CALGARY -- With the Bow River at its lowest level in nearly a century, conservationists are stepping up their calls for a water sharing system that won't leave less affluent Albertans high and dry.
Activists like Water Matters' Danielle Droitsch say the second-lowest levels recorded in the Bow River in 91 years is an omen for even drier years to come and prove the need for equitable water distribution.
Droitsch says a 2006 moratorium on granting licences means the existing ones have become a commodity sold to the highest bidder.
He says that means the first water market in Canada is in Alberta, adding it's time to look at water as a public good and not just an economic good.
Water Matters says population growth and increased agricultural and industrial use, combined with global warming that's rapidly melting Rocky Mountain feeder glaciers, is impacting Alberta rivers.
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The group says Alberta's water licensing system dates back a century and is based on a first-come, first-serve basis that's clearly outmoded.
Towns such as Okotoks, Cochrane and Strathmore that don't have proper water allocations could run dry within two decades, said Droitsch.
With the province now reviewing its water use policy, Ecojustice's Barry Robinson is hoping Alberta adopts legislated minimum river flows and a mandatory system whereby users share consumption reductions during dry years.
"Otherwise the wealthiest industrial user can outbid municipalities and agriculture for water," he said.
During the 2001 drought, water users volunteered to reduce their water take by 40 per cent, noted Robinson.
The two groups' recommendations will be part of the province's review, said Jason Cobb, spokesman for Alberta Environment.
