Lancaster

Water for Life Website for the Upcoming Water Allocation Review Government of Alberta's Website: http://www.waterforlife.alberta.ca/563.html

Great website!

Hello Harps, Ha ha ha, if I could get more time out of the office, I would love to do a more extensive tour. Not to mention, maybe you could help me with nymphing. The last one I referred to was very good for technical details, and I thought the level of expertise for small scale farmers who employed irrigation was impressive. Thank you for commenting on this stream of conversation. I really appreciate intelligent and knowledgeable conversations, especially with people who understand how the water rights system works in Alberta. I agree that smaller agricultural units with less intensive irrigation are a great solution for more efficient water use, but the proposed water market for Alberta isn't in the interest of those stakeholders, which is why I would hope small scale agriculture would see this upcoming water allocation review as an opportunity to update the current system. Thank you again for your thoughtful input. I really (and I do mean this) appreciate it. Lancaster

Hello Harps, I guess you have met me in person, although I don't know which presentation in Lethbridge you may have seen me. Thank you for posting, and I sincerely appreciate thoughtful and constructively critical comments from someone like yourself. To answer your questions, ultimately, under the current Water Act, water's best use is under the at the discretion of the Director or Minister of Environment, which will likely remain so after the review. Under the three reports mentioned in the post, water markets are proposed to allocate water to its best and highest use. To be more transparent, Water Matters, the organization who I work for (http://www.water-matters.org), is a non profit with resources dedicated to promote watershed protection provincial wide that is driven by law and science. My work includes looking at existing provincial policy and essentially as if this policy works for the public interest. Water Matters isn't anti-FIT FIR, and the recommendations we make in our Share the Water Report, http://www.water-matters.org/pub/share-the-water, outline our position on what an updated system needs to meet the challenges of the 21st Century. Thankfully neither of us are fans of deregulation, and for us we're not overjoyed at the thought of deregulation for a water market either; but, we're not opposed to market mechanisms because water is strongly related to economic health. Very few people I know have a job that isn't connected to water. Alternatives proposed in Share the Water Report suggest a portion of water be set aside for basic human needs and for healthy river ecosystems that is protected from market prices. This allotment can be calculated and set aside in the portion of water that the Government has identified useful for a water market, in other words, unused water. The rest can go to market. We emphasize water for basic human needs (cooking, cleaning, and drinking) because not all stakeholders are equally careful in using water than others. By making water for basic human needs and healthy rivers that Albertans depend upon for clean water, water for economic uses would be used more efficiently and to its highest use. Please read our report for more detail. I have been with Water Matters since last August, but a year prior to my employment, I traveled from the headwaters of the South Saskatchewan River Basin (SSRB), starting at the Bow, pass the Oldman River, and Red Deer to the South Saskatchewan River on a tour organized by the Canadian Water Network. The tour was with a group of Canadian graduates who study water on a tour to see the challenges facing the Water for Life Strategy in the context of major stakeholders, and water quality/quantity. So, I have seen summer flows, as well as winter flows, I have met with irrigators as well as farmers (feedlots to dry no-till), and reservoirs. As for fish, I have seen those too (more trout than anything), including invasive species in the SSRB. If you have anymore questions, please feel free to contact me again.

Thank you Taco, I've seen enough rivers that don't support fish anymore, and I am excited to be back in Canada where I can eat the fish (or at least most of them) without having to wonder what else I am ingesting.

Hey there Sundance, I actually work for a non-profit known as Water Matters, which is a non-profit that promotes provincial-wide watershed protection. Our work is driven by science and law, and I thought it would be appropriate to post something in this forum for all the anglers out there. That said, I am really looking forward to the summer so I can try angling on a couple lakes up in Canmore for some trout (rainbow) because most of my fishing experience (or lack there of) has been in China and Southeast Asia. And, fishing there is very unconventional compared to the line / tackle I see many employ here. It is almost intimidating. Lancaster

Hello Taco, Thanks for that information. I'm impressed that you could grow 2 average cuts of alfalfa 6"-8". You must know more about how irrigation stand with this upcoming allocation review than I do.

Hello there Sundancefisher, Thank you for putting up a reply to my post. I appreciate your tact, which is something I'm working on because I tend to be quite blunt, so if this message sounds dense, my apologies. I am happy to hear that you are informed about what is happening to Alberta's rivers. Firstly, I am not a member of the Water Keepers (not sure who they are either, sorry). I understand the sour taste I get when seeing agendas posted on forum boards, however, I feel strongly about this review, so that is why I posted. The review on water allocations in Alberta is not a standard review. This review is the first time in 12 years, but really 116 years because the provincial government is looking at changing the current water allocation system. I agree that minimum flow rates must be set to allow for spawning and overwintering, which is why I put up the post. Although irrigation does have the largest portion of licenses, and therefore water, they are oddly not the ones who use the most. Lancaster

Hey there NEBC, Thank you for suggesting people learn more about the AB licensing system and the BC example. Your right, there is the Fisheries Act, but the Act doesn't extend to land-use that effect water quality. Furthermore, in terms of flow the Act is also limited under Alberta's current water rights system (First In Time, First In Right). For the SSRB, we rarely make the 45% objective. Lancaster

Don Anderson you are absolutely correct about bringing up the land-use regional plans that are happening concurrently with the water allocation review. Fish don't only need a certain quantity of water at critical times to spawn, but they also need certain level of quality. So, if you were to imagine water to fish (forget about people), I would say the following legislation is going to be passed this year for quantity that is the water allocation review and next year for quality that is the land use framework (which Don is referring to) Thank you for posting that other important piece of the puzzle!

Hello, I'm sorry to say that I am not Robert Jr. But, I am someone who cares about fish, and I enjoy catching them as much as I like eating them. Sorry, Lancaster

Fish need water. Do I need to write more? The Government of Alberta is going to determine how much water goes to fish this year in what they call a water allocation review. If anglers want to keep water in rivers for their fish, you should keep reading. On November 23, 2009, the Alberta Water Research Institute (http://www.waterinstitute.ca/pdf/summary_report_future.pdf), Alberta Water Council (http://www.albertawatercouncil.ca/Portals/0/pdfs/WATSUP_web_FINAL.pdf), and Ministerial Advisory Report (http://environment.gov.ab.ca/info/library/8239.pdf) all released reports to advise the Government of Alberta on policy options for the upcoming water allocation review. No where in those reports do they make water for fish a top priority. Of course, this isn't all about fish either, we're also talking about water for people, but I am more concerned about the water that needs to be kept in rivers at critical times for pike, trout, walleye, lake whitefish, burbot...etc. Alberta Needs an Updated Water Rights System The Alberta government needs to improve the laws that govern water use in Alberta by maintaining direct oversight of water allocation and use in Alberta. Prioritize Water for Basic Human Needs and the Environment Water for basic human needs and the healthy rivers need legal protection under Alberta’s water law. By prioritizing water for basic human needs and the environment, water can be efficiently distributed to its highest and best use. Protect Your Water and Water for Fish by Protecting Rivers While Alberta’s system of water allocation should guarantee water to some economic uses, roughly 70-90 per cent of the water in every basin should be reserved to meet the needs of Albertans and the fish, wildlife and forests we value, now and in the future. We all depend on healthy rivers Keep water in the rivers for fish, and for anglers. Learn some more about this issue and do your part. Contact the Honorable Minister of Environment Rob Renner. Let him know what you think. The Honorable Robert Renner Minister of the Environment 425 Legislature Building Edmonton, Alberta T5K 2B6 Phone: (780) 427 2391 rob.renner@assembly.ab.ca EXAMPLE Dear Honourable Minister Renner, I am aware the Alberta government is considering changes to the water allocation system. I am writing to you to strongly consider concrete measures to set aside water for fish and people's basic needs as a top priority. To this end, I also urge you to reject proposals to deregulate the water allocation system in favour of alternatives that provide strict government oversight of our water. Water is too precious to be left to the whim of the market that is incapable of safeguarding the complex systems needed to maintain stable economies and healthy ecosystems. Today, there is significant water security for economic users of water, but there is now an even stronger need to guarantee water security for Albertans, the healthy environment we depend on, and the forests, lakes, rivers and fish and wildlife populations we enjoy for recreation. As the supply of water becomes increasingly constrained, we need to ensure that we are conserving water for our priority uses – water for all Albertans and their environment. That is the highest priority. Sincerely, [name] [address] NEED IDEAS FOR YOUR LETTER? Ask the Government of Alberta to update the current water rights system to ensure water is set aside (or given priority) for basic human needs and for the environment. Ask the Government of Alberta to give you adequate and meaningful opportunities to participate in this important review. Ask the government to retain their oversight of water on behalf of the public and reject proposals that deregulate water allocation. Write how you feel about water markets. Demand for a better solution from the Government of Alberta to consider pro-active and precautionary policies. Ask the Government of Alberta to protect the rivers that supply you clean water by protecting them with prioritized flows.