Meeting Alberta's rising demand for water

Bill 7, the Water Amendment Act, would help farmers, ranchers, communities and businesses by streamlining regulatory requirements, increasing transparency and making it easier for Albertans to use and share water.

The proposed changes keep the strong foundation of Alberta's water management system in place while introducing common-sense updates that protect the environment while supporting a growing province and economy.

"Water is one of Alberta's most precious resources. Alberta is growing, and so is the demand for water. By listening to Albertans and updating the Water Act, we're helping communities, businesses, and our economy grow and access the water they need to thrive."

"By making these crucial changes, we're taking an important step toward strengthening and growing our agriculture industry. These changes will help increase access to water, support the expansion of our irrigation districts and ensure farmers and ranchers have the resources they need to keep Alberta's ag sector strong."

"Alberta has a growing population and thriving economy. After 25 years without change, Bill 7 will modernize the Water Act so farmers, businesses and communities can better use and share water and keep Alberta's momentum going."

"These changes come directly from farmers, ranchers, municipalities, Indigenous communities and others who rely on water every day. As Chair of the Water Advisory Committee, I've heard firsthand how critical these updates are. Bill 7 will make our system stronger and more efficient and make more water available for where it's needed most."

Foundation of Alberta's system will not change

The Water Act hasn't been meaningfully updated since 1999. With a growing population, thriving economy and parts of Alberta experiencing water shortages in recent years, updates are needed to help Albertans share, use and access water more effectively

Under Bill 7, the foundation of Alberta's 120-year-old water system remains firmly in place. The foundation of our system is working, and we are building on that success. There will be no reductions or clawbacks in allocations for existing licences. Alberta's water licence priority system based on the principles of first-in-time, first-in-right is remaining. And royalties, bulk or volumetric pricing of water are not included in this legislation.

"For years, irrigators have asked for changes to make it easier for licensees to use and share their water in a timely way. These changes will help reduce the red tape that slows us down and make it easier for Albertans to maximize the water we have available each year. I'm also encouraged by the government's commitment to maintain the existing seniority system, not claw back current licences, and keep looking at ways to help farmers, ranchers and all users get the water they need."

More flexibility, less red tape

If passed, Bill 7 will remove barriers and improve processes associated with water licensing to make it easier to access and use water. This includes clarifying important definitions to promote water conservation and healthy ecosystems, and simplifying minor licence changes.

Currently, licence holders can face time-consuming approvals and delays when they try to amend licences. Bill 7 will let government set mandatory timelines for reviewing applications and allow farmers, ranchers and others to more easily adjust their licence and bring all their allocations under one licence, making it easier to adapt to conditions on the ground and maximize how effectively water is used.

Allowing the use of alternative water sources

The amendments will also make it easier for Alberta communities and others to use rainwater from rooftops and to reuse wastewater. The proposed changes will broaden the definitions and allow the use of alternative sources of water, giving the government the ability to set future policy and regulations to increase water reuse for municipalities, industry and others.

Increased transparency

If passed, Bill 7 will improve transparency by letting government set consistent measurement and reporting expectations for all licence holders. Alberta's government will also develop regulations to determine if, or how, prices paid for water as part of a licence transfer could be reported in the future. This will make the system fairer and more transparent, and gives users the information they need to make decisions on how they use and manage water, invest in technology or pursue a water licence transfer.

"Without a glacier-fed water body within our municipality, water security is critical to the success of the County of Wetaskiwin, its residents and businesses. We appreciate the government's effort in taking steps to ensure equitable access to this important resource."

Lower risk inter-basin transfers

Currently, Alberta is the only province that requires standard inter-basin transfer decisions to be authorized by elected officials. Bill 7 would define a new category of lower-risk inter-basin transfers to be approved by a ministerial order, not a special act of the legislature. Only lower-risk transfers that meet strict environmental standards and limits would be considered. Any high-risk transfers would still require a special act of the legislature.

Quick facts

• These proposed changes were informed by feedback from Albertans during the government's engagement on water availability, which was held in two phases from October 2024 to June 2025.
• Most large water users already have measurement systems in place to support their operations. Low- and no-cost options will be available for water users.
• Details on new measurement and reporting requirements will be worked out during an upcoming engagement with water licence holders.
• In 2023, the Alberta government allocated about 9.73 billion cubic metres of water, with more than 96 per cent coming from surface water sources.
• Actual water use is normally much less than the licensed allocation. For example:
  • In 2023, 28 per cent of irrigation districts' allocations were unused.
  • in 2023, the energy industry used about 22 per cent of its total water allocation.
• The Bow, Oldman and South Saskatchewan River sub-basins have been closed to new allocations since 2007. The Milk River Basin has been closed to new allocations since 1989. Water is available in these basins by securing a water licence transfer from an existing user.
• To date, seven inter-basin transfers have been approved in Alberta's history.
• Alberta will continue to fully comply with all transboundary water agreements.
• The Water for Life strategy and its goals remain in place.

Related information

• Meeting Alberta's rising demand for water
• Bill 7: Water Amendment Act, 2025
• Water availability engagement
• About water management

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• Listen to the news conference