Dear Irrigators,
Please read the latest update on the Water Availability Engagement below as the southern Alberta in-person open house has been rescheduled and will be held on Monday, December 9 in Fort Macleod.
We thank all Irrigators, vendors, stakeholders, and partners, for their engagement and participation so far, and strongly encourage those able to attend the in-person Southern Alberta Water Availability Engagement session to attend in Fort Macleod:
Monday, December 9 5:30pm to 8:00 p.m.
Fort MacLeod & District Community Hall Society
301 25 St Fort Macleod, AB T0L 0Z0
You can pre-register for the upcoming in-person event in Fort Macleod HERE
Background:
The St. Mary River Irrigation District (SMRID), as a member of the Alberta Irrigation Districts Association (AIDA), was notified recently by Alberta Environment and Protected Areas that they have opened a review and engagement of the Water Act. Outcomes of this consultation may include amendments to the Water Act as well as changes to the current water licencing system which would impact Water Licences for SMRID, private irrigators, feedlots, and the entire irrigated agriculture sector.
The government is requesting all Albertans share their thoughts on ways to increase water availability and improve the water management system in Alberta.
We encourage all Irrigators to review the document below, which outlines a Call-to-action/key messaging document for the irrigation sector. It details the various ways Irrigators can participate in the Provincial Water Availability Engagement, provides key messaging on the most significant risks to irrigation and summarizes our top suggestions from the AIDAs white paper.
Read AIDA’s Call to Action:We understand the volume of information included here may be overwhelming.
It simply comes down to the fact that drastic changes to the Water Act, such as clawing back licences, will have a negative impact on food production and jobs.
We are encouraging all Irrigators to participate in this engagement period by attending the upcoming in-person open-houses on December 9 in Fort Macleod and by providing feedback to epa.water@gov.ab.ca, and writing to your local MLA.
Your continued engagement on this issue is critical.
Sincerely,
David Westwood
General Manager
St. Mary River Irrigation District