These are all valid questions deserving answers.  

First and foremost, we shoud determine if there is a current water shortage.

Although the temperatures have been above average and the precipitation below average, the Oldman River and its southern tributaries are flowing above the minimum levels required to maintain the health of the rivers, (as determined by Alberta Environment and Parks - AEP.) All the reservoirs are at normal levels for this time of year, so there is no water shortage at this time.  

However, river levels have dropped, so there has been an effect.  It is always important to be careful and use water wisely, both in agricultural irrigation use, and in urban use, like lawn watering. 

AEP has issued a Level 1 River Watch Advisory, which means that water flow in all the rivers, here in the south, are being closely monitored to make sure the minimum in-stream flow needs are being met; and they are.  The government is communicating with all the watershed groups, (such as SEAWA and OWC) on the river flows and suggesting mitigation measures they might feel are needed. 

It is valuable to know what responses would be required, if we were truly in a water shortage, like in 2001.  What was the response then, and what would be the probable response if serious drought occurred again? 

In the 2001 drought, here in southern Alberta, it became apparent early in that year that there would be a water shortage, due to a number of simultaneous factors. It was a 'perfect storm' scenario, though the likelihood of it happening again is very remote.  First, was the occurrence of two successive seasons with extremely low snow-pack levels and below average summer precipitation. The other significant event was that the main St. Mary reservoir required replacement of the main reservoir gates. This necessitated the draining of the reservoir over the winter, leaving the reservoir almost empty.  Normally, spring runoff would have at least partially re-filled the reservoir, but the abnormally low snow-pack did not generate much runoff that spring. The new  gates are estimated to have a life of 50 years, so it is very unlikely that a similar forced draining of the reservoir will occur anytime soon. 

This combination of factors made it apparent that the southern tributaries to the Oldman River, (St. Mary, Waterton and Belly Rivers,) which supply irrigation water and domestic municipal water to almost all communities south of the Oldman River, would not be able to supply all of the licensed water withdrawals from the rivers. 

Under the legal framework that applies to these water use licenses, a system of First In Time, First In Right or FITFER  would normally have applied, whereby the older license holders, (in terms of historical dates,) would have priority on the available water. More junior (or later) water license holders would have use of what water was left over - if any.  Some of the junior license holders were towns and villages in the area, where the water was needed for municipal and personal water needs.   

This was unworkable and unthinkable to the larger and more senior license holders, most of whom are the three largest irrigation Districts in the area: SMRID, Taber Irrigation District and Raymond Irrigation District plus the small mountain irrigation districts. The irrigation districts met early and formed a water-sharing committee which eventually included representatives of all the affected towns, villages and other license holders.  License administrators from Alberta Environment and Parks, and Alberta Agriculture & Forestry (AAFR) were involved, and they provided technical expertise and available water volume calculations to facilitate the water sharing  agreement. The decision was made to share the available water on a 'share and share-alike' manner between all affected water license holders, both municipal and agricultural, regardless of the seniority of the licenses and set aside the strict legal enforcement of FITFER. 

A spirit of sharing for the common good prevailed, as all license holders agreed to co-operate.  All participants voluntarily reduced their water usage that summer in accordance with the agreement and a crisis was averted.  The initial water allotments were about 33% of normal usage but this allotment was gradually increased as the season progressed and final allotments were about 60% of normal usage, due to beneficial rains and slightly higher than anticipated river flows.  As a result, municipalities and people had enough water. Lawns were not as green as usual, and irrigated crops were not as good as usual, on average, but everyone survived and general goodwill prevailed because a precious and scarce resource, water, was shared. A happy ending to the story occurred in the spring of 2002 when unusually heavy June rains filled the St. Mary and other reservoirs in several weeks; thus, ending the water shortage. 

What would happen if we experienced another water shortage?  Would the same spirit of cooperation and sharing prevail? Would domestic and municipal water needs take priority  over agricultural use? In answer to that question, in 2010, all of the Irrigation Districts in Alberta signed a formal Water Sharing Declaration (referenced in this NewsWire article,) stating that in any future water shortage event, human usage and livestock sustenance needs would take priority over agricultural needs and that the irrigation districts, as large license holders, would work to share available water, as had been done in 2001. 

So, even though it is hot and dry, we are not currently experiencing a water shortage here in southern Alberta.  However, we all need to be careful and conserve our available water because it is valuable.

We do not know what the next winter snowfall or next year's rainfall will be.  We all use water either domestically, municipally and/or  agriculturally and have a stake and interest in conserving that water so that it is there when we need it. 

Written by LeRon Torrie, former SMRID Chairman