Alberta Municipalities Policies and Resolutions

Municipal Water Policies

In 2012, the Alberta Municipalities Board launched a project to develop municipal water policies, recognizing water’s role in sustainability. The Board identified challenges such as capacity issues, infrastructure maintenance, rising regulations, skilled worker shortages, revenue shortfalls, regionalization concerns, and increasing water demand. Through member engagement, four key policies were developed:  

  • the 2012 Municipal Water Policy on Water Management,  
  • the 2013 Wetlands Policy,  
  • the 2014 Stormwater Policy,  
  • the 2024 Water Conservation, Efficiency, and Productivity Plan.  

These four resolutions included the set of water management principles and were adopted by the Board. These principles are based on the leadership role municipalities play in the many facets of water management. The principles also act as an overarching water management framework used to guide policy development and advocacy.    

The issues covered in these four policies remain of concern to our members and are reviewed and amended as needed. The ABmunis Sustainability and Environment Committee at ABmunis has taken the lead in reviewing and updating these policies. This review is a collaborative process with input from our members. 

Alberta Municipalities' policy review process

In 2022, the ABmunis sustainability and environment committee endorsed an engagement plan to review the set of ABmunis municipal water management principles. Via a survey, our members confirmed the continued relevancy of these municipal water management principles.  The ABmunis Board of Directors adopted an updated set of municipal water management principles. Adoption of these principles allows ABmunis to advocate on issues using a principles-based approach.  In July of 2023, the Sustainability and Environment committee committed to reviewing and updated one of these policies each year.   

Alberta Municipalities' Municipal Water Principles

The following statements represent the roles municipalities would like to play—assuming the appropriate resources and support:  

  1. Municipalities as an order of government have a role to play in responsible water management as leaders in water conservation, efficiency, productivity, and maintenance of healthy aquatic ecosystems.   
  2. Municipalities operate water and wastewater systems and employ quality assurance, controls, and asset management practices towards ensuring the sustainability of their water infrastructure, requiring support from other orders of government and Alberta Municipalities to succeed.   
  3. Municipalities should implement and maintain appropriate risk management approaches, such as cybersecurity risks and environmental risks, to consistently deliver safe water to Albertans and maintain the integrity of water systems.  
  4. Municipalities should have effective mechanisms and adequate resources contributing to the 'Water for Life' goals of ensuring Albertans have a safe and secure supply of drinking water, healthy aquatic ecosystems, and reliable quality supplies for a sustainable economy.    
  5. Municipalities are engaged in shaping water policies and legislation and have the authority and resources for effective monitoring, reporting and enforcement, in conjunction with other orders of government.   
  6. Municipalities are active partners in implementing provincial and regional land and watershed management plans that reduce the cumulative effects of development on aquatic ecosystems.   
  7. Municipalities should proactively develop regional water and wastewater regional systems, where practical. 

The following principles were developed and informed through research and consultation with elected officials, CAOs, and staff with an interest in water management.   

  1. Water is essential to municipal sustainability in terms of a community's economic viability, environmental integrity, social wellbeing, cultural vibrancy, and good governance.   
  2. Healthy aquatic ecosystems and source water protection are essential to providing Albertans with safe, secure drinking water and reliable quality water supplies for a sustainable economy.   
  3. In times of water shortages, water for human health must be given the highest priority.   
  4. Water allocation legislation, policies and practices recognize that water is a scarce limited resource with significant present and future value.   
  5. Decision-making should be supported by clear, scientifically-based, accurate and publicly available information on water availability, quality, use, and the health of aquatic ecosystems.   
  6. Water management should be based on a risk management approach that considers human health, aquatic health, capacity, and economic prosperity.   
  7. Investment in water resources needs to be a high priority for governments and all water stakeholders. Investment in water management should prioritize regional approaches and long-term financial viability of all municipalities.  
  8. Governments must include climate change adaptation and mitigation in water planning and management (e.g., infrastructure, source water protection, wetland protection, drought, stormwater management, flooding, water allocation, etc.). 

Recognizing that our water supply is not limitless, Alberta’s Water for Life strategy set a provincial target for water conservation of a 30 percent improvement in overall water conservation, efficiency, and productivity levels. A key action to achieving this target calls for the province’s major water-using sectors to develop water conservation, efficiency, and productivity (CEP) plans.

As the urban municipal sector is one of Alberta’s seven major water-using sectors, Alberta Municipalities has developed a Conservation, Efficiency, and Productivity Plan proposing an outcomes-based approach to water savings. This renewed plan stems from our 2014 Water Conservation, Efficiency, and Productivity Plan. The Plan outlines an overall flexible strategy for achieving water conservation, efficiency, and productivity objectives that recognizes that capacity and issues vary between municipalities.

Stormwater management is an important concern for municipalities across Alberta. Aging infrastructure and the expansion of impervious areas are creating challenges for managing the quality and volume of stormwater that flows across urban landscapes.

To create an enabling environment for improved stormwater management, Alberta Municipalities has developed the 2014 Municipal Water Policy on Stormwater. The Policies address challenges identified through member outreach and included policy solutions on areas such as:

  • Stormwater reuse.
  • Urban flooding.
  • Climate change.
  • Low impact development.
  • Infrastructure development.

In 2013, Alberta Municipalities developed a second policy document focused on wetlands. These policies were made in line with the Government of Alberta work to develop a new Alberta Wetland Policy to replace an interim policy which was released in 1993. Developing our own policy gives Alberta Municipalities the opportunity to raise the profile and understanding of wetlands among members and to create an enabling environment for wetland conservation and restoration.

Based on the Water Primer and Discussion Paper, Alberta Municipalities’ members approved an initial set of municipal policies in 2012 pertaining to water management and allocation as well as the viability of municipal water and wastewater systems.

The WDPD offers a full introduction to water issues in Alberta and is a good resource to check if you have any questions and want to learn more.