The province has authorized a team to negotiate water sharing agreements with major water license holders to decrease water usage.
Below average snowpack and record low water levels in rivers and reservoirs led to the province looking to a Drought Command Team for negotiations for the first time since 2001. It will create agreements in the Oldman River, Red Deer River and Bow River basins, which will mean major water users would decrease usage in the case of a severe drought.
“This effort will be the largest water-sharing negotiation to have ever occurred in Alberta’s history. I want to thank licence holders for coming to the table – your generosity, ingenuity and participation in this effort reflects the very best of our province,” said Rebecca Schulz, minister of environment and protected areas.
There are 25,000 organizations and businesses that hold water licenses in the province, amounting to 9.5 billion cubic metres of water. The team will prioritize the most significant of them to secure significant and timely reduction in water usage.
There are currently 51 water shortage advisories in place in the province.