Alberta Eases Water Reuse, Adds Transparency

Summary#

Bill 7 updates Alberta’s Water Act. It creates new rules to promote water reuse, add transparency to water deals, set timelines for decisions, and allow limited water moves between river basins. It also updates what counts as “water” and who can register some older farm uses.

• Lets the Minister authorize “lower‑risk” water transfers between adjacent major river basins (within set small limits), instead of only by a special law.
• Merges the Peace, Athabasca, and Slave into one “major river basin,” which affects what counts as an inter‑basin transfer.
• Creates “water for reuse” and allows licences to be changed to support reuse, with added monitoring and reporting.
• Requires applicants to submit, and allows public posting of, the prices and terms of water assignments, licences (including temporary), and transfers.
• Sets timelines (by regulation) for Director decisions and may limit extra information requests.
• Expands “water” to include precipitation (rain or snow) intercepted above ground and captured by works.
• Tightens “good standing” rules for licences and links them to renewals and transfers.
• Adjusts how combined licences keep or assign priority numbers.
• Allows more flexibility for farmers on unpatented Crown land to register certain historic diversions.

What it means for you#

• Water licence holders (municipalities, irrigation districts, industry)

  • You may face clearer timelines for application decisions and fewer open‑ended requests for more information.
  • You must submit copies (or written summaries) of any related contracts for temporary assignments, transfers, and new or temporary licences. Key price and payment terms may be made public.
  • The Director can add or change monitoring and reporting terms, including for reuse, and may publish those requirements.
  • You can apply to reduce “return flow” requirements to enable reuse when it helps aquatic health, and add locations to supply reuse water.
  • Your licence must be in good standing (meeting monitoring and reporting duties) to renew, transfer, or reissue some authorizations.

• Buyers and sellers of water (temporary assignments and permanent transfers)

  • All underlying agreements must be filed before diversion, and the government may publish consideration (what is paid or exchanged).
  • Transfers from one basin to another can be approved by Minister’s order if “lower‑risk” and within set rates; larger or riskier moves still need a special law.

• Communities near basin boundaries

  • Small, defined inter‑basin transfers could be approved by Minister’s order. The Peace–Athabasca–Slave are now one basin, so moving water within these three is not an inter‑basin transfer under the Act.

• Farmers on unpatented Crown land

  • If you or a predecessor used water on January 1, 1999 for raising animals or applying pesticides, you (not only the government) can apply to register that diversion. The Minister can reopen the application window for these cases.
  • You can ask to add another source for a registered diversion if you stay under the maximum volume set in law.

• People and businesses that capture rain or snow

  • The Act now counts precipitation intercepted above ground and captured by works as “water.” Some systems may need authorization, depending on future regulations and existing exemptions.

• General public

  • You may see more transparency around water deals and licence monitoring requirements, and possibly faster decisions on applications.

Expenses#

Estimated fiscal impact: No publicly available information.

• The bill mainly affects approvals, monitoring, and disclosure processes. Any costs would likely be administrative.

Proponents' View#

• Improves water security by promoting reuse and modern monitoring.
• Speeds up decisions and adds certainty for municipalities, farmers, and businesses through timelines and clearer rules.
• Increases transparency in water markets by disclosing prices and terms, helping fairer, more efficient trading.
• Allows small, lower‑risk inter‑basin transfers to meet local needs without lengthy special laws, while keeping caps and safeguards.
• Updates outdated licence terms and return‑flow conditions to reflect conservation gains and current science.

Opponents' View#

• Eases inter‑basin transfers, which could raise risks to stressed rivers and aquatic ecosystems; merging basins may weaken protections.
• Public disclosure of contract terms could expose business information and chill investment or cooperation.
• Counting captured precipitation as “water” may over‑regulate common rain or snow capture systems if not carefully exempted.
• More Director power to change monitoring and return‑flow terms could create uncertainty for water users.
• Tying renewals and transfers to “good standing” on monitoring may lead to loss of rights over paperwork or technical lapses, not just misuse of water.