Sustainable Irrigation: Alberta Perspectives
Author(s)
H. Bjornlund, & W. Xu
Abstract
Sustainable irrigation Alberta perspectives
H. Bjornlund1,2 & W. Xu1
1University of Lethbridge, Canada
2University of South Australia, Australia
Abstract
The problem of water scarcity is emerging in Southern Alberta, and the
environment starts to feel its impact. Among 33 main stem river reaches in the
South Saskatchewan River Basin (SSRB), 22 of them are rated as ‘moderately
impacted’, five as heavily impacted, and three as degraded due to the current
level of water extraction. At the same time, the region experiences significant
population and economic growth. Community values and attitudes toward the
environment are also changing, with increased demand for leaving more water in
the rivers for improved ecosystem health and recreational benefits. In response to
these transformations, the SSRB was closed in 2005 and no new applications for
water licenses will be accepted. As a result, policy pressures are mounting on
using existing licenses more efficiently. There is an urgent need to find ways of
sharing the water already allocated and to leave more water in the rivers to meet
water conservation objectives. Because it currently controls 70–80% of all
allocated water within the SSRB, irrigation clearly needs to play a critical role in
meeting Alberta’s future water allocation objectives. For irrigation to remain
sustainable it needs to be more efficient and productive with its water use and to
find ways of sharing its water with the rest of the community. Otherwise,
political pressure will mount for non-voluntary sharing arrangements, which
could result in an unsustainable irrigation industry. Recent attempts to share
irrigation water in Alberta have been subject to persistent opposition. This paper
will discuss the recent development in Alberta and will explore the reasons for
the opposition both from irrigators and non-irrigators. The paper is based on
seven major surveys conducted during the 2006–12 period.
Keywords: sustainable irrigation water sharing, Alberta, Canada.
Keywords
sustainable irrigation water sharing, Alberta, Canada.
Related Book
Other papers in this volume
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