The city will soon be releasing the latest draft of its watershed management plan.

At Tuesday night's city council meeting, members voted in favour of making public the latest version of the plan.

Council could have opted to adopt the plan, which outlines how the city will protect its watershed. However, administration proposed releasing the document for further consultation because of the number of changes to the plan's major recommendations.

In an interview Wednesday, Ross Burnett, the city's habitat co-ordinator, said people can pick up the document at city hall or the Municipal Services Building on Fourth Avenue.

Burnett hasn't worked out a schedule for further public consultation, but said he's getting in touch with groups that have been interested in the first few rounds of consultation.

Some organizations have already picked up a copy of the document.

For now, he's figuring out the best way to get public input and incorporate it into the next draft.

Burnett is hopeful when the report comes back to council after this round of consultation, a balanced approach to watershed management will be found.

He noted it's important for the city to neither overreact nor remain complacent about the matter.

'It's a matter of finding a balanced approach,' he said.

When the document's last draft went out for comment, he said the city heard many ask why certain recommendations, which didn't seem necessary, were made. An example is the partial Schwatka Lake Road closure between the northernmost float plane docks to where the road turns away from the lake.

The latest edition of the draft includes recommendations that would prove suggestions like the road closure may be a good idea through water quality testing.

'I think the revised draft has changed quite a bit,' he said.

The next edition of the draft will likely come to council in September.

The latest edition of the draft would see alternatives to the road closure.

Another difference would see the recommendation to amalgamate various float plane docks into a single facility at the northwest corner of Schwatka Lake change so that before any decisions on it are made, a study would be done by an air transportation consultant.

The study would be conducted to confirm the facility could be operated safely after concerns were raised about room for maneuvering, taxiing, docking and loading.

A recommendation which originally would have prohibited mining has been changed so mining would continue, but the city would increase its participation in project review and permitting to address any concerns.

The plan is expected to cost the city $70,000 in operations, as part of the recommendations include hiring a watershed protection liaison officer.

Rough capital cost estimates range from $5,000 to $50,000 and include:

• improvements to the float plane area at Schwatka Lake for $50,000;

• the study on an amalgamated float plane parking/loading area for $25,000;

• closing and revegetating unmaintained roads and 'party spots' for $25,000;

• a public education campaign for $15,000 per year;

• improvements to the Schwatka Lake Road for $10,000 per hectare; and

• water quality monitoring for $5,000 per year.