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Part of Water legislation and resources

Water Act Codes of Practice

Applications for Water Act Codes of Practice notices must be submitted through the Digital Regulatory Assurance System.

Important notices

  • Applications for Water Act licences moved to Digital Regulatory Assurance System

    Since June 21, 2021, the Alberta government has been streamlining its regulatory system with the development of the Digital Regulatory Assurance System (DRAS).

    Applications for all Water Act licences regulated by the Government of Alberta, including renewals and amendments, must be submitted through DRAS. For information on how to move licences and apply, amend and renew Water Act licences in DRAS, refer to these instructional videos.

  • Notice for users of WURS and WATERS – Closures and OneStop blackout period May 9 to June 2

    Effective May 9, 2025, the Water Use Reporting System (WURS) will be closed and water use reporting for licences regulated by the Alberta government will be done in the Digital Regulatory Assurance System (DRAS). For more information, see:

    Also effective May 9, the Alberta Energy Regulator (AER) will discontinue the Water Act Temporary Diversion Licence Electronic Review System (WATERS). Beginning June 2, applications for energy- and mineral-related water use licences (including Temporary Diversion Licences) and submissions regarding water use monitoring and reporting regulated by the AER will be entered in OneStop. Visit:

    During OneStop’s 3-week blackout period from May 9 to June 2, applicants will not be able to apply for Temporary Diversion Licences or make water use submissions. However, OneStop will remain open during this period for all other approval applications and notifications for activities that require AER approval under the Water Act, including Codes of Practice notifications. For more information, visit the Alberta Energy Regulator OneStop website at:

Guides

These guides will assist you in understanding the legislation relevant to the type of Code of Practice application you wish to submit through DRAS. These consolidations have no legislative sanction and are produced solely for the convenience of research. Official Statutes and Regulations must be consulted for all purposes of interpreting and applying the law (consolidations do not contain maps, charts and graphs contained in the printed versions).

Temporary diversion of water for hydrostatic testing

Pipelines and telecommunication lines crossing a water body

Watercourse crossings

Outfall structures on water bodies

Powerline works impacting wetlands

Wetland Replacement Works

Maps

These management area maps were produced in large scale format at high resolution so some monitors may not be able to display them clearly. If so, go to King's Printer, search for Maps to find the Code of Practice Kit of Maps & Associated Codes to order printed copies.

Atlas of Class A Watercourse Sites

This atlas is a compendium of detailed information about the nature of Class A watercourses. Open the provincial overview map to determine the site number. The atlas files are organized by site number and can be found on the Open Government Portal at:

Note: the information provided in the Class A Watercourse Atlas is not binding, may not be complete and is subject to change. It is not to be used to determine the official location of Class A sites. The detailed management area maps in section 5 (above) contain the legal descriptions of Class A site locations. For more information, contact the department’s Fish and Wildlife Branch.

Information sheets

Information sheets contain descriptions of all sites, the rationale for their classification, the fish species they are important for, as well as sources of other information. The information sheets can be found on the Open Government Portal at:

Site maps

This collection of site maps shows the locations of Class A sites in relation to the Alberta Township System and other base features. These maps can be found on the Open Government Portal at:

The listing of maps included on the Open Government Portal are as follows:

  • Class A Atlas – Maps of Sites 1 to 4
  • Class A Atlas – Maps of Sites 5 to 9
  • Class A Atlas – Maps of Sites 10 to 15
  • Class A Atlas – Maps of Sites 16 and 17
  • Class A Atlas – Maps of Sites 18 to 20
  • Class A Atlas – Maps of Sites 21 to 23
  • Class A Atlas – Maps of Sites 24 to 30
  • Class A Atlas – Maps of Sites 31 to 38
  • Class A Atlas – Maps of Sites 39 to 48
  • Class A Atlas – Maps of Sites 49 to 56
  • Class A Atlas – Maps of Sites 57 to 60

Aerial imagery

This collection of aerial imagery provides detail about ground cover and the location of road-stream crossing sites. These maps can be found on the Open Government Portal at:

The listing of maps included on the Open Government Portal are as follows:

  • Class A Water Body Map – Sites 1 to 10
  • Class A Water Body Map – Sites 11 to 20
  • Class A Water Body Map – Sites 21 to 30
  • Class A Water Body Map – Sites 31 to 40
  • Class A Water Body Map – Sites 41 to 50
  • Class A Water Body Map – Sites 51 to 60