Photo by Jon Martin.
This is blog #3 in our Understanding Drought* blog series about the current drought in Alberta. Stay tuned to ABWater.ca for blogs, videos, and up to date information.
Written by Shannon Frank. Edited by Jon Martin.
Who gets the water when there’s not enough?
In Alberta, deciding who gets water when it's scarce is guided by a principle known as priority allocation. Under this system, those who were first to receive a water license - the early birds, so to speak - are guaranteed water before anyone else. This approach, often referred to as 'first in time, first in right' or FITFIR, is designed to be fair, ensuring no harm to other users while protecting the rights of those who were first in line. Since the year 1894, this rule has governed the distribution of water in the South Saskatchewan River Basin, a region that includes the Oldman, Bow, Red Deer, and South Saskatchewan Rivers. Over 20,000 water licenses have been issued here, creating a hierarchy of rights from those earliest applicants in 1894, known as senior license holders, to those who applied in 2010, the year the watershed closed to new licenses, known as junior license holders.
During droughts or times of water scarcity, this system means that those with newer licenses (the junior holders) may face a shortage, as the available water is allocated first to those with older licenses (the senior holders). However, Alberta's Water Act offers a solution: it includes provisions for water sharing among license holders. This collaborative approach has proven effective in managing water resources during past droughts.
For a deeper dive into Alberta's water management strategies and the role of the Water Act, visit OWC’s Water Management webpage.
The Oldman dam. Photo by Jon Martin.
Sharing the Shortage
Water shortages, while challenging, are a familiar aspect of life in the semi-arid Oldman watershed of southwest Alberta. In this region managing water efficiently becomes crucial, especially during the late summer months when river flows drop after spring melt. This often involves strategic decisions to optimally use water for crop irrigation and urban needs, and sometimes involves restricting water access. The current year stands out due to the larger scale of the drought and its impact on a growing number of people.
In such periods of severe drought, the Government of Alberta (GoA) plays a pivotal role. It leads by gathering water license holders to collaboratively discuss and plan for the water supply. This process includes using sophisticated computer models to accurately predict water availability under various scenarios, factoring in precipitation, snowpack melt, and reservoir storage levels.
Understanding these scenarios is essential for effective water management. With this insight, the GoA actively encourages water license holders to form water sharing agreements. These agreements ensure that all license holders, including those with more recent licenses who are at risk of being cut off, have access to water resources.
Currently, this proactive process is underway. Water license holders are scheduled to meet between February and March. These meetings are aimed at gaining a clear understanding of the spring's water supply scenarios and finalizing water sharing agreements, ensuring a well-managed and equitable distribution of water resources.
Photo by Jon Martin.
Learning from History: The 2001 St. Mary River System Experience
Reflecting on history offers valuable insights, as seen in the 2001 water shortage in the St. Mary River system. During this period, the Government of Alberta identified 45 junior license holders who were potentially facing limited water access if spring rains were insufficient. Of these, 25 licenses were vital for livestock watering, 12 supported municipalities, and one was crucial for the Lamb-Weston potato processing plant in Taber. These sectors are not only central to public health and employment but also pivotal to the agricultural economy.
In response to this situation, the senior license holders, primarily irrigation districts, showcased their commitment to community and economic well-being. They agreed to share their water allocations, ensuring continued access for all, thereby preventing any cutoffs. This led to the creation of a water sharing agreement, where license holders in the watershed could collectively decide to share their water. While not all chose to participate, enough did, successfully averting a crisis. Those who opted out remained under the standard priority allocation system.
This experience underscores the deep interconnection between our agricultural economy and water. In Southern Alberta, where the economy thrives on irrigated crops, livestock, and processing high-value exports, water sharing becomes indispensable, especially during severe droughts. The 2001 event vividly demonstrated the limitations of the priority allocation system in such critical times. Thankfully, the strong sense of community cooperation in Southern Alberta means most license holders are prepared to share water when it's needed most.
For an in-depth understanding, the 2009 publication by Stewart Rood from the University of Lethbridge and Jenny Vandersteen from the Government of Alberta provides an excellent overview of the 2001 water sharing agreement and the challenges it addressed in the priority allocation system. This resource is available here.
The Role of Emergency Declarations in Water Management
In Alberta, the approach to water management is proactive and adaptable. The Government of Alberta, under Section 107 of the Water Act, holds the capability to declare an emergency should water sharing measures face challenges and public health and safety be at significant risk. Declaring an emergency is considered stage 5 in Alberta’s Water Management Stages, with the province presently at stage 4, reflecting a readiness to respond if necessary.
In the event of an emergency declaration, the government can temporarily oversee the water supply system, ensuring that water distribution is managed effectively to meet the needs of the affected area. This response is flexible, applicable to either a small watershed or potentially the entire province, depending on the scale of the situation.
An emergency declaration under the Water Act has yet to occur in Alberta. This is a testament to the effectiveness of water sharing agreements, conservation measures, and the beneficial impact of timely rainfall. These strategies have consistently guided Alberta through periods of water scarcity, demonstrating a strong capacity for resource management and community resilience.
