Despite recent supply problems, it is clear communities like Airdrie and Chestermere that use Calgary water are in no rush to find another water source.
Commenters on our online pages have questioned Calgary’s management of their water system, and urged Airdrie, Chestermere and Strathmore to look for another source for their water.
Water is strictly controlled in southern Alberta, with Calgary holding half of the water in the Bow River sub-basin allocated for municipalities.
If any municipality wants to use a new water source for its developments, they need a water license. Something that’s difficult to obtain in Calgary's Metropolitan Region, hence not an easy task for these Calgary water dependent communities.
Cochrane can also relate with its recent water woes, and the complexity of finding new water licences to meet its growth needs. Cochrane was saved by Camp Jubilee, but other communities might not be so lucky. Is it possible and is it necessary for Airdrie or other communities to make a similar move in the next decade?
Water allocations in southern Alberta have been closed since 2006.
One of our readers concluded water will soon be more valuable than oil. While that’s not yet the case, a definite impact of limited water access will be on growth and development of communities in Calgary’s Metropolitan Region.
Ane while Airdrie is already in the planning stages to lay an additional pipe coming from Calgary, will access to that water end up stifling Airdrie’s growth potential in the future?
Chestermere, Strathmore, and Airdrie currently all get their water from pipes extending from the big city. And as Aesop once so wisely stated, he who is the lion always gets the lion's share.
