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Part of Water management

About water management

Learn how Alberta carefully manages water use and allocation to make the most out of every drop.

Overview

Water management is important. Water is not only a resource, it is our source of life. Together, we all share responsibility for protecting our water and using it wisely.

In Alberta, water is managed through a set of provincial laws and public policies that seek to foster the wise and efficient use of water while stewarding and protecting aquatic ecosystems in a way that supports the province’s water needs, now and in the future.

It's never been more important to carefully manage of our water resources. The use of innovative tools and best practices, timely data collection, analysis and reporting, clear roles and responsibilities and the thoughtful use of water by us all will help ensure we make the most out of every drop.

Where our water comes from

Canada is considered to be one of the most water-abundant nations in the world, but Alberta is a relatively dry region within Canada. Alberta has approximately:

  • 12% of Canada’s population
  • 7% of Canada’s land area
  • only 2% of Canada’s water supply

The water that most Albertans rely on originates in Alberta’s Rocky Mountains. However, some of Alberta’s water enters our province from neighbouring jurisdictions, mostly notably the Peace River from British Columbia, and the St. Mary River and Milk River from Montana.

Water supply challenges

This inconsistency of supply is at the core of Alberta’s water management challenges.

Water supply and demand are not evenly distributed in Alberta. Most Albertans live in either the North Saskatchewan or South Saskatchewan River basins, but most of our water is found in the northern part of the province in the Athabasca and Peace basins.

Because of our geography and prairie climate, water availability in Alberta varies significantly from season-to-season and year-to-year. Much of the water that Albertans rely on comes in the form of melting mountain snowpack in the late spring and early summer, and precipitation received during our wettest months of April, May and June.

The impact of precipitation patterns outside of historical norms can be felt for many months after the event. While all parts of Alberta can be prone to drought, these impacts can be particularly widespread in southern Alberta, where there is very high demand for water and fluctuations in water availability can broadly impact a wide range of users.

Alberta is a growing province. More people than ever call our province home and our economy is thriving. This puts pressure on our limited water supplies, especially in the south, and makes getting the most out of every drop more important than ever. 

Water allocation and use

Ownership of water is vested in the Crown as a natural resource managed for the benefit and use of all Albertans.

Sustainable volumes are allocated to communities, farmers and ranchers, industry and other users. Alberta Water licence holders must specify the volume they plan to withdraw and purpose for which it will be used. This information:

  • helps Alberta's government track changes in water allocations over time
  • supports an informed response to drought and water shortage situations
  • sustains Alberta’s high quality of life by ensuring water is allocated to support people and the economy while preserving the environment

In 2023, Alberta's government allocated approximately 9.73 billion cubic metres of water, with more than 96% coming from surface water sources. 

Water licensing

A licence under the Water Act is required to divert and use surface or groundwater in Alberta.

Companies or individuals can apply for water licences to use water for a specified purpose, such as irrigation, energy production or a municipal water system. 

A licence identifies the water source, location of the diversion site, quantity, rate, timing of withdrawal, priority date established by the licence and the conditions of the licence.

Licences that were issued earlier have priority over licences that were issued later, regardless of what the licensed purpose is. This principle is known as ‘First in Time, First in Right.’

Licences are not required for:

  • statutory household use
  • traditional or exempted agriculture use 
  • firefighting
  • wells equipped with hand pumps
  • some types of dugouts that use surface water for grazing livestock

  • Water licensing history

    The first water licence in Alberta was issued in 1894 by the federal government. 

    Responsibility for water in the province was transferred to Alberta in 1930 and the Water Resources Act was passed in 1931, establishing provincial water legislation that continued the existing system of allocation and management. 

    In 1999, the Water Act updated our legislation and introduced new tools such as water management plans and the option to transfer water licences between users. The Water Act continues to be the foundation for how Alberta supports and promotes the conservation and management of water, including the wise allocation and use of water.

Water use

Water use in Alberta can vary significantly by region. For example, the South Saskatchewan River Basin is home to the largest irrigated area in Canada, while the lower Athabasca River Basin is home to the oil sands region.

In 2023, the top 5 purposes for which water was allocated were irrigation (44.3%), cooling (16.5%), municipal use (12.5%), oil and gas (9.6%), and commercial use (7.1%).

Not all water withdrawn is permanently removed from our river systems. We identify consumptive use (such as irrigating crops or recovering oil and gas) versus non-consumptive use (such as running a dishwasher or taking a shower). We do this so we know which uses of water, and the relative amounts of water allocated, will eventually be treated and returned to our environment.

  • Water use by the oil and gas industry

    Water use by the oil and gas industry is regulated by the Alberta Energy Regulator based on policy direction set by the Alberta government.

    In 2023, the oil and gas industry accounted for 9.6% of the water allocation in Alberta. Much of this water is used in areas of the province where water is in much greater supply, including the oil sands region.

    The oil and gas industry has become more efficient with water use in recent years. Today, roughly 80% of the water used in oil and gas operations is recycled and re-used.

    Alberta’s Water Conservation Policy for Upstream Oil and Gas Operations provides specific policy direction for water use in major upstream oil and gas operations where additional water conservation measures are feasible, including:

    • oil sands mining operations
    • oil sands thermal in-situ operations
    • enhanced oil recovery (water flooding) and “cold bitumen” enhanced recovery operations
    • multi-stage hydraulic fracturing operations in horizontal wells

  • Water use for irrigation

    In 2023, 44.3% of the water allocated provincewide was for irrigation to support crop production. The vast majority of water allocated for irrigation use occurs in the South Saskatchewan River basin. 

    In 2023, irrigation accounted for 73.4% of water allocations in the Bow River sub-basin and 83.5% in the Oldman River sub-basin.

Water storage

Dams on most major rivers in Alberta help smooth out the fluctuations in natural water supply by storing runoff from melting snow and rain in the spring and early summer to supplement flows later in the year. Water held in these reservoirs helps provide consistent year-round water supply for communities such as Calgary, Lethbridge, Medicine Hat, Red Deer, and Edmonton.  

Reservoirs also play a vital role in irrigation. Alberta has the largest irrigated area in Canada with nearly 743,000 hectares of irrigated land, including 11 irrigation districts. More than 97% of this area is in the South Saskatchewan River basin.

Alberta’s government owns and operates 10 large and more than 15 smaller reservoirs in the South Saskatchewan River Basin that help ensure water supplies to meet demand from communities, irrigators and businesses, while also maintaining a healthy aquatic environment. Other major reservoirs in Alberta are privately owned and have a primary purpose of either storing water for irrigation or using water to generate electricity.

Water storage volumes in the major irrigation and hydroelectric reservoirs of the Milk, Oldman, Bow, Red Deer, North Saskatchewan, and Athabasca River basins are updated each weekday and available in the Provincial Reservoir Storage Summary.

Water allocation tracking

We closely track the allocation and uses of water, including provincewide water allocations by purpose, relative consumptive demand, and total allocations compared to average natural flows, and allocations within the sub-basins of the South Saskatchewan River Basin.

Legislative framework

Alberta’s legislative and regulatory framework for water is applied consistently across the province. However, the large differences in water availability in some areas, notably southern Alberta, leads us to apply different management objectives in water-stressed regions.

The most intensively managed area in terms of water is the South Saskatchewan River Basin. The South Saskatchewan River Basin accounts for just 7% of Alberta’s natural flow and is the most heavily allocated basin in Alberta. These factors led the us to close the Bow, Oldman, and South Saskatchewan sub-basins to new licences in 2007.

Water management plans

Water management plans are put in place for river basins that are prone to low flows, or areas where demand can sometimes outpace supply. These plans establish the balance between water consumption and environmental protection and identify factors that should be taken into consideration when reviewing applications submitted under the Water Act.

Alberta currently has water management plans for the South Saskatchewan River Basin, Milk River Basin, Lesser Slave Basins, Cold Lake-Beaver River Basin, Battle River Basin and the Wapiti River Basin.

Water management thresholds

Water management thresholds, such as a water conservation objective, instream objective or management framework, are targets that reflect the uses and needs of a specific river to help ensure that all users and the aquatic environment have sufficient water.

These thresholds help ensure that:

  • there is sufficient supply for drinking water and other household use
  • the aquatic ecosystem is maintained
  • flows are high enough to meet the needs of critical water and wastewater infrastructure
  • we are meeting our responsibilities to downstream communities

Some water licensees are required to stop withdrawing water if flows drop below a specified threshold.

Water management thresholds are in place in areas of the province with high water demand or where water shortages are more common. In areas where water shortages are less common, requirements within individual water licences help ensure water resources are used sustainably and the aquatic environment is protected during low flow periods.

Regardless of area, decisions on Water Act applications are made based on regional expertise and a thorough evaluation of each application.

Monitoring and forecasting

We monitor snowpack, precipitation levels, river flows and other key indicators to develop both short-term and long-term river forecasts.

Our river monitoring network includes over 450 gauges that report near real-time data via the Alberta River Basins web application and the Alberta Rivers app during the open water season. We also monitor snowpack at dozens of locations, mostly in the mountains and foothills, during the winter and spring.

This data is commonly used to provide:

  • short-term river forecasts to help communities prepare for the possibility of high flows or flooding
  • long-term river volume forecasts during the irrigation season
  • low flow information to water licence holders to help them comply with licence terms and conditions

Water stewardship

A healthy landscape offers a level of natural drought and flood resilience, and leads to improved water quality. Alberta's government continues to invest in healthy landscapes.

  • Watershed Planning and Advisory Councils

    The Water For Life strategy’s focus on partnerships led to the creation of Alberta’s 11 Watershed Planning and Advisory Councils (WPACs). These independent, non-profit organizations are designated by Alberta's government to report on the health of our watersheds, lead collaborative planning and facilitate education and stewardship activities.

  • Wetland Replacement Program

    Wetlands are a vital part of Alberta’s ecological landscape and necessary for a sustainable economy and healthy communities. The Alberta Wetland Policy outlines a framework that aims to avoid or minimize impacts to wetlands, and replace wetlands where loss is unavoidable.

    However, sometimes wetland loss is unavoidable. In these cases, a wetland replacement fee can be paid to the Alberta government which, in turn, will be used to fund the construction or restoration of wetland through the Wetland Replacement Program.

  • Watershed Resiliency and Restoration Program

    The Watershed Resiliency and Restoration Program provides grant funding for projects that promote the ongoing stewardship and preservation of Alberta's watersheds and enhance the ability of our communities to withstand severe weather events, like flooding or drought.

  • Land Trust Grant Program

    Alberta’s Land Trust Grant Program provides grant funding to support the establishment, stewardship and administration of new conservation easements on private land and/or administer and steward new conservation lands acquired by land trusts. These investments ultimately help prevent habitat fragmentation, maintain biodiversity and preserve Alberta’s native landscapes.

Modernizing and expanding

Alberta's government is currently exploring options to increase water availability and optimize Alberta’s water management system, while continuing to protect the aquatic environment.

As a starting point in fall 2024, we will talk to Albertans, farmers and ranchers, municipalities, Indigenous communities and many others on ways to improve water management, conservation, efficiency and productivity across the province.

More details on this work, and ways to provide feedback, will be shared in late 2024 or early 2025.

Water apportionment

Alberta is required to share water with neighbouring jurisdictions. Our transboundary water agreements outline Alberta’s obligations and entitlements for shared waters with British Columbia, the Northwest Territories, Saskatchewan and the United States.

We work cooperatively with our neighbours to ensure our province both receives and passes along the appropriate amount of water.

Three transboundary water agreements are in place for waters flowing through Alberta:

  1. Boundary Waters Treaty (1909)
  2. Master Agreement on Apportionment (1969)
  3. Mackenzie River Basin Transboundary Waters Master Agreement (1997)

Contact

Connect with Environment and Protected Areas’ Outreach Services:

Hours: 8:15 am to 4:30 pm (open Monday to Friday, closed statutory holidays)
Toll free: 310-3773 (in Alberta)
Email: [email protected]

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