Water Act forms

Important notice: Launch of the Digital Regulatory Assurance System (DRAS)

Effective June 21, 2021, the Digital Regulatory Assurance System (DRAS) is now live.

Go to DRAS

Water Act approval applications, amendment applications and Code of Practice notices can now be submitted through DRAS.

Overview

On June 21, 2021, Alberta Environment and Parks took a significant step towards streamlining its regulatory system with the new Digital Regulatory Assurance System (DRAS).

About DRAS

DRAS will make reviewing applications more transparent and efficient – all while maintaining high environmental standards.

The new system is designed to clarify environmental regulatory expectations to applicants and to support all authorization types managed by Alberta Environment and Parks under the Water Act, Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act, and the Public Lands Act. DRAS will be used to manage the entire lifecycle of a project from application to authorization, monitoring and compliance reporting, to remediation and closure.

Transition from EAS OneStop

The first stage of our system transformation moved Water Act approval applications, approval amendment applications, and Code of Practice notices from EAS OneStop to DRAS. EAS OneStop was terminated on June 14, 2021.

Draft applications in EAS OneStop prior to June 14, 2021 were not transferred to DRAS.

Applications for Water Act licences are not currently managed through the online process and are not affected by the June 2021 transition from EAS OneStop to DRAS. Water Act licence applications will continue to be submitted and reviewed through the current form and application process until further notice.

DRAS implementation

The Digital Regulatory Assurance System (DRAS) will roll out in stages throughout 2021 to 2023 and will eventually house all applications online.

Future rollouts will include:

• Water Act licences
• Public Lands Act dispositions for commercial and industrial activities
• Drinking water management and the remaining host of activities Alberta Environment and Parks regulates

For applicants, DRAS will provide:

• The ability to apply for one project with multiple activities via an integrated application
• Clear, upfront application standards and requirements
• A clear decision-making process
• The ability to track the status of applications in real-time
• Increased province wide-consistency in application processes

Improvements to public notice and Statement of Concern processes

• A public notice viewer has been created in DRAS that enables Alberta Environment and Parks to immediately post applications when public notice is required and to receive Statements of Concern directly in the system.
  • For applicants, this simplifies the public notice process, and provides clear timelines.
  • For the public, the public notice viewer on DRAS has an interactive map that enables members of the public to search areas of interest and includes a built- in form to instantly submit a Statement of Concern. Submitting a Statement of Concern through the public notice viewer on DRAS allows the filer to track the status of their submission in real time.

Public notices will continue to be posted in other media, such as in newspapers and on bulletin boards, as users become familiar with DRAS. Statements of Concern will also continue to be accepted in other media such as through mail or email.

For more information on DRAS and information and training sessions being offered, see: Digital Regulatory Assurance System.