Alberta's water conservation and management system needs major fixing, auditor finds

Alberta needs to improve the way it manages water, monitors how and how much it's being used and ensure users are following the rules, according to the auditor general in a report released Wednesday. 

The auditor's team reviewed the system under the Ministry of Environment and Protected Areas from Jan. 2019 to Nov. 2022. 

They found three main areas the province is lacking: in managing surface water, issuing licences and tracking their use, and making the data public.

"The department lacks effective processes to manage surface water allocation and use in the province," Doug Wylie, Alberta's auditor general, said in an interview with CBC News following the release of the report. 

"Alberta could face more severe and frequent droughts in the future," Wylie said. 

Managing the system better could help mitigate droughts and water shortages, he added.

The findings show the province does not have water conservation objectives in most of the water basins in Alberta.  

The department lacks robust processes to monitor water pressures and assess risks, the report says. 

The potential consequences of inaction are serious.

If things stay the same, the risk of water shortages increases, leading to higher costs, a shortage of goods and an inability to meet future water needs for people, businesses, and the economy, the report says. 

Scott Millar, executive director for the North Saskatchewan Watershed Alliance, said he thinks the report's findings highlight areas that have needed attention for a long time. 

"Having a water conservation objective that is protective of the environment is a pretty critical part of the whole picture," he told CBC News Wednesday. 

"It's pretty hard to manage a system, any kind of system, water or otherwise, without knowing what you're managing towards." 

For example, setting limits and thresholds on water use, he said.