LETHBRIDGE, Alta. – The Alberta government will launch a strategy in the new year to plan Alberta’s future water needs.
Public input will be followed by a special planning session between government and selected members of the public to develop a long-term water strategy.
“This is not a rewrite of the water act,” said Doug Tupper of Alberta Environment.
The act provides the framework for water management and regulations, but Tupper told an Alberta Irrigation Projects Association meeting in Lethbridge that extensive plans are required to ensure the entire province has adequate, clean water supplies.
He sees Alberta’s proposed water strategy as a road map for the future. The province must respond to the challenges facing water use in the north where supplies are abundant and in the south, which is experiencing its worst drought in 130 years.
Environment minister Lorne Taylor wants the report next summer. It must address a number of issues:
- Assurances for a safe, secure drinking water supply.
- Reliable supply for economic development.
- Healthy rivers and lakes.
- Risk management for floods and drought.
