The Alberta government has formed a new committee to prepare for severe drought in some parts of the province this year.
Due to well below-average winter snowpack and several dry years, many of Alberta’s rivers are at record low levels. Several of Alberta’s reservoirs are also well below capacity.
As a way to help prepare for what the government says could be a year of severe drought, the province has formed a Water Advisory Committee.
The six-person committee is made up of leaders with experience in agriculture, irrigation, and both rural and urban issues.
The committee is meant to act as an independent sounding board to help the government support communities, farmers and ranchers, while helping conserve and manage water during a potential drought.
“When it comes to water, we are all in it together,” Minister of Environment and Protected Areas Rebecca Schulz said in a news release Wednesday.
“This committee will provide me with ideas and perspectives from leaders across the province. They’ll share what they are hearing and seeing and help identify new or better ways to support families, farms, ranches and businesses if we face a severe drought this year.”
The committee will meet regularly over the coming months to discuss how best to prepare for and respond to drought.
The members of the committee, who will also help identify long-term solutions and report back to the minister, are:
- Justin Wright, MLA for Cypress-Medicine Hat
- Paul McLauchlin, reeve of Ponoka County and president of the Rural Municipalities of Alberta
- Ian Anderson, former CEO of Trans Mountain
- Alex Ostrop, chair of the Alberta Irrigation Districts Association
- Jack Royal, CEO of the Blackfoot Confederacy Tribal Council
- Tanya Thorn, mayor of Okotoks and director, Towns South on the board of Alberta Municipalities
“I am excited to be part of this committee and to provide advice on how government can help residents of southern Alberta deal with drought this year,” Wright said. “By working together, and listening to voices outside of government, we will make sure that everything possible is being done to prepare for drought and respond if needed.”
Last week, Alberta’s Drought Command Team began negotiations with water licence holders in the province to secure water-sharing agreements – another move to prepare for drought this year.
The goal is to “secure significant and timely reductions in water use,” Schulz said in a news release last week.
“This effort will be the largest water-sharing negotiation to have ever occurred in Alberta’s history.”
The government said Wednesday that its Water Advisory Committee will operate for one year.
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