Have water you don't need?
The provincial government has a plan to use it, says Environment Minister Lorne Taylor.
"One of the things we're looking at under the Water Act of 1997 is if you have a water licence and you don't need the water, you can sell that," Taylor said yesterday. "We have a few rivers that have been 100% allocated."
Taylor has travelled the province for the past year warning that in less than 15 years, there may not be sufficient water to support population growth and industrial expansion.
In fact, Taylor said, the province and Camrose had to work together recently to find enough water to ensure a new company could set up shop there.
Other communities are concerned about running out of water and many have imposed restrictions on water use, Taylor said.
The central Alberta town of Olds rationed water last year and already has signs up this year warning residents to conserve.
Drought conditions in the southern and eastern parts of the province last year forced many farmers and ranchers to cull herds or move them to greener pastures.
Hay and water rights changed hands for record amounts.
As groundwater resources shrink, water quality is eroding.
Allocations of water from many streams and rivers already exceed supply and some communities have resorted to hauling water from other communities; others are building pipelines to bring water from afar.
Taylor launched a consultation process to develop a new provincial water strategy, which he hopes to have in place by the fall.
Landowners, who have been asked to register their wells and dugouts, fear the province cares more about economic development than about the environment.
"I think the very big question is what are they are going to do with this?" says lawyer Gary Wanless. "Our province is very pro-industry and my concern is that the environment will get the short stick."
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