Government of Alberta Releases Updated Drought Response Plan

On August 14, the Government of Alberta released its updated Drought Response Plan for 2024. This follows the initial plan released in May 2024, which includes guidance on drought response for all water users including municipalities and is intended to help government, irrigators, communities, businesses, and others respond quickly and effectively to a wide range of drought conditions.

Most of the changes concerning the Drought Management Stages are summarized below:

	Stage Description	Summary of Changes
Stage 0	The Water Supply Outlook indicates no risk of water shortage in provincial basin areas	Although there are minimal differences across both plans, this new drought stage specifies when there is no risk to water shortage or supply and accordingly, no management actions are taken.
Stage 1	Water availability trend is a concern	Greater emphasis on routine management actions: Consideration of priority call remains the same, yet there is a greater emphasis on routine regulatory as well as non-regulatory tools, such as educational materials to municipal partners, suggesting EPA is shifting to a slightly more proactive approach.
Stage 2	Droughts are predicted to occur	Commitments by Environment and Protected Areas (EPA) and expectations on municipalities: EPA specifies its previous commitments to follow through with communication, monitoring and compliance, with an emphasis on considering wide-ranging impacts (community, environmental, economic). Some local stakeholders and entities may be requested to take specific action, which may include municipalities.
Stage 3	Assessment and administration of priority	Slight changes in stage triggers related to priority call: The risk of EPA receiving a priority call is now a trigger for this stage where previously, Stage 3 is only triggered when EPA actually receives a priority call. More actions beyond management orders will be considered to mitigate priority calls, such as water sharing agreements. These expanded options could benefit municipalities that are more junior licensees, preventing them from being required to limit water consumption due to a more senior licensee.
Stage 4	Many water users challenged to access water	Broader stage triggers and commitments by EPA: Slight changes in wording: “water users” instead of “water licensees”, implying a more general trigger threshold, which could enable and expedite more water management actions. EPA commits to provide significant operational support within regulatory and non-regulatory tools.
Stage 5	Emergency measures needed to protect human health and public safety, critical infrastructure, livestock welfare and critical impacts to the environment	Broader stage triggers: Stage triggers for defining critical drought conditions are broader. This may be beneficial for municipalities as a greater variety of events may be considered when determining stage triggers and management actions, including declaring emergencies. However, the more general language could lead to varying interpretations which may complicate decision-making and multi-stakeholder collaboration.

Overall, the plan details broader trigger thresholds, expanded management action options, and more precise language regarding the EPA’s commitments and responsibilities in water and drought management.

RMA will continue to review the updated Drought Response Plan and other drought initiatives to keep members up to date.

View RMA’s bulletin on the initial Drought Response Plan here.

Bezawit Lemma
Policy & Research Analyst
825.319.2280
bezawit@rmalberta.com

Wyatt Skovron
General Manager of Policy & Advocacy
780.955.4096
wyatt@RMAlberta.com