Who gets the water in Canadian Prairie Rivers?

Most rivers in the Canadian prairies flow from west to east, crossing from one province into another. To share the water fairly, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Canada signed an agreement in 1969 called the “Master Agreement on Apportionment”.

 What does the Apportionment Agreement state?

Alberta is entitled to 50% of the natural flow of each interprovincial river before it enters Saskatchewan. Saskatchewan is entitled to 50% of the water which enters the province from Alberta and 50% of the flow arising within its borders.Manitoba is entitled to 50% of the flow coming into Saskatchewan and 50% of the flow arising within Saskatchewan.

 What is “Natural Flow”? 

Natural flow is the amount of water that would flow naturally in any watercourse had the flow not been affected by human interference.

 How closely are natural flows monitored? 

 Currently, apportionment monitoring occurs on the South Saskatchewan River, Battle Creek, Middle Creek, Lodge Creek and ColdRiver. Apportionment monitoring does not occur on the Beaver River, North Saskatchewan River, BattleRiver, Boxelder Creek, and Eyehill Creek as Alberta’s consumptive use of these rivers is not a significant proportion of natural flow.

 Who checks to make sure the water is shared fairly? 

 The Prairie Provinces Water Board (PPWB) is in charge of monitoring the fair sharing of prairie river water. The PPWB regularly estimates and reports natural flow. It also reviews any proposed project that could impact water quantity at provincial borders.