The Province of Nova Scotia committed to developing a comprehensive water resources management strategy by 2010 under the Environmental Goals and Sustainable Prosperity Act.

The water strategy development was overseen by an Interdepartmental Water Management Committee and led by Nova Scotia Environment (NSE). It has been a three-year process which has involved research, analysis and consultation with all levels of government, business and the public.

• The process began in 2007, and included a broad public consultation in 2008 on a discussion paper (PDF:1.3mb) outlining possible goals for a water strategy.
• The results from this consultation were published in the, "What we Heard" (PDF:748k) public feedback report. These comments were combined with input from members of the Interdepartmental Committee and NSE to form a draft water strategy.
• A draft water strategy was shared with key organizations (PDF:64k) for additional input during a second, targeted phase of consultation from April to June 2010. The results from the targeted consultations was analyzed and further contributed to the content of the strategy.