Alberta’s Drought Command Team has received authorization to negotiate with major water license holders to create water-sharing agreements in the Red Deer, Bow, and Old Man River basins, in an effort to mitigate the risk of drought. (27587427 © Calyx22 | Dreamstime.com)

By Justin Goulet (Lethbridge News Now) & Josh Hall (rdnewsNOW)

lots of work ongoing to avoid issues

Water-sharing negotiations to start this week in Alberta, municipalities doing dought planning

Jan 31, 2024 | 5:30 PM

Alberta’s Drought Command Team has received the go-ahead to negotiate with major water license holders to create water-sharing agreements in the Red Deer River, Bow River, and Old Man River basins.

Provincial officials said if a severe drought occurs, the agreements would see major users use less water to help others downstream, helping to mitigate the risk of drought.

The province relies on melting snow and rain for all its water. Officials said this winter, the snowpack is below average, rivers are at record low levels and multiple reservoirs are below capacity.

This is the first time since 2001 that the team has received authorization to enter negotiations, which will begin on Feb. 1, 2024.

“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.

mall went on lockdown

Two youths arrested at Bower Place after firearms complaints

2h ago

future use uncertain

Downtown building removed, but fire-ravaged property next door remains

May 18, 2024

2024 Red Deer grad ceremonies coming up soon

May 18, 2024

In Alberta, there are 25,000 organizations and businesses that hold licenses for 9.5 billion cubic metres of water. The Drought Command Team will select and prioritize negotiations with Alberta’s largest water license holders with a goal of securing significant and timely reductions in water use.

To aid in managing water during previous shortages, individuals and groups have worked together to share available water. The province said that the scope and scale of the collaborative work underway and being proposed “is unprecedented in Alberta’s history”.

“Drought is something our farmers and ranchers have experienced before. Based on that experience, our irrigators and agricultural producers have done an amazing job to manage their operations during tough times,” said Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation RJ Sigurdson.

He added, “I also want to be clear, that Alberta producers are leaders in water conservation, environmental stewardship, and I am proud of the work they do.”

The water-sharing agreements will be entered on a voluntary basis and are expected to be completed before March 31.

MUNICIPAL AGENCIES DOING DROUGHT MITIGATION AND PLANNING

Meantime, agencies on a local level are doing drought mitigation and planning for central Alberta, according to a joint release from the Red Deer River Watershed Alliance (RDRWA), Battle River Watershed Alliance, and North Saskatchewan Watershed Alliance.

The organizations recently hosted regional workshops on building resiliency to multi-year drought conditions.

The all-day session was designed to:

● Convene water managers and better understand their roles and responsibilities at various stages of water shortage,

● Share information and tools to better understand the evolving conditions and facilitate informed local decisions, and

● Share information on how to establish or update drought management plans.

Drought mitigation, supply management, land use planning, conservation, and public education were some of the key topics discussed, the release notes.

More than 70 participants attended, from municipal councillors, administrators, drought experts with the province, plus the Alberta Emergency Management Agency, Alberta Energy Regulators, Alberta Water Council, Alberta Lake Management Society, and many others.

“It is important to support communities in central Alberta, ensuring they have effective planning and mitigation strategies to best deal with the drought situation as it unfolds,” Catherine Peirce, executive director, Battle River Watershed Alliance, says.

Francine Forrest with the RDRWA, said planning for the worst, but hoping for the best is the necessary frame of mind these days.

More than a dozen Alberta communities declared agricultural disasters in 2023 due to the lack of rain and early depletion of mountain snow. Precipitation was also lacking well into the fall and even early winter, so the concerns remain.

READ MORE

• Alberta seeks to prepare for another potential drought season
• Drought relief support for livestock producers
• County of Stettler declares Agricultural Disaster due to drought
• Completion of Dickson Dam upgrades will help protect communities like Red Deer from extreme flooding
• Nature Conservancy of Canada launches mapping tool for Red Deer River watershed

In December, the province issued a Request for Proposal to enhance drought modelling for 2024.

—

Download the rdnewsNOW mobile app on Google Play and the Apple App Store for all the latest updates on this and other stories.