Important notices
Rock-hosted minerals Water Act applications
On February 28, 2024, the Mineral Resource Development Act (MRDA) was proclaimed.
Effective immediately the Alberta Energy Regulator (AER) is the single lifecycle regulator for all brine-hosted and rock-hosted minerals in Alberta and all accompanying Water Act licences and approvals. All Water Act applications, including amendments and renewals related to mineral development are now applied for at:
Move my Licence: Water Act
As of February 2024, water licences issued under the Water Act prior to November 2021 will be moving from legacy systems to the Digital Regulatory Assurance System (DRAS).
For information on how to move your water licence to the new system, where you can also provide your water use report moving forward, refer to knowledge articles for What is Move My Licence and How to Move My Licence: Water Act.
Submissions of Statements of Concern (Soc)
Effective January 1, 2024, email submissions of statements of concern (SoC) for Water Act applications will no longer be accepted. For information on how to submit an SoC, refer to the knowledge article How to Submit a Statement of Concern in DRAS. Individuals require an Alberta.ca account. For information on how to obtain an account, refer to the knowledge article How to Create an Alberta.ca Account.
If you are filing an SoC on behalf of a business, organization, municipality or government Alberta.ca Account for Organizations is required. For information on how to obtain an account, refer to the knowledge article How to Create an Alberta.ca Account for Organizations for Access to DRAS.
Any SoCs received via mail or courier continue to be accepted.
Applications for Water Act licences
Applications for all Water Act licences, including renewals, and amendments must be submitted through the Digital Regulatory Assurance System (DRAS). For information on how to apply, amend and renew various Water Act licences in DRAS, refer to the knowledge articles in DRAS for Water Act application for licences.
For all Water Act licences issued, amended, or renewed in DRAS that require reporting, the licence holder must report water use data in DRAS. For information on how to report water use data in DRAS, refer to knowledge article KB0023429.
WATERS is active for Alberta Energy Regulator applicants.
Overview
On June 21, 2021, Alberta Environment and Protected Areas took a significant step towards streamlining its regulatory system with the new Digital Regulatory Assurance System (DRAS).
DRAS will make reviewing applications more transparent and efficient 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 Protected Areas 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.
Currently, the following are accepted through DRAS:
- Water Act approval and approval amendment applications
- Water Act licence applications (surface water or groundwater), and applications for licence amendments, renewals, transfers and amalgamations
- new Water Act temporary diversion licence (TDL) applications (surface water or groundwater), and TDL amendment applications
- Water Act code of practice notifications
DRAS implementation
DRAS will roll out in stages throughout 2021 to 2024 and will eventually house all applications online.
Future rollouts will include:
- Public Lands Act dispositions for commercial and industrial activities
- drinking water management and the remaining host of activities Alberta Environment and Protected Areas regulates
For applicants, DRAS provides:
- 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 provincewide consistency in application processes
Training
Instructional videos for DRAS are available on YouTube:
- How to Add a Delegate to a Project
- What an Applicant and Applicant Representative See in DRAS
- How to Connect to Legacy Applications in DRAS - For Applicants and Representatives
How to access DRAS
Step 1: Create an account
To access DRAS, all users require a valid Alberta.ca Account or Alberta.ca Account for Organizations.
- Individuals submitting an application or statement of concern require an Alberta.ca Account.
- If you are submitting an application or statement of concern on behalf of a business, organization, municipality, or government an Alberta.ca Account for Organizations is required.
- Get more information on how to create and manage an Alberta.ca Account for Organizations
For help, email [email protected] or call 1-844-643-2789.
Step 2: Log in to DRAS
Once your Alberta.ca Account or Alberta.ca Account for Organizations has been obtained, you must log in to DRAS with your Alberta.ca Account or Alberta.ca Account for Organizations credentials to have a DRAS profile. This is required before an application or notice can be submitted or before a representative can be assigned to submit on your behalf.
Supported browsers:
- Google Chrome
- Mozilla Firefox
Mobile browsers are currently not supported.
DRAS delegation updates
Applicants can add representative(s) to their DRAS profiles to give permission to read, write and/or submit applications and further delegated permissions on their behalf. Find out more about this process:
- How to Add Someone to Your Profile
- How to Add a Delegate to a Project (Applicant/Holder/Delegate)
- How to Add Someone to Your Profile (Representative)
- How to Apply on Someone Else’s Behalf
Process improvements
Environment and Protected Areas strives to continuously improve the regulatory system and collects feedback from Albertans to improve DRAS.
The following updates improve how Albertans access, manage, organize and view their regulatory information across the lifecycle of an activity.
Key improvements include:
- Applicant dashboard – The redesigned dashboard is easier to navigate, and provides applicants with real-time access to information and tools to manage the lifecycle of a regulated activity.
- Profile management – Enhanced features improve the management of client and corporate delegation, allowing users more control of their profile and delegated profiles.
- Statement of concern – The streamlined statement of concern process has a new tab in the application view.
These enhancements increase transparency and provide Albertans with information and tools to successfully navigate the regulatory system.
Indigenous consultation process
To align with Alberta’s proponent-led Indigenous consultation method, applicants for Water Act approvals and Water Act licences, will now use the Aboriginal Consultation Office Digital Service to seek consultation requirements.
Information for Water Act approval and licence applicants on the proponent-led Indigenous consultation method can be found on DRAS:
Move My Licence: Water Act
Move My Licence is a call for water licence holders in Alberta to ‘move’ water licences issued prior to November 2021 into DRAS. DRAS helps water licence holders manage their water licence(s) and associated water use information more efficiently.
All water license holders are required to move their water licences into DRAS by the end of 2024. Follow the quick steps below for greater transparency, completeness, accuracy, and timeliness when managing your water licences and water use. For more detailed information, refer to knowledge articles for What is Move My Licence and How to Move My Licence: Water Act.
Three simple steps to move your water licence in DRAS:
- Log in to DRAS using your Alberta.ca or Alberta.ca Account for Organizations (see ‘How to Access DRAS’, above).
- Select the ‘Move my pre-DRAS water licence records’ application form and enter your valid Water Act licence number and licence name.
- Finish by verifying the auto-populated information and click Submit.
Contact
Connect with Alberta Environment and Protected Areas:
Hours: 8:15 am to 4:30 pm (open Monday to Friday, closed statutory holidays)
Phone: 780-427-6311
Toll free: 310-0000 before the phone number (in Alberta)
Email: [email protected]