Alberta has concluded its negotiations with major water licence holders and is now outlining what it calls the largest water-sharing agreements in Alberta’s 118-year history.
On Friday, the province released the first details of four agreements.
They zero in on major water users in the Red Deer River sub-basin, the Bow River sub-basin, and the mainstem and upper tributaries of the Oldman River sub-basin.
The sub-basins are a part of the larger South Saskatchewan River Basin, which flows across the Alberta-Saskatchewan border and serves the water needs of four large Alberta cities: Red Deer, Calgary, Lethbridge and Medicine Hat.
WATCH | Environment Minister Rebecca Schulz outlines water-sharing agreements:
Alberta Environment Minister Rebecca Schulz says the voluntary agreements will see municipalities, industry and irrigation districts reduce water use.
Planned water reductions
As a part of the agreements, participating municipalities will reduce water consumption by between five and 10 per cent, compared to expected 2024 summer demands if no measures were taken.
Those municipalities include:
- City of Calgary.
- City of Lethbridge.
- City of Medicine Hat.
- County of Lethbridge.
- City of Red Deer.
- Red Deer County.
- Town of Drumheller.
- Town of Stettler.
- County of Warner.
Other communities, like Airdrie, get their water under these licences, and so do not sign on directly, according to a spokesperson for Alberta Environment Minister Rebecca Schulz.
Speaking during a news availability Friday, Nicole Newton, Calgary’s manager of natural environment and adaptation, said the city would implement a water reductions advisory, effective immediately.
“If those agreements are enacted, we are committed to reducing our water use by five to 10 per cent,” Newton said.
“That would include potentially escalating our restrictions. But Calgarians are responding to our request to start to conserve water. We’re seeing that through our demand.”
Water restrictions will be in place at some point this summer, Newton said. A bylaw update will be brought to council in June outlining details around what the steps might look like.
It will include the introduction of a…
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