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Water Applications

On June 2, 2025, the AER will begin to use OneStop to process applications for energy- and mineral-related water use licences (including temporary diversion licences) and water use submissions. Visit the water licensing FAQs page to learn more about the systems change.  

There is no change to the process or technology used for Water Act approvals. Companies can continue to submit the following Water Act  approval applications and notifications for activities that require our approval under the Water Act  through OneStop:

new applications  

amendment applications  

code of practice notifications  

Please continue to submit Water Act approval applications for coal mines and oil sands mines to EPEA.WA.Applications@aer.ca.  

Submit an Application Through OneStop

Application Scope

Our Water Act application requirements have not changed; only the process to submit water use licences and water use submissions as noted above has been moved to OneStop. Companies are encouraged to submit related applications (i.e., applications related to the same project) at the same time, as bundled applications. This helps us consider all aspects of a project throughout its life cycle, through one decision-making process, rather than repeating the process for each related application.

Please note:

Increased Efficiency

OneStop uses two review levels to process applications: baseline (automated) and additional (manual). The baseline review ensures that the application is complete and meets minimum technical requirements. All applications go through this process.

The system will determine if additional manual review is needed based on a series of risk assessment rules. Applications that are more complex will also be routed for additional manual review by our technical experts.

Contact Us

For questions about OneStop or this process, please contact our Customer Contact Centre.

Learn More

Find out how energy companies in Alberta use water by reading our annual Water Use Performance Report