Integrated watershed management planning is an ongoing process of identifying issues in a watershed, engaging with community members, stakeholders, and experts to determine shared goals, targets, and solutions, and then working together to implement desired changes.
Local Projects
Baytex Energy has submitted a licence amendment to transfer water from Poplar Creek Reservoir in the North Saskatchewan River Basin to Battle Lake, Lloyd Creek and the Blindman River. The licence authorizes consumptive use of up to 493,390 m3 of water per year for hydraulic fracturing and oil and gas extraction. More information can be found on the Alberta Energy Regulator (AER) website.
Those who believe they may be directly impacted by this change can submit a statement of concern to AER and Baytex Energy Ltd. through October 17, 2026.
Paramount Resources Ltd. has submitted a licence amendment to transfer water from the Clearwater River in the North Saskatchewan River Basin to the Medicine River Watershed. The licence authorizes consumptive use of up to 1,800,000 m3 of water per year for hydraulic fracturing and oil and gas extraction. More information can be found on the Alberta Energy Regulator (AER) website.
Those who believe they may be directly impacted by this change can submit a statement of concern to AER and Paramount Resources Ltd. through October 17, 2026.
June 2026
A three-part proposal has been developed for Highway 2 through the Red Deer area:
- Section A: Replacement of the Highway 2 overpass crossing the railway line.
- Section B: Widening of Highway 2 to six lanes north of Highway 11.
- Section C: Replacement of the Red Deer River bridges and widening of this section of Highway 2 to eight lanes.
Initial planning for the project began in 2025, with construction anticipated to be completed by 2030.
For additional information, please review the project PowerPoint presentation and visit the Government of Alberta’s Highway 2 Improvements project page:
https://www.alberta.ca/highway-2-improvements-in-the-red-deer-area
The Government of Alberta (GoA) is holding a series of town halls on data centre development throughout the province. There will be a virtual town hall on August 25th as well as a series of in-person events. Registration can be found here https://www.alberta.ca/datacentres/townhalls.html
May 2026
As of August 17, 2026 the Alberta Utilities Commission denied the application for the power plant that would be associated with the Synapse data centre.
The proposed Synapse data centre in Olds has indicated that it plans to use closed-loop cooling and steam systems to reduce water consumption and minimize wastewater generation. The facility would operate under the same water licence used by the Town of Olds, which is part of the Mountain View Regional Water Services Commission. The project is also expected to include a water recovery system (WRS) to support the reuse and recycling of wastewater generated on site, while domestic water requirements would be supplied through the Town. Additional details on anticipated water usage are available on the Synapse Data Center FAQ page.
Additional project and regulatory information is available through the Alberta Utilities Commission recent updates page and the Town of Olds Data Centre page. Concerns or environmental complaints can also be directed to Alberta Environment and Protected Areas through the Environmental and Dangerous Goods Emergencies Hotline at 1-800-222-6514
September 2026
Armada Nowlit Energy Ltd. has proposed redesignation of 4.4 acres of agricultural land in Lacombe County near Clive for industrial use as a data centre and associated power generation. Further information about this project, including a concept plan and technical study text are available on the Lacombe County website.
A public meeting will be held at the Tees Community Hall from 6-8 PM on Wednesday, September 30.
Larger proposed developments
E3 Lithium’s Clearwater Project will extract lithium from oil and gas brine resources at a commercial facility near Olds in Mountain View County, Alberta.
A final investment decision is expected soon. If approved, construction is anticipated to begin in 2026 with operations producing 36,000 tonnes of lithium carbonate annually by 2028.
Click here for more details.
The Municipal District of Acadia (MD of Acadia) and Special Areas Joint Irrigation Project is located approximately 250 km east of Calgary and 100 km north of Medicine Hat, Alberta. This proposed greenfield irrigation project will provide irrigation within the MD of Acadia and Special Areas. The project includes the construction of a new pump station on the Red Deer River.
The MD of Acadia and the Special Areas Board continue to advance the planning on the Joint Irrigation project. The Phase II Report was completed in 2025 and submitted to the project partners for review and analysis. A public version of this report will be released soon.
The MD of Acadia and the Special Areas Board have initiated regulatory approvals for the project, including submitting a water licence application on February 15, 2025, to divert water from the Red Deer River to support the project. The proposed diversion site is near Bindloss Bridge, with a total requested volume of 170 million cubic metres and a maximum diversion rate of 15 cubic metres per second.
Further information can be found at the following project link: https://specialareas.ab.ca/regionalirrigation/
Resources:
The Government of Alberta is assessing opportunities to increase water storage capacity and strengthen water security in central Alberta, including the potential development of a reservoir on the Red Deer River near Ardley, east of Red Deer.
To evaluate whether a new dam and storage reservoir would provide economic and environmental benefits to Albertans, a Scoping and Feasibility Study is being led by Environment and Protected Areas. Hach Ltd. has been contracted to support the study, and technical work is expected to be completed by Fall 2026.
Visit this page for additional details, including the study location, maps, and project timeline: Ardley Reservoir Scoping and Feasibility Study | Alberta.ca for general project details and Ardley Reservoir Study Engagement Page for updates on public engagement sessions.
Stay informed by subscribing to email updates here. Forward any questions to epa.ardley@gov.ab.ca.
Public engagement sessions were held by the GoA in July 2026: View Presentation
The project scope was presented at RDRWA Fall Forum in Delburne on October 4, 2024: View Presentation.