Alberta Drought News Today

Stage 5 of the plan would be declaring an emergency under the Water Act. The province said this would only be done as a last resort.

The Calgary area is currently under an Environment Canada special weather statement.

The Calgary Forest District has extra resources at its disposal this year, including 22 new recruits.

Major water users in southern Alberta have agreed to curb their consumption if there's a severe drought this spring or summer. 

Alberta's irrigation managers are proposing a $5-billion plan for water storage and conservation in the province's south as the region faces an increasingly tight water supply.

The Alberta government has formed a new committee to prepare for severe drought in some parts of the province this year.

Alberta's Drought Command Team has been given the go-ahead to begin negotiations with water licence holders in hopes of reducing the risk of severe drought. 

Across southern Alberta, severe erosion events have been increasing in frequency and severity in recent years.

The Alberta government is partnering with WaterSMART Solutions in an effort to mitigate the risk of severe drought this year in Alberta.

According to the Raymond Irrigation District (RID) extremely low reservoir levels have led to the decision to shut off water earlier than normal.