Alberta looks to allow 'lower-risk' water transfers as part of rule changes

Alberta is set to allow for what it calls "lower-risk" interbasin diversion — referring to the transfer of water from one major river basin to another — as part of a suite of proposed updates to its Water Act unveiled Thursday.

Only seven interbasin transfers have been approved in Alberta’s history, according to the province.

During the threat of severe drought in 2024, irrigation districts and others often floated the idea of interbasin transfers as a solution to water availability. Others warned such moves come with risks tied to water chemistry and invasive species.

In discussing the update on Thursday, Alberta Environment Minister Rebecca Schulz said conversations during the drought situation often revolved around allowing for such transfers.

"That said, we also heard some concerns, and I would say some of those concerns would be, for example, communities or municipalities in northern Alberta," Schulz said.

"They want to make sure that they are able to grow their economy and their communities before that water would be moved to a different area of the province."

Previously, the Water Act prevented water from being transferred between the province's seven major river basins unless the transfer was authorized by a special act of the legislature.

Tabled Thursday, Bill 7, the Water Amendment Act, would allow for a new category of "lower-risk" interbasin transfers to be approved by a ministerial order.

The bill also contains a range of other updates to the Water Act that emerged out of an Alberta government engagement that included town halls and open houses, with a stated goal of increasing water availability and improving the province's water management system.

The Water Act has not been updated in 25 years.

Schulz said the proposed new rules would enable the use of treated water from industrial sources, such as a pulp mill, for fracking on the other side of a basin boundary, instead of using fresh water, she added.

The legislation sets specific "low-risk" allowances for water transfer amounts based on the overall average flow and the water available in a basin, Schulz said.

"We also put in a requirement that this can only transfer to the next adjacent basin again, to address some of those concerns that we heard," she said.

Anything that falls outside of the low-risk definition or would span multiple basins would still require a special act of the legislature, Schulz said.