For the first time since 2001, the province will begin negotiations with major water license holders to strike water-sharing agreements through the Alberta Drought Command Team.

The province issued the statement Wednesday, on the heels of an update at Calgary city council Tuesday on the status of the city’s drought preparation.

The province said there are 25,000 water license holders in Alberta, with 9.5 billion cubic litres of water managed under those agreements. They said right now there are 51 water shortage advisories in place in Alberta.

“Starting Feb. 1, the Drought Command Team will begin negotiations with major water licence holders throughout Alberta to secure significant and timely reductions in water use,” read a statement from Rebecca Schulz, Alberta Minister of Environment and Protected Areas.

“This effort will be the largest water-sharing negotiation to have ever occurred in Alberta’s history. I want to thank licence holders for coming to the table – your generosity, ingenuity and participation in this effort reflects the very best of our province.”

According to Nicole Newton, the City of Calgary’s manager of natural environment and adaptation, the province reached out to the city last fall to boost dialogue on the water situation.

She said the city is focused on strong relationships to manage the drought situation.

“The city will be proactively preparing to enter into voluntary water-sharing agreements with other license holders in the basin facilitated by the Water Act,” Newton said.

“The objective of water sharing agreements is to promote cooperation between different users to mitigate the impacts of a water shortage and to manage water resources in a way that meets the provincial apportionment of the obligations as well as the needs of water users and the aquatic environment.”

Newton said that the City of Calgary has been able to hold withdrawals from the Bow River basin steady at 2003 levels due to ongoing water conservation efforts.