Manitoba’s Watershed Districts Program (previously Conservation Districts) is one of the most successful land and water conservation partnerships in Canada. The Watershed Districts Act, proclaimed on January 1, 2020, transitioned 18 conservation districts to 14 new watershed districts with boundaries based on watersheds.  The program has also been modernized to enhance watershed-based water management in Manitoba.

Watershed districts are formed as a partnership between the province and local municipalities to protect, restore and manage land and water resources on a watershed basis.  Watershed districts are established under the authority of The Watershed Districts Act. Each district is charged with developing and implementing programming to improve watershed health, while four districts also have a surface water infrastructure mandate to maintain provincial waterways within their boundary.  Resources such as soil, water, forests and wildlife are all interrelated. Altering any single resource may indirectly or directly affect other resources. WDs provide an overall approach to effectively manage all resources as a unified system.  It is useful to be able to view resource problems or opportunities within natural boundaries rather than man-made ones. For example, a problem in one municipality (such as flooding) may originate in another municipality (extensive land clearing). The WD, because it includes several municipalities, provides a means for people in different municipalities to cooperate in managing resources.

 Watershed districts can also be designated as a Water Planning Authority for integrated watershed management planning under The Water Protection Act in Manitoba. They provide leadership in both the development and implementation of watershed plans.  A watershed plan assists a district in planning long-term and short-term goals and identifying priority projects to improve watershed health.