Transfer case studies · Updated 2026-07-12

Alberta water transfer price reference

Public price data for Alberta water allocation transfers is sparse. This page summarizes verified references from published Water Register dossiers and landmark press-documented deals. Use for negotiation context only; confirm every authorization in the Environmental Records Viewer.

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Cash $/m³/yr comparables
$8.10/m³/yr
Median (cash, normalized)
$102.35/m³/yr
Highest $/m³/yr (cash)
$15.00M
Largest disclosed deal

Disclosed purchases by year

Count of reference cases with a reported consideration amount (cash, in-kind, or lease; not all transfers disclose price).

YearDealsTotal disclosed (CAD)
20071$15,000,000
20152$16,000,000
20203$2,999,000
20242$7,911,000
20251$5,775,000

Cash $/m³/yr comparables

Published transfer dossiers and curated landmark cases with disclosed or press-reported consideration. Cash $/m³/yr computed as amount_cad ÷ annual allocation volume (m³/yr). Excludes lease structures, in-kind deals from cash medians, volume mismatches, and allocations under 5,000 m³/yr (distorted unit economics). ERV is system of record for parties and volume. Mean: $31.20/m³/yr. Range: $6.24/m³/yr to $102.35/m³/yr.

YearCaseBuyerConsiderationm³/yr$/m³/yrStructureEvidence
2025 Town of Cochrane, 05BH Town of Cochrane $5.78M 925,110 $6.24/m³/yr cash erv
2024 Strathmore Golf Club licence, Town of Strathmore Town of Strathmore $561,000 59,400 $9.44/m³/yr cash erv
2015 Okotoks, Legacy Oil & Gas licence transfer (Sheep/Highwood) The Town of Okotoks $1.00M 9,770 $102.35/m³/yr cash_to_foundation erv
2007 CrossIron Mills / Western Irrigation District Rocky View County $15.00M 2,220,268 $6.76/m³/yr cash seed

In-kind consideration (implied $/m³)

Non-cash structures break clean unit-price comparison but often dominate municipal acquisitions.

YearCaseBuyerImplied valuem³/yrImplied $/m³/yrStructureEvidence
2024 Camp Jubilee (Girl Guides) to Town of Cochrane Town of Cochrane $7.35M 3,996,475 $1.84/m³/yr in_kind press
Not legal, brokerage, or appraisal advice. Bill 7 Section 81.1 may publish more prices when EPA rules are final. Professional tier unlocks CSV export and watershed-filtered comparables workflow in the dashboard.
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