As of January 2018, companies must submit certain Water Act applications and notifications for activities that require our approval under the Water Act through OneStop. This process is a part of our Integrated Decision Approach, which is changing the way we review energy projects in Alberta.
These applications include
- new applications,
- amendment applications, and
- code of practice notifications.
The following applications are not affected by this change:
- applications for water use licences under the Water Act (including temporary diversion licences)
- submissions regarding water use monitoring and reporting using Alberta Environment and Parks’ Water Use Reporting System
Submit an Application Through OneStop
Application Scope
Our Water Act application requirements have not changed; only the process to submit the Water Act applications noted above has been moved to OneStop. Companies are encouraged to submit related applications (i.e., applications related to the same project) at the same time, as bundled applications. This helps us consider all aspects of a project throughout its life cycle, through one decision-making process, rather than repeating the process for each related application.
Please note:
- Project location information must be submitted as a digital spatial file.
- Companies must comply with our requirements and dam safety program and with the Water Act, the Alberta Wetland Policy, and codes of practice related to water.
Increased Efficiency
OneStop uses two review levels to process applications: baseline (automated) and additional (manual). The baseline review ensures that the application is complete and meets minimum technical requirements. All applications go through this process.
The system will determine if additional manual review is needed based on a series of risk assessment rules. Applications that are more complex will also be routed for additional manual review by our technical experts.
Contact Us
For questions about OneStop or this process, please contact our Customer Contact Centre.
Learn More
Find out how energy companies in Alberta use water by reading our annual Water Use Performance Report.
