Alberta Bill 7 Water Amendment Act, 2025 summary

Alberta Bill 7 represents the first significant update to Alberta's Water Act in over 25 years, having been tabled on October 30, 2025, by Minister of Environment and Protected Areas Rebecca Schulz. The legislation aims to modernize water management while maintaining the foundation of Alberta's 120-year-old water system.ctvnews+1​

Background and Rationale

The Water Act, which establishes the framework for conservation and management of Alberta's water resources, has remained largely unchanged since 1999. The province enacted Bill 7 to address population growth, economic expansion, and water availability challenges that have strained the existing regulatory framework. The amendments reflect feedback gathered directly from farmers, ranchers, municipalities, Indigenous communities, and businesses during a two-phase public engagement process conducted from April through June 2025.medicinehatnews+2​

Key Amendments

Streamlined Water Licensing Processes

The bill introduces mandatory timelines for reviewing water license applications, a change designed to reduce bureaucratic delays and give applicants predictable approval timelines. The Director of the provincial water authority must now comply with timeframe requirements specified in future regulations when reviewing applications and issuing decisions. This streamlining particularly benefits farmers, ranchers, and other water users who have historically faced prolonged approval periods.assembly+2​

License Consolidation and Flexibility

Bill 7 allows licensees to more easily consolidate multiple water allocations under a single license and adjust licenses to adapt to changing conditions. Amendments can now be made to licenses for purposes including increasing or decreasing diversion rates, adding new diversion locations on associated land, and changing the timing of water diversion. These modifications were requested by irrigators who sought to reduce administrative burden while maximizing effective water use.medicinehatnews+1​

Alternative Water Sources

The legislation expands opportunities for using treated wastewater and rainwater collection by broadening regulatory definitions and clarifying their legal status. Specifically, Bill 7 allows licensees to reduce return flow requirements when water is reused, provided such reuse is deemed beneficial to the aquatic environment by the Director. This provision supports water conservation and circular economy principles.assembly+1​

Inter-Basin Transfers

One of the more contentious amendments creates a new classification for "lower-risk inter-basin transfers" that meet strict criteria and can be approved through ministerial order rather than requiring special legislative action. Lower-risk transfers are defined as those between two adjacent river basins that meet specific diversion rate limits depending on the originating basin (ranging from 0.1 to 4.0 cubic metres per second), will not introduce invasive species, and comply with regulations.cbc+2​

The rates apply as follows:assembly​

Basin	Maximum Rate
Milk River or Beaver River Basin	0.1 cubic metres per second (or lower if prescribed)
Hay River Basin	1.0 cubic metres per second (or lower if prescribed)
Other major river basins	4.0 cubic metres per second (or lower if prescribed)

Transfers that do not meet these criteria or span multiple basins still require a special Act of the Legislature. Temporary inter-basin transfers during emergencies (such as wildfires) remain supported.calgaryherald+2​

Transparency and Accountability Measures

Disclosure Requirements

Bill 7 introduces several new disclosure obligations:assembly​

• Applicants for licenses, temporary diversion licenses, and transfers must submit copies of all agreements, contracts, or arrangements related to their applications

• If agreements are not in writing, applicants must provide written statements of terms, including consideration paid or exchanged

• The Director may make certain financial terms public according to regulations

Public Access to Information

The bill grants the Director authority to disclose measurement, monitoring, and reporting requirements associated with water licenses to the public, improving transparency in water management.assembly​

Protection of Existing Systems

The legislation preserves the foundation of Alberta's water allocation system, maintaining the "first-in-time, first-in-right" (FITFIR) priority system established in 1894. No reductions or clawbacks occur for existing license allocations, and the priority system based on historical application order remains unchanged.cbc+1​

Implementation Timeline

The government indicated that implementation is expected by mid-2026. Future regulations will detail reporting requirements for licensees, specific measurement standards, and additional criteria for alternative water sources.cfweradio+2​

Stakeholder Response

Support from Agricultural and Municipal Sectors

The Rural Municipalities of Alberta expressed cautious optimism about the legislation, noting opportunities for economic development and support for reduced red tape in the agricultural sector. The Alberta Irrigation Districts Association welcomed changes to reduce administrative delays that historically slowed water access for irrigators.calgaryherald+1​

Concerns About Inter-Basin Transfers

Rural municipalities remain cautiously skeptical about lower-risk inter-basin transfers, noting that transferring water between basins carries environmental risks even when classified as "lower-risk." Conservation organizations, including the Alberta Wilderness Association, have raised concerns about potential ecological impacts from mixing watersheds with different physical and chemical compositions.calgaryherald+1​

Regulatory Development Ahead

The government has committed to further public engagement to develop detailed regulations specifying reporting requirements, application timelines, and criteria for alternative water sources. These regulatory provisions will be critical in determining how effectively the amendments achieve their intended objectives of balancing water availability with environmental protection and transparency.ctvnews+1​

1. https://www.ctvnews.ca/edmonton/article/alberta-to-set-deadlines-make-other-amendments-for-water-licences-and-allocations-in-new-bill/
2. https://medicinehatnews.com/news/local-news/2025/10/31/province-says-water-act-changes-would-cut-red-tape-easing-use-and-sharing-agreements/
3. https://www.alberta.ca/water-availability-engagement
4. https://docs.assembly.ab.ca/LADDAR_files/docs/bills/bill/legislature_31/session_2/20251023_bill-007.pdf
5. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/alberta-water-interbasin-transfers-rebecca-schulz-9.6960328
6. https://calgaryherald.com/news/alberta-water-act-proposed-changes-reaction
7. https://cfweradio.ca/2025/11/03/alberta-introduces-bill-to-modernize-water-management-for-the-first-time-in-25-years/
8. https://rmalberta.com/resolutions/8-25s-opposition-to-water-act-amendments-and-lack-of-consultation/
9. https://elc.ab.ca/post-library/water-amendment-act-bill-7-review-analysis-and-recommendations/
10. https://waterportal.ca/water-news/alberta-water-act-update-2025/
11. https://www.aer.ca/applications-and-notices/application-processes/application-legislation/water-act
12. https://elc.ab.ca/Content_Files/Files/NewsBriefs/InterBasinTransfer-V17-4.pdf
13. http://www.municipalaffairs.gov.ab.ca/documents/FactSheet-AlternativeSolutionsGuideforReclaimedWaterReuse-Jan17.pdf
14. https://watersmartsolutions.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Overview-of-Water-Reuse-Regulatory-Framework-and-Case-Studies-2008.pdf
15. https://watersmartsolutions.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Water-Reuse-in-Alberta-2013-Sust-Reg-Dev.pdf