What is Water Used for in Alberta?
Water Demand
Water is a vital player in many areas within this province. This section divides water demand into three main categories: agriculture use, industry use, and domestic use. Agriculture use includes farming and irrigation; industry use includes organizations that depend on water such as oil and gas, and citizen use includes the ways in which Albertans use and depend on water such as gardening or showering.
 |
Agriculture + Irrigation in AlbertaIrrigation development in Alberta totals in excess of 1.6 million acres and represents two-thirds of all irrigation development in Canada. About 1.3 million acres are located in the 13 organized irrigation districts and about 300,000 acres in private irrigation developments. Irrigation contributes almost 20% of the province’s gross agricultural production on about 5% of Alberta’s cultivated land. It is estimated that the direct and indirect impact of irrigation is worth about $5 billion to the Alberta economy. |
Industrial UsesIndustrial users are among the top water users in Canada. This includes thermal power generation, manufacturing, oil & gas production and mining. |
Domestic UsesEach community, household right down to individual uses varying amounts of water for domestic uses. With consumption rates increasing, we need to ensure that balance between water use and water availability. |