People working and volunteering with SEAWA

About SEAWA

Working together for healthy watersheds in South East Alberta

SEAWA is a multi-stakeholder, volunteer-based Watershed Planning & Advisory Council (WPAC) dedicated to collaborative watershed management across the South Saskatchewan River Sub-Basin.

Who We Are Mission and Vision Gallery

Aerial view of river channels across prairie watershed

Acknowledgement

Land Acknowledgement

SEAWA recognizes that our work occurs within the territories of Treaty 4 and Treaty 7, with staff also joining from Treaty 6, and on the homeland of the Métis. We acknowledge the long history of Indigenous Nations whose knowledge systems, stewardship practices, and relationships with these lands continue to guide responsible care of water and ecosystems. This history shapes how we approach watershed planning, informed by Indigenous science and the responsibility to maintain these landscapes for future generations. We honour these communities by committing to respectful collaboration and ongoing learning in our stewardship and watershed work.

Who We Are

The South East Alberta Watershed Alliance

A locally informed approach to watershed planning.

Built on collaboration, shared knowledge, and inclusive planning across southeast Alberta.

Origins & Role

The South East Alberta Watershed Alliance (SEAWA) brings people together to care for water across southeast Alberta. Our work began in 2007, when regional partners identified the need for a collaborative, locally informed approach to watershed planning. SEAWA was registered as a not-for-profit society in Alberta in 2008 and was formally recognized as a Watershed Planning and Advisory Council (WPAC) by the Government of Alberta in 2010. Today, SEAWA is one of eleven WPACs in the province and operates as a multi-stakeholder, volunteer-based organization.

Watershed Scope

SEAWA’s watershed area includes the South Saskatchewan River Sub-Basin within Alberta and the Pakowki Lake watershed, a closed-drainage system. Together, these watersheds cover nearly 20,000 km² and include a wide range of landscapes, from prairie grasslands and coulees to the upland environments of the Cypress Hills. This landscape diversity influences how water moves, is stored, and is used across the region.

People & Place

The regional economy and way of life are closely tied to land and water, with agriculture, irrigation, energy development, recreation, and conservation shaping both livelihoods and community priorities. The region also reflects a long history of Indigenous presence and stewardship, alongside strong rural traditions that continue to influence local values and decision-making.

Planning Context

The SEAWA watershed lies primarily within Alberta’s semi-arid Grassland Natural Region and includes portions of the Cypress Hills Natural Region. It forms part of the South Saskatchewan Region as identified under Alberta’s Land-use Framework. Through collaboration, shared knowledge, and inclusive planning, SEAWA supports healthy watersheds that balance environmental, social, and economic needs across southeast Alberta.

Our Direction

Guided by a shared vision for the watershed

Our vision describes the future we are working toward. Our mission defines how we bring people, knowledge, and planning together to help achieve it.

Vision

A healthy watershed

A healthy watershed that provides balance between social, environmental, and economic benefits.

Social Environmental Economic

Mission

Bringing people, knowledge, and planning together

SEAWA brings together diverse partners to educate the public, to support knowledge development, and to develop and facilitate the implementation of management plans for the sustainable use of the South Saskatchewan River Sub-Basin and the Pakowki Lake watershed.