Water sharing between Canada and the US has lengthy been a contentious concern.
In 2005, former Alberta premier Peter Lougheed warned in opposition to sharing Canada’s water supply with the US, suggesting Alberta’s most necessary useful resource was water, not oil and gasoline.
“We should always talk to the US in a short time how agency we’re about it,” Lougheed mentioned.
Lougheed’s concern did not emerge in a vacuum. It got here within the context of an extended historical past of water-sharing proposals, some extra radical than others.
Take the North American Water and Energy Alliance (NAWAPA), an enormous, deserted engineering megaproject that aimed to “replumb” the continent, diverting water from rivers in Alaska by means of Canada to the US in northern Montana by means of the Rocky Mountain Trench.
These proposals come and go, even when some researchers see NAWAPA as one thing of a “zombie” challenge, all the time resurfacing, by no means lifeless. The precise historical past of water-sharing between the U.S. and Canada has been a lot much less dramatic — orderly and bureaucratic, managed by means of establishments, boards and treaties.
So when Donald Trump, because the Republican presidential nominee, made comments in September 2024 about there being a “very giant faucet” that might be turned on to empty water from Canada to assist with American water shortages, the ears of Canadian hydrologists perked up.
“There is a little bit of an inflammatory nature to it,” mentioned Prof. Tricia Stadnyk, a Canada Analysis Chair in hydrologic modelling with the College of Calgary’s Schulich Faculty of Engineering.
“Nonetheless, I believe there is a demonstrated historical past of him being … perhaps the proper phrase is ” over Canada’s water.”
For water consultants, there’s fear that local weather change and shifting U.S. insurance policies might put strain on long-standing cross-border water agreements.
And century-old infrastructure is not serving to issues.
Take, for example, failed siphons in Montana, the place water is diverted from the St. Mary River by means of northern Montana and throughout southern Alberta, supplying important water for some Canadian agricultural operators and an Alberta group close to the border. Repairs on these siphons at the moment are dealing with a U.S. federal funding pause underneath an govt order.
John Pomeroy, a College of Saskatchewan water scientist, mentioned he is very involved about the place this concern is heading for 3 causes.
First, water administration regimes in North America aren’t fulfilling the necessities they want for sustainable water provide and administration for ecosystems and other people, he mentioned.
“Second, speedy local weather change, which is bringing higher extremes of drought and floods and lack of snow and glaciers in excessive mountains, is altering the fundamental calculus on which we base our water administration,” Pomeroy mentioned.
“Third, the thought of battle, that one nation can take one other nation’s water sources and divert arbitrarily for its personal means.…
“We’re breaking down a century of co-operation to resolve these issues. When these three come collectively, then you possibly can see the components for a continental catastrophe.”
Turning on the faucets
The problem has all the time represented a political, financial and environmental problem, mentioned Peter Gleick, a local weather scientist and co-founder of the Pacific Institute, a California analysis group that focuses on water.
“The brand new administration has laid down a number of challenges related to U.S.-Canada relationships, tariffs, all types of challenges which are somewhat weird,” Gleick mentioned.
“As far as I do know, water has not but entered into the dialog on the U.S. facet … however who is aware of what unusual concepts may come out of Washington now that he is again in energy.”
Trump has a “unusual fascination” with water, in Gleick’s view, that goes properly past outsized taps and valves, together with his lengthy fascination with California water politics.
Within the wake of the current Los Angeles wildfires, Trump blamed California Gov. Gavin Newsom for the blazes’ escalation, telling the American cable information outlet Newsmax that in his first administration, he had “demanded” the governor settle for “the water coming from the north.”
“From manner up in Canada, and you recognize, the north. It flows down proper by means of Los Angeles… Large quantities popping out from the mountains, from the melts,” Trump mentioned in January. “And even with out it, even throughout the summer season, it is a pure stream of water. They might have had a lot water they would not have recognized what to do with it. You’d have by no means had the fires.”
The concept that water might be diverted from Canada all the way down to Los Angeles is technically very costly and can be very tough to engineer, Pomeroy mentioned. There’s additionally giant points with invasive species and habitats alongside the way in which.
“I believe with Trump, you see these wild speculations, however they mirror a broader appreciation that the U.S. is … wanting water in lots of areas, together with the southwest, and is approaching a water disaster within the southern Nice Plains,” Pomeroy mentioned.
“On the identical time, local weather change is constant to heat up Canada quicker than the remainder of the world. And our summers have gotten drier, and that may impose extreme water administration constraints, simply on managing our personal water sources.”
Turning on a “very giant faucet” is not so easy. And a few, together with Gleick, do not see water being placed on the desk in commerce negotiations.
There have been tensions simmering for years over water, however joint agreements have lengthy ensured each nations handle water pretty and keep away from issues, he mentioned.
To make certain, these commissions have their work lower out for them.
The wild card? That Trump will get it into his head that he actually desires Canadian water, Gleick mentioned.
“Then, it turns into a political concern. After which the query is, how is that managed?” he mentioned.
Cross-border co-operation
Alberta has a case research in cross-border water relations ongoing proper now.
Final summer season, two century-old siphons positioned east of Glacier Nationwide Park close to the Canada-U.S. border burst. These siphons had been a important element of the Milk River Challenge, which diverts water from the St. Mary River by means of northern Montana and throughout southern Alberta.
This diversion traces its historical past to the 1909 Boundary Water Treaty between Canada and the US, and underneath it, the U.S. is sure to ship water to Canada.
Given the pure stream of the Milk River being decreased, the city of Milk River, Alta., located close to the U.S.-Canada border, was compelled to ban all non-essential water use. On the time, the mayor of the small group known as it a “dry city — actually.”
Restore work on these siphons is ongoing, although lately hit a roadblock resulting from an “Unleashing American Power” executive order issued by the Trump administration.
Jennifer Patrick, challenge supervisor of the Milk River Joint Board of Management, mentioned repairs are nonetheless ongoing due to a mortgage from the state of Montana, however federal cash has been frozen as a result of govt order.
Patrick mentioned she believes the pause is a part of a broad analysis of U.S. authorities spending throughout a number of infrastructure initiatives. Different regional water initiatives, which offer consuming water to rural areas, are additionally caught up within the overview.
“Our funding is caught up in that, however we’re fairly assured nonetheless that the Division of Inside will put it by means of a overview course of and take a look at how we’re spending the cash,” Patrick mentioned. “It is a good challenge.”
The infrastructure is necessary to farmers on either side of the border, and the Alberta authorities says it has been in shut contact with the city of Milk River, water co-ops and agricultural operators to assist help them in any manner attainable.
Throughout a current interview with Alberta Finance Minister Nate Horner on the Calgary Eyeopener, Horner mentioned funding alternatives and strategic benefits that might be seized by a brand new Crown company that may oversee coverage for the Heritage Fund, Alberta’s wet day fund.
“I attempt to consider issues which are necessary to us going ahead into the approaching a long time,” Horner mentioned.
“I take into consideration … the water challenges within the state south of us, our alternatives with contemporary water, freshwater infrastructure, issues like that.”
His workplace later clarified that water infrastructure isn’t an energetic funding coverage. Nonetheless, the newly shaped, arm’s-length Heritage Fund Alternatives Company might think about directing funding in areas of water infrastructure ought to it so select, a spokesperson mentioned.
Nonetheless, the restore shall be intently watched by Canadians whose livelihoods depend on it. And it is emblematic for some Canadian water researchers in regards to the significance of being conscious that growing old infrastructure and shifting local weather pressures might put strain on long-standing treaties.
“None of those treaties are actually immune from being reopened and mentioned underneath these very dynamic instances, the place water provides are altering resulting from flood and drought, and in addition that the infrastructure that was put in to handle a whole lot of the diversions or allocations is growing old,” mentioned Stadnyk, the Canada Analysis Chair in hydrologic modelling.
The Present19:51Donald Trump desires our water. Can Canada defend it?
U.S. President Donald Trump desires to faucet into Canada’s water, saying there’s a “very giant faucet” that may be turned on to empty water from north to south and assist with American shortages. We take a look at the query of water sovereignty — and whether or not Canada is able to defend its sources.
With local weather change making Canada hotter and drier, managing water is turning into much more tough. Pomeroy, the College of Saskatchewan water scientist, mentioned as glaciers shrink and water calls for develop, Canada should take a stronger position in monitoring and managing its water, particularly as U.S. strain for entry is not going away — no matter who’s in energy.
“It will be an incredible problem going ahead … we now have to carry agency on water, that Canadian water stays in Canada,” he mentioned.
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