The province, municipalities and water management groups need to talk to each other more if Alberta wants to mitigate future drought crises, according to the Alberta Water Council.
“Preparedness and adaptability are the keys to successfully responding and adapting to the risk of multi-year drought,” the AWC said in a late-February report.
That statement comes after the group completed a drought simulation exercise for the South Saskatchewan River Basin. The project used a combination of modelling and in-person exercises to understand the effects of drought better and to test management methods in the area.
Results led the AWC to make nine recommendations for improvements to the drought management policy:
- The Alberta government should complete and share its provincial drought and water shortage response plan with large water licence holders and users.
- Municipalities, irrigation districts and other groups need to collaborate with the Watershed Planning and Advisory Councils and use the AWC’s “Building Resiliency to Multi-Year Drought in Alberta Guide” to create local drought response and management plans and stress test those plans through drought exercises.
- A drought simulation should be done for the Bow River sub-basin.
- The AWC and multi-stakeholder group should create resources to guide other groups through their own drought simulations.
- Fill knowledge gaps on the availability of groundwater and its feasibility as an alternate water source in emergencies.
- The Alberta government should investigate the feasibility of expanding water infrastructure, along with non-structural solutions like nature-based solutions.
- Sectors that have water conservation, efficiency and productivity plans should consider reviewing them through the lens of drought management with an eye to climate change, population and economic growth.
- The province should lead a multi-stakeholder approach in developing guidance for water sharing agreements.
- The province should provide an overview and list of key considerations for an inter-basin transfer water licence, which requires a special act of the legislature.
Also included in that last recommendation, the AWC said, is a need for better guidelines to help inform the government if the declaration of a water-related emergency is necessary. There should also be a review of the terms of reference for the Intrabasin Coordinating Committee to ensure they are still relevant.
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That committee was “established to provide advice on managing water during periods of water shortage in any or all of the sub-basins,” as well as how to best meet water sharing requirements under agreements signed between the Prairie provinces and federal government, according to the Government of Alberta website. Its terms were last updated in 2008.
“This report is part of helping our communities and province be fully prepared to respond to drought, both in 2024 and over the long term. We look forward to working with the Alberta Water Council and others to keep making every drop count,” said Rebecca Schulz, Alberta’s minister of environment and protected areas, in a Feb. 28 news release from the AWC.
