POTENTIAL ENVIRONMENTAL VULNERABILITY TO WATER FROMAGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION IN SASKATCHEWAN

摘要

The Environment Component of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada's federal AgriculturalPolicy Framework (APF) identifies four environmental priority components: air, soil, water and biodiversity.Principles established under the APF highlight key elements for a new Environmental Farm Plan (EFP)initiative. The primary purpose of EFPs in Saskatchewan is to assist producers in assessingenvironmental risks on their farms. This will be accomplished through consultation with producers atregional workshops throughout the province with a workbook entitled "Saskatchewan Environmental FarmPlan." Before implementing producer workshops, a provincial environmental scan was completed toidentify locations of potential environmental vulnerabilities at a provincial and regional level. Maps wereproduced using GIS technology for the four priority components (air, soil, water and biodiversity). Themaps identify priority areas for EFP workshops and will help others gain an appreciation of what issuesshould be stressed at the local workshops. This paper deals with the development of GIS themes whichillustrate relative potential environmental risks to water, caused by agricultural operations.The goal of the APF Environmental Component for water is to ensure minimal risk of contamination fromagricultural production. The APF identifies four principles associated with water: nutrients, pathogens,pesticides and water conservation. These four principles were addressed by rating seven geo-referenceddatabases: manure production, sales of inorganic fertilizers, bulk sales of agro-chemicals, bare soils watererosion, wetlands, stream course lengths and groundwater. The seven themes were divided into twogroupings:o Agri-environmental Stressors: Manure production, sales of inorganic fertilizers and bulk sales ofagro-chemicals were rated and individually mapped using data from the 1996 AgriculturalCensus.o Agri-environmental Factors: Geographic areas were identified, rated and individually mapped forbare soils water erosion, wetlands, stream course lengths and groundwater sensitivities toagricultural contamination.A single composite map was produced for each group. The two maps were then combined to produce anoverall Composite Water Priority Indicator Map. The product does not identify specific local issues, norcause and effect of potential agricultural contamination on water. However, the final map and theindividual maps will be useful in assisting the EFP process in Saskatchewan, because key agriculturalactivities are geo-referenced in consideration of potential land-based sensitivities.