The Alberta government will be issuing grants to 12 organizations through the Watershed Resiliency Restoration Program in an effort to improve community flood and drought protection.

The three-year, $21 million funding program will be available to non-governmental organizations, stewardship groups and other not-for-profit organizations, as well as municipalities, First Nations and local authorities

“Improving the capacity of our natural landscapes to store water through measures like wetland and riverbank restoration is an added line of defence as we invest in major flood control infrastructure,” said Shannon Phillips, minister of environment and parks.

Most of the resiliency outreach will be completed in the Bow River or Oldman basins. In addition to education, outreach, and the development of analytical tools, grant approvals will fund the restoration of more than five kilometres of riparian areas and the creation or restoration of more than 16 hectares of wetlands.