameters for water diversion and licensing from the Medicine River watershed during consecutive years of drought.

3. A moratorium on all water diversion from the Medicine River until this review has been completed and new parameters have been established.

4. Accurate means of measuring water levels and flows at multiple sites and utilization of tools such as acoustic doppler profiles that will show how the water is moving even at low flows. Gauges in service are not able or reliable to provide the necessary measurements of flow that water extraction limits are based on.

4. Oil Industry to explore and implement alternative methodologies and substances (such as nitrogen or sand) for fracking needs.

3. Education and Public Awareness

Increasing public awareness about the increasing concerns of lowering water tables and aquifers resulting in the drying up of water wells and how they can be involved in supporting a watershed that is able to meet the needs of our communities well into the future is a significant priority. Events hosted in this past year included:

a. AGM- October 16, 2025

Watch a video of Paul McLaughlin’s presentation on the status of the Medicine River at the October 16, 2025 AGM.

b. Development of a monthly newsletter- The Sundance River News

c. Community Awareness and Engagement Sessions in Markerville on April 2, 2025 and Leslieville on April 4, 2025

Both community engagement sessions were well attended with approximately 40-50 people in attendance. The community members were extremely well spoken and although the Leslieville meeting did get some heated discussion, all communication was respectful, and concerns raised in a way that was heard by the government representatives in attendance. The presentations by Dana and Darian were informative and supported the concerns raised by the community members. Concerns raised included: the amount of water being diverted from the river by oil industries, the low water level and lack of flow in the Medicine River and its tributaries, the drying up of creeks and other groundwater, the abstraction of water from oil industry water wells, that in at least one case has been approved to drill a 200 foot well that is licensed to pull 78 gallons of water/minute, 24 hours/day for an entire year; the drying up of water wells supporting individual farms and homes, the lack of monitoring of the impact of water diversion on individual water wells and the aquifer, the rising temperatures of the river, the invasion of Prussian carp which thrive on high temperatures and low oxygen and so threaten to wipe out other aquatic life, outdated and ineffective methodologies for measuring water flow and river depth- upon which the approved rate of water diversion by industry has been established. The messages of concern were heard and acknowledged by the Ministry of Environment representatives in attendance.

d. School Education: April 22, 2025-Earth Day

Members of the MRWS attended the Eckville Grade six class on Monday, April 22. The students learned about the Medicine River Watershed and the aquatic and amphibian life that lives there. They participated in a water sample analysis drawn directly from the Medicine River using the Creek Watch Kit. They learned about how beavers help to restore wetlands and how we can co-exist with them which is so important- especially during times of drought and even made their own rain gauges to support their learning about the importance of rain in helping to replenish aquifers. Many thanks to the class teacher- Mr Libby for enabling us to spend this time with his class!

Click here to learn how to make a rain gauge

e. Interviews with the Press

On June 20, 2025, Dana Kreil was interviewed by Paul Cowley from the Red Deer Advocate regarding concerns about the combined effects of the drought and water extraction for fracking purposes on fresh water availability in Central Alberta. Read article.

Red Deer Advocate Article on concerns related to the use of fresh water for fracking.

Western Star posts concerns raised by the MRWS regarding the health of the Medicine River.

Ponoka News. Interview with Paul McLauglin. Article by Mark Weber

f. 2025 Plein Air Painting Event

The MRWS Plein Air Painting event on Sunday Sept 14th 2025 was a huge success! Thank you to the 18 painters who shared their day with us and helped to capture the beauty of the river and the surrounding farm lands. This year we had 8 youth also join us for an art work adventure. Their work was spontaneous and creative and an inspiration to us all. Each participating youth received a special MRWS rain gauge as a reward for their work! A special thank you goes out to Sharon Johnston, (our feature artist) who shared some of her fabulous works of art with us all. 46 people joined us for a complimentary supper and participated in the selection of a peoples’ choice award. Debbie Leitch’s rendition of the Medicine River at a location on Ward Nelson’s property was the crowd favorite, but each and every painting provided a unique view and perspective of our beloved watershed and we are grateful to all for sharing their vision and talents with all of us.