There is no published price list for Alberta water. Allocation changes hands through transfer between existing holders, and until recently the price was rarely disclosed. Public price information is thin; you work from comparables.
Water Register publishes a verified reference table of disclosed transfer prices: purchases by year, median and range of cash price per cubic metre per year, and linked case studies. Bow corridor municipal deals since 2006 cluster roughly between $6 and $10 per m³/yr on large allocations; small-volume purchases can exceed $100 per m³/yr.
The records viewer holds official transfer decisions but has no comparables search. Press coverage captures occasional high-profile municipal deals and misses most private agricultural transfers.
A transfer of 750 acre-feet from an irrigation district to a growing town was discussed publicly in the range of about 5.25 to 5.78 million dollars. A separate municipal acquisition was reported as a one million dollar payment to a watershed foundation, a non-cash structure that breaks clean price-per-unit comparison.
Bill 7 came into force in March 2026. Under Section 81.1, applicants transferring allocation must submit their agreements and any price paid, and the province is drafting publication rules. Historical comparables remain the working reference until those rules land.
Treat any comparable as an indicator for negotiation, and record its verification level. A press report is weaker evidence than a decision confirmed in the records viewer. Flag non-cash consideration. Separate the price of the water from the cost of moving it.
Not legal or brokerage advice. Confirm every authorization and decision in the Environmental Records Viewer before you rely on a comparable.