Alberta's Ministry of Environment is closely monitoring three key indicators to determine whether emergency declarations will be necessary to address drought conditions this year, according to a report by CBC News.
Parts of Alberta have seen drought conditions develop for more than a week, with 51 water shortage advisories for certain water management areas.
The province operates under a five-stage water management response plan, currently situated at stage four, marked by recent water-sharing agreements.
Should conditions escalate to stage five, an emergency declaration under the Water Act of 2000, which governs the management and safeguarding of water resources, would be invoked.
Under such an emergency, specific areas, ranging from small regions within sub-basins to entire river basins or the province itself, could be affected. Any existing water-sharing agreements would be overridden in such instances.
Notably, Alberta has never declared an emergency under the Water Act. Alongside water licences, the framework empowers the government to suspend approvals and registrations and dictate water diversion and usage.
The province has outlined three primary triggers for potential emergency declarations, to be evaluated on a case-by-case basis:
Alberta's Environment Minister, Rebecca Schulz, indicated that current conditions haven't warranted advancing to stage five.
Emphasizing collaborative efforts among water users, Schulz stressed the importance of conservation to ensure water availability downstream.
The province is also awaiting data on peak snowpack levels before determining further actions to address drought conditions. The CBC News report said stakeholders are scheduled to convene next week to assess necessary actions.
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