On Friday September 28, 2007, Alberta Environment announced its approval of the water allocation transfer from the Western Irrigation District (WID) to Municipal District (MD) of Rocky View for 6700 m³ per day. However, Rocky View and the mega-entertainment complex will not receive all of this water. As a minor victory for the environment, 10% of the 6700 m³ per day will be held back, as a conservation holdback, for the Bow River.

A Statement of Concern written by Danielle Droitsch fomerly of Bow Riverkeeper — now Executive Director of Water Matter recommended that Alberta Environment implement the full conservation holdback of 10%.

After over a year of searching for a source of water, the controversial development near Balzac, which will rise as a racetrack, mall, casino, and veterinary college, has finally been approved for a source of water. The WID will sell the water for $15 million, making the transfer the largest and most expensive water allocation transfer yet in Alberta.

The transfer will not take water from existing users; the $15 million will be used to pipeline 50 km of the WID's open canal system. The water saved through preventing evaporation from the canal with the pipeline is the water that will be transferred to the MD and the Balzac development. Thus users will not be affected, unless water shortages in the future are such that similar water conservation measures are necessary to feed current demand.

Based on the licence application the MD had submitted to withdraw from the Red Deer, the 6700 m³ will not be sufficient to meet anticipated water needs when the development is fully completed — rather, 15,000 m³ per day is anticipated as necessary in the long term.

The use of this water in a water-scarce region may be contrary to the public good and meeting basic needs. However, the environment will receive some of this water — only 10% but the most that the government can withhold under the Water Act. To implement this holdback of 10%, Alberta Environment has created a licence for a volume of 246,696 cubic metres (200 acre-feet). The licence for this amount will maintain a rate of flow in the Bow River downstream of SE 13-024-01-W5 and contribute to implementation of a water conservation objective (GOA 2007). The public has until October 28 to present concerns to Albert Environment about this conservation holdback.

---

Sources

D'Aliesio, Renata. September 29, 2007. Water transfer priciest in history: Balzac megamall clears hurdle. Calgary Herald.

Government of Alberta (GOA). 2007. Notice of Decision: Implementing a Water Conservation Objective.