Water flows through the land, creating ecosystems, sustaining all animal and plant life, and supporting industries and communities. It comes in many forms and scales, from drops of rain, to ice on the river, to entire watersheds, each playing a vital role in the health and function of the Region.

Water has and continues to shape the Region by carving valleys, forming floodplains, transporting sediments, minerals, and nutrients, and creating diverse aquatic, riparian, and wetland ecosystems. Communities are established around and shaped by water, and rely on it for their physical, spiritual, and mental well-being. Residents depend on water for transportation, subsistence, recreation, food, drinking water, and well-being.

Livelihoods within the Region are deeply tied to the presence and health of water. Significant economic drivers, like tourism and mining, exist in part because of water. Tourism is supported by activities that require water, such as fishing, canoeing, wildlife viewing, and hospitality services. Placer mining relies on water to transport and deposit gold in stream beds and gravel bars, and to separate the minerals from the sediments.

Water has provided for and cared for the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in since time immemorial, so they hold a deep responsibility to protect and care for it. This responsibility to care for the land and water is central to their identity and way of life: the name of the Hän language translates to “people of the river”. Historically, the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in moved seasonally along rivers and creeks throughout the Region, sustained by the water and the plants and animals it nourishes. This ancestral connection has created a rich legacy of heritage resources along waterways. Today, these areas remain vital to Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in’s living heritage. Citizens continue to go to the water for cultural, spiritual, and subsistence practices. They strengthen their connections to the land and pass on knowledge to future generations.

Water stewardship is central to the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in and is affirmed through the THFA. The Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in have a right to water in its natural condition (14.1.1) and to the protection and use of water in an integrated and coordinated manner (11.1.1.6), which promotes and fosters the culture and heritage of the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in (13.1.1.1). Because of water’s interconnectedness to the rest of the landscape, impacts to it may undermine many other rights under the THFA, such as the conservation of fish and wildlife habitat (16.1.1.1), the right to harvest fish and wildlife (16.1.1.5) and forest resources (17.3.1), the right to preserve and enhance the renewable resources economy (16.1.1.2), and the peaceful enjoyment of Settlement Land (16.12.10.3).

Water Management

All water within the Region is part of the Yukon River watershed. This means that all water eventually flows into the Yukon River. As a result, the health of any water in the Region affects the health of the Yukon River.

Managing water and riparian areas is challenging because many activities rely on water and can affect water in many different ways. Water and aquatic ecosystems are sensitive and can be affected at a distance because water travels through the landscape. Currently, water is managed primarily by regulating its use and adjacent development. Several bodies play a role in managing water in the Region, including the Government of Yukon, Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in, DFO, the Yukon Water Board, and the City of Dawson. Each group is responsible for specific aspects of water, such as fish habitat or drinking water, or regulating activities that affect water, such as mining and residential development.

Despite all these actors, water faces several threats that are not covered by these agencies’ mandates. For example, there is little oversight of tourists’ behaviour around water, which can result in water contamination. Equally important to creating permit requirements and regulations is ensuring that they are followed.

Currently, the Government of Yukon and DFO are solely responsible for monitoring and compliance with respect to water. Relying on only these two agencies, each with its own mandate, limits the resources available to properly monitor and enforce regulations and requirements on the ground. Given that all water in the Region is interconnected, impacts in one area can cascade throughout the Region, underscoring the need for integrated, careful water stewardship.

The split regulatory system leaves water vulnerable to cumulative impacts from overlapping uses and activities. Rather than being protected as a vital value, water is managed primarily through its use, a practice that fails to reflect its dynamic and interconnected nature. Effective water management must take a holistic approach that considers water itself, riparian areas, and upland activities that influence its quality and quantity.

 How Does the Plan Protect Water?

The broadest way the Plan protects water is through SMA designations. Forty-three percent of the Region is designated as SMAs, where limited development can occur and co-developed management plans are required. Many of these SMAs include important wetlands and sub-watersheds that store and filter the water that eventually flows into the Yukon River.

Sub-regional planning is another tool the Plan uses to protect water. Recognizing the Yukon River’s diverse land uses and significant cultural, heritage, environmental, and economic values, LMU 3: Chu Kon Dëk (Yukon River Corridor) includes the Yukon River and the downstream portion of the Stewart River. It requires a sub-regional plan to address the overlapping interests that occur in river corridors. The Plan supports granting legal personhood to the Yukon River, recognizing it as an entity and honouring its value beyond human use.

The Klondike River is a major tributary of the Yukon River and the source of drinking water for Dawson City and the surrounding area. The north and south arms of the river are largely protected through SMA designations, and most of the main stem of the river lies within LMU 12: Tr’ondëk Täk’it (Klondike Valley) which requires a sub-regional plan to allow for careful consideration of all overlapping land uses.

Water is also stewarded indirectly through the management of other values. For example, tourism (Section 5.4.1) relies on clean water and healthy riparian ecosystems. Similarly, management directions that protect Community Resilience (Section 5.2.4) ensure access to clean drinking water, which is integral to the community’s persistence. Protecting wetlands (Section 5.3.7) enables these natural reservoirs and filtration systems to continue providing clean water for ecological and human communities.

Additionally, this Plan protects water by:

• Following the Plan principles of sustainable development and the precautionary principle. (Section 2.2)
• Using development footprint thresholds to manage development pressures on water systems, and requiring the Parties to prioritize the development of water-specific indicators. (Section 3)
• Nominating four wetland complexes as Wetlands of Special Importance to protect areas that are essential for water filtration and storage. (Section 5.3.7)
• Managing access by water and that crosses (Section 4)
• Including river-specific directions in LMU (various subsections of Section 6)

To next value