An overview of water sharing and participation issues for irrigators and their communities in Alberta: Implications for water policy

Water extraction in many of the world's rivers is reaching unsustainable levels and continued supply of water of adequate quality for human and productive needs is threatened. In response, authorities in many river basins have stopped issuing new water entitlements and there are increased calls to divert less water for consumptive use. New mechanisms for sharing existing water entitlements among competing users are therefore needed. Since agriculture accounts for up to 80% of current water entitlements in many stressed basins, it will have to play a central role in achieving water sharing objectives for a sustainable future. However, attempts to facilitate water sharing have met vocal opposition in many countries and across stakeholder groups. This paper uses the results from a number of studies in Alberta, Canada, to explore some of the underlying reasons for this opposition. It finds that policy makers and water managers’ lack of understanding of what drives irrigators’ behaviour, plus the heterogeneity of the irrigation sector, have been major factors. It recommends that water sharing solutions have to be context specific and take into account the aspirations and interests of people across the society in which they are to be implemented.