Alberta Water Legislation, Regulations & Guidelines

Unless otherwise noted, Alberta Environment and Protected Areas serves as the source for the information listed below. For complete text of the legislation mentioned below, and the most current version of these water regulations, see the King’s Printer.

Water Act

The Water Act focuses on managing and protecting Alberta’s water and streamlining administrative processes. The purpose of this Act is to support and promote the conservation and management of water, including the wise allocation and use of water, while recognizing:

• the need to manage and conserve water resources to sustain our environment and to ensure a healthy environment and high quality of life in the present and the future;
• the need for Alberta’s economic growth and prosperity;
• the need for an integrated approach and comprehensive, flexible administration and management systems based on sound planning, regulatory actions, and market forces;
• the shared responsibility of all Alberta residents to conserve and use water wisely, and their role in providing advice with respect to water management planning and decision-making;
• the importance of working co-operatively with the governments of other jurisdictions with respect to trans-boundary water management;
• the role of comprehensive and responsive action in administering this Act.

What follows is a selection of some of the many regulations, codes of practice, and informational fact sheets developed by the Government of Alberta to support water-related legislation.

Fact Sheets:

•  Fact sheet: Approvals (2022-11-07).
•  Fact sheet: Dugouts (2022-11-07).
•  Fact sheet: Licences (2021-11-17).
•  Fact sheet: Hydrostatic Testing of Pipelines (2013-02-08).
•  Fact sheet: Transfer of Water Allocations Under a Licence (2010-06-01, archived).

Water Regulations:

• Bow, Oldman, SSRB Basin Water Allocation Order (2007-08-03).
• Drinking Water Legislation.
• Potable Water Regulation (2022-06-29).
• Oldman River Basin Water Allocation Order (2010-07-06).
• Water (Ministerial) Regulation (2021-07-13).
• Water (Offences and Penalties) Regulation (2018-12-12).

Codes of Practice:

• Water: Codes of Practice.

Standards & Guidelines:

• Environmental quality guidelines for Alberta surface waters (2018-03-28).
• Water conservation objectives. Accessed 2023-05-10.
• Compliance Assurance Program. Accessed 2023-05-10.
• Contaminated site remediation. Accessed 2023-05-10.
• Alberta Wetland Policy implementation. Accessed 2023-05-10.

Interjurisdictional water agreements

Alberta is party to, or an interested observer of, several interjurisdictional agreements.

• Boundary Waters Treaty, 1909. Alberta is not a signatory, but is the regulatory authority in the Alberta portion of the St. Mary and Milk Rivers. Of particular relevance is the International Joint Commission’s Order of 1921 and the Procedures for the division of the waters of the St. Mary and Milk Rivers (2018), 11.35Mb).
• Master Agreement on Apportionment (MAA), 1969. Alberta is a signatory along with Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Canada. The MAA is implemented by the Prairie Provinces Water Board.
• Mackenzie River Basin Transboundary Waters Master Agreement, 1997. Alberta is a signatory along with British Columbia, Yukon, Northwest Territories, Saskatchewan, and Canada. The agreement’s implementation is overseen by the Mackenzie River Basin Board.

Disclaimer of Accuracy of Data – Although the information found on the WaterPortal has been produced and processed from sources believed to be reliable, no warranty, expressed or implied, can be made regarding accuracy, adequacy, completeness, legality, reliability, or usefulness of any information.