Integrated Water Management

Create solutions for global and local water issues with a career in water management. This program will prepare you for various roles such as water management specialist, water quality technician, watershed planner, flood planning technologist or junior hydrologist.

Get the training to become a water management expert and develop a strong understanding of the complex solutions and decisions required to balance the preservation of water-related ecosystems. Learn water management best practices to manage hazards, safeguard human health and well-being, and support economic activities. You’ll gain applied knowledge and market-sought skills developed through a final capstone project working directly with industry, as you specialize in either Water Environmental Technologies or Advanced Industry Applications. Your expertise will develop through a combination of classroom and hands-on learning including field school and virtual reality labs.

Some of the knowledge, skills and capabilities you’ll gain in this program include:

• development of a water monitoring program
• conducting key field measurements in hydrology, hydrogeology, soils, and vegetation using commonly used and emerging equipment and technology
• water data acquisition, management, and analysis to inform design and decision-making
• performing hydrological and hydrogeological calculations to inform design such as surface flow, stormwater control or restoration measures
• fundamental applications of GIS, Excel, HEC-RAS, and historical imagery
• stakeholder engagement and conflict resolution
• project planning and management
• selecting appropriate water management strategies and applications using multi-criteria analysis and systems thinking
• supporting water-related permitting applications and reporting, such as wetland assessments and Water Act approvals
• comprehensive understanding of the social, cultural, health, safety, and environmental aspects of water management, including Indigenous water stewardship 
• developing emergency response and recovery plans incorporating increasing risks of extreme events and climate change
• conducting an emergency response adhering to incident command structure protocols
• applying tools, approaches, and resources for both climate adaptation and mitigation to water management.

What is integrated water management?

Integrated water management is the coordinated management of water in an integrative, cross-sectoral, participatory and adaptive manner. This is a widely adopted management approach endorsed by the United Nations and utilized globally. SAIT, in combination with a multi-stakeholder advisory group and Imperial, has created the Integrated Water Management diploma program to give students the tools and expertise they need to work on solutions for both local and global water issues.

This is the first integrated water program diploma in Canada. Once you graduate, you’ll have transferable skills to work in a multitude of industries such as energy, government, non-profit, consulting, health, agriculture, education, food and beverage, manufacturing, transportation, engineering and construction.