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The Competition for Water: Striking a Balance among Social, Environmental, and Economic Needs

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  • Henning Bjornlund

    (University of Lethbridge)

Abstract

With many water resources overcommitted and suffering environmental degradation, it is becoming urgent to find ways to reallocate increasingly scarce water supplies to meet rising demand and growing environmental concerns. In Canada, this challenge is nowhere better illustrated than in Alberta. The province is home to 60 percent of all irrigation in Canada and has a fast-growing population and economy. These pressures helped prompt the province to halt the issuance of new licences for taking water from the Bow, Oldman and South Saskatchewan River subbasins in 2006, bringing into focus the need to fulfill rising demand for industrial, urban, and environmental water use. Without a reliable mechanism for transferring water access rights from prior holders to new users, Alberta’s continued economic development and its ecosystems could be threatened.

Suggested Citation

  • Henning Bjornlund, 2010. "The Competition for Water: Striking a Balance among Social, Environmental, and Economic Needs," C.D. Howe Institute Commentary, C.D. Howe Institute, issue 302, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:cdh:commen:302
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Philippe Bergevin, 2010. "Addicted to Ratings: The Case for Reducing Governments’ Reliance on Credit Ratings," C.D. Howe Institute Backgrounder, C.D. Howe Institute, issue 130, May.
    2. Colin Busby & William B.P. Robson, 2010. "Target Practice Needed: Canada’s 2010 Fiscal Accountability Rankings," C.D. Howe Institute Backgrounder, C.D. Howe Institute, issue 129, May.
    3. Dave Sawyer & Carolyn Fischer, 2010. "Better Together? The Implications of Linking Canada-US Greenhouse Gas Policies," C.D. Howe Institute Commentary, C.D. Howe Institute, issue 307, August.
    4. Lawrence L. Herman, 2010. "Trend Spotting: NAFTA Disputes After Fifteen Years," C.D. Howe Institute Backgrounder, C.D. Howe Institute, issue 133, July.
    5. Benjamin Dachis & Robert Hebdon, 2010. "The Laws of Unintended Consequence: The Effect of Labour Legislation on Wages and Strikes," C.D. Howe Institute Commentary, C.D. Howe Institute, issue 304, June.
    6. Robert Knox, 2010. "Who Can Work Where: Reducing Barriers to Labour Mobility in Canada," C.D. Howe Institute Backgrounder, C.D. Howe Institute, issue 131, June.
    7. Bjornlund, H. & Xu, W. & Wheeler, S., 2014. "An overview of water sharing and participation issues for irrigators and their communities in Alberta: Implications for water policy," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 145(C), pages 171-180.
    8. Jan Carr, 2010. "Power Sharing: Developing Inter-Provincial Electricity Trade," C.D. Howe Institute Commentary, C.D. Howe Institute, issue 306, July.
    9. John Richards, 2010. "Reducing Lone-Parent Poverty: A Canadian Success Story," C.D. Howe Institute Commentary, C.D. Howe Institute, issue 305, June.
    10. Martin Cave & Adrian Foster, 2010. "Solving Spectrum Gridlock: Reforms to Liberalize Radio Spectrum Management in Canada in the Face of Growing Scarcity," C.D. Howe Institute Commentary, C.D. Howe Institute, issue 303, May.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Governance and Public Institutions; Alberta; South Saskatchewan River basin; water resources management;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • Q25 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Renewable Resources and Conservation - - - Water
    • Q15 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Agriculture - - - Land Ownership and Tenure; Land Reform; Land Use; Irrigation; Agriculture and Environment
    • R11 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - General Regional Economics - - - Regional Economic Activity: Growth, Development, Environmental Issues, and Changes
    • R14 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - General Regional Economics - - - Land Use Patterns

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