Policy Proposals for Reviewing Alberta's Water (Re)Allocation System

摘要

Alberta's new Water Act entered into force in 1999. The Act continues the commitment to the principle of first in time first in right but also initiated water management planning in Alberta. The Act also introduced the possibility of separating water rights from the land to which they are appurtenant, and thereby opened up the idea of marketing water rights. This became a reality with the adoption of the water management plan for the South Saskatchewan Basin. Now, ten years later, the province is reviewing the transfer mechanisms under the Act. In conjunction with that review, the province released three reports on the issue in November 2009. This paper provides a review and critical analysis of those reports. Topics covered included: protected water, unused water, mechanisms to facilitate transfers, and dealing with shortages.