Alberta seeks consultants to study future water storage needs and costs

The Alberta government is seeking consultants for two studies meant to identify where the province could run short of water and to set common rules for comparing proposed water storage projects.

The province announced the studies in a news release Thursday. Procurement records show Environment and Protected Areas posted both requests for proposals on the Alberta Purchasing Connection on Sept. 23, more than two weeks earlier.

The Water Storage Needs Assessment will look at “current and future water demand and supply, population growth and economic growth in each basin,” the release said, and identify areas where demand could outpace supply. The posting says the consultant will also build a visualization tool showing existing and projected water needs under a range of scenarios.

The second study, called the Water Storage Cost-Benefit Review and Guidelines in the release and Water Storage Infrastructure Cost-benefit Assessment Approaches on the procurement site, will create common criteria for assessing water storage and other water infrastructure. The release said the approach will help government decide which projects move on to further planning, review and construction.

“Good decisions start with good information. These studies will identify future water needs, provide a consistent way to compare projects and help direct public dollars toward investments that most benefit communities, the economy and environment,” Environment and Protected Areas Minister Grant Hunter said in the release.

“These studies will provide the insights we need to expand water storage capacity and build infrastructure to deliver water reliably to Albertans when they need it the most,” said Agriculture and Irrigation Minister Tara Sawyer.

The province said the needs assessment will be finished by April 2027 and the cost-benefit guidelines by June 2027. Neither the release nor the postings gives an estimated contract value.

The two studies follow a request for proposals issued in August for a 100-year water security white paper. The province said then it planned to spend $400,000 on that paper, which is expected in spring 2027. Procurement records show the contract was awarded Sept. 18 to MAGNA Engineering Services Inc. of Calgary for $394,707.

In the same August announcement, the province said Kerr Wood Leidal Associates Ltd. is developing a water-demand forecasting model for the South Saskatchewan River Basin covering municipal, irrigation, livestock, industrial and commercial use, with completion expected by March 2027.

The province’s water storage page also lists a feasibility study of the proposed Eyremore Dam on the Bow River, west of Brooks and Lake Newell, as expected to be completed in fall 2026.

Proposals for the needs assessment close at 2 p.m. on Oct. 14, and for the cost-benefit study at 2 p.m. on Oct. 21.