Late last year the Government of Alberta (GOA) introduced Bill 7 – the Water Amendment Act, 2025. Bill 7 makes multiple changes to the Water Act, based in part on the GOA’s Water Availability Engagement earlier in 2025. RMA participated in the engagement; some of the Bill 7 changes align with RMA input while others raise questions or concerns. Because Bill 7 makes widespread and significant changes to water management in Alberta, RMA has developed a member resource to share information, along with next steps RMA is taking to advocate for members. The resource explores changes such as:
- Additional definitions added related to water reuse and return flow
- Expanded powers for the Director
- Mandatory disclosures for the assignment, transfer, or reuse of water related to water licenses
- Limiting oversight of inter-basin transfers
- Combining the Peace-Athabasca and Slave river basins into a single basin for administrative purposes
- Introducing mandatory timelines for decision making by the Director
RMA will continue to explore these issues and seek clarification on how they might impact members. Watch in Contact for updates.
Warren Noga
Manager of Policy and Research
825.319.2285
warren@rmalberta.com