Comments Gathered Will Help Develop Water Resource Strategy

Comments from hundreds of Nova Scotians will be used to develop a strategy for managing water resources.

A report titled What We Heard was released today, Sept. 18, at the Union of Nova Scotia Municipalities' fall conference. It summarizes Nova Scotians' responses to the discussion paper Towards a Water Resources Management Strategy for Nova Scotia, released earlier this year.

"I would like to thank all Nova Scotians who contributed to this stage of the process," said Mark Parent, Minister of Environment. "We aim to make Nova Scotia one of the cleanest, most sustainable environments in the world by 2020 and these contributions will help move us in that direction."

Fourteen public consultation workshops were held across the province by the Department of Environment between Jan. 30 and June 1, 2008. Comments and concerns were also submitted in writing.

A draft of a water strategy will be developed after reviewing all comments. People will have another opportunity to participate in the strategy's development in 2009 when the draft is released.

The water strategy is intended to be a guide to making decisions about water resources in the province today and in the future. It will cover all water in the province -- water for drinking, ecosystems, recreation and tourism, and business and industry use. The strategy must be completed by 2010.

Copies of the report are available at all Department of Environment regional offices and online at www.gov.ns.ca/nse/water/WaterStrategyHow.asp .