Alberta reopens water registration for Crown land ranchers

Alberta is giving grazing leaseholders on Crown land a new window to have long-standing agricultural water use formally recognized, after a government review found errors and omissions in historic records dating back more than two decades, the province said Friday.

The province is reopening the Traditional Agricultural Registration program for eligible water use that occurred before Jan. 1, 1999, on unpatented Crown land. About 6,800 registrations may be eligible for review. Applications will be accepted until Dec. 31, 2028.

When the program originally closed in 2001, grazing leaseholders could not apply directly because they did not own the land. Registrations were submitted on their behalf, and a subsequent review undertaken with the Alberta Grazing Leaseholders Association identified cases where errors and omissions may have left eligible water use without formal recognition.

"Ranchers should not lose recognition of long-standing water rights because of mistakes or gaps in government records from more than two decades ago," the province said in the announcement. "We are righting that historic wrong and giving eligible ranchers a fair opportunity to correct the record."

The Alberta Grazing Leaseholders Association said it appreciates "the government recognizing this long-standing issue and giving eligible ranchers a fair opportunity to have their historical water use reviewed."

Eligible water uses include water for raising animals or applying pesticides on a farm unit, up to 6,250 cubic metres per year. The province said applications will be supported through guidance materials, information sessions and application assistance.

The province said the reopened program does not create allocations for new water use, reopen registrations on private land, or change existing licensed water allocations or priorities. Reviews will draw on available historical information, including aerial imagery and water well drilling records where appropriate.

Applications and further information are available through the Traditional Agricultural Registrations program on alberta.ca. The application deadline is Dec. 31, 2028.