| Licence ID | Holder | Watershed | Priority | Allocation | Purpose | Source | Status |
|---|
Sold entries are completed transfers from public sources. Water Register did not broker them.
Permanent transfer
- Find a willing seller with allocation in a watershed where the Water Management Plan allows transfers (SSRB, Battle, Milk) or where Cabinet has authorized them.
- Agree on price and terms between yourselves. The province does not set or review the price.
- File an Application for Transfer of Water Allocation through DRAS (EPA) or OneStop (AER for energy licences).
- The Director checks effects on the aquatic environment, other licence holders, water availability, and any water conservation objectives.
- If approved, a new licence is issued carrying the original priority date. A holdback of up to 10% is possible but uncommon under current guidance (November 2024).
Temporary transfer
The allocation returns to the original licensee after the agreed period. Irrigation districts use these in dry years. Bill 7 limits re-transfer of some temporary allocations.
Inter-basin transfer after Bill 7 (March 2026)
Lower-risk cross-basin moves may go through a Ministerial Order if they meet the environmental tests. Larger or riskier transfers still need a special Act of the Legislature. The Peace, Slave, and Athabasca basins were merged into one administrative basin on March 11, 2026.
Price disclosure
Section 81.1 of the Water Amendment Act now requires transfer applicants to submit their agreements, including any money that changed hands. EPA is still writing the rules for what gets published. Water Register Pro will track disclosed prices once they start appearing on the public record.
EPA or AER?
EPA handles municipalities, agriculture, forestry, and most industry. AER handles oil sands, conventional oil and gas, coal, and coalbed methane water licences. Energy-sector water applications go through OneStop as of June 2, 2025.
Rights you cannot transfer
Household statutory rights (Section 21, with priority under Section 27) and traditional agriculture registrations stay with the land. They are outside Sections 81-83.