Achi news desk-
Major water users in southern Alberta have agreed to suspend their use if there is a severe drought this spring or summer.
Rebecca Schulz, the province’s environment minister, says it won’t be known whether the agreements need to be implemented until snowpack information comes in later this month.
The Alberta government has announced water sharing agreements for four sub-basins – the Red Deer River, the Bow River, the main Oldman River and the upper Oldman tributaries.
Participating municipalities have agreed to cut their water use by five to 10 percent if necessary, and Schulz says some have begun to do so proactively.
The 38 licensees who signed the deals—municipalities, irrigation districts and industries—cover 90 percent of the water allocated in the Bow and Oldman basins and 70 percent in the Red Deer River basin.
Alex Ostrop with the Alberta Irrigation Districts Association says farmers have had to make tough decisions about which crops to allocate water to in the short term, and many are looking to focus on higher value ones like potatoes and sugar beets rather than grains.
& copy 2024 The Canadian Press
