Landowners and residents in central Alberta say they are worried about large-scale freshwater withdrawals for hydraulic fracturing as drought conditions intensify.

Industrial operations, including fracking companies such as Spartan Delta, have applied to extract hundreds of millions of litres yearly from freshwater sources such as the Paskapoo Formation, an aquifer that supplies drinking water for many rural communities. Spartan Delta applied in 2026 to withdraw up to 475 million litres annually from the Paskapoo aquifer, according to a report by The Narwhal.

Other companies, including Canadian Natural Resources Ltd., extracted billions of litres of fresh water for fracking in 2024. Canadian Natural Resources accounted for about 2.9 billion litres of freshwater use for fracking that year, based on figures from The Narwhal.

Local residents and landowners in areas such as Mountain View County say streams and tributaries, including Lloyd Creek, are drying up and groundwater levels are dropping. They link these changes to increased water withdrawals for industrial activities, including fracking.

A community group, the Blindman River Watershed Society, has expressed mistrust of the provincial regulators' ability to enforce limits and adequately protect water sources, according to The Narwhal.

The Alberta Energy Regulator says there are monitoring and compliance mechanisms governing water licences. The Blindman River Watershed Society says flow requirements for water bodies and withdrawal limits are too low or poorly enforced, threatening water availability and ecosystem health in an area currently experiencing a Stage 4 drought.

Mountain View County is under Stage 4 drought conditions, with concerns it could escalate to Stage 5, signalling extreme drought. These conditions place further strain on freshwater resources that support both agricultural activities and residential wells, some of which require costly filtration upgrades of $5,000 to $10,000 when water quality deteriorates, according to Alberta Farmer Express.

Fracking in Alberta has historically depended on large volumes of freshwater, often sourced from surface water rivers and creeks or shallow groundwater aquifers like the Paskapoo Formation. The formation recharges slowly, adding to concerns about long-term water sustainability.

Data from the Alberta Energy Regulator shows water use for fracking in Alberta reached about 20 billion litres in 2024.

Local advocates, including the Blindman River Watershed Society, are calling for greater transparency in water licence approvals and stronger safeguards to protect freshwater sources.

Industry representatives say they are working to minimize water use and increase recycling in fracking operations. Residents say those efforts fall short of preventing environmental harm and water shortages in rural areas.

Mountain View County remains under Stage 4 drought conditions as the debate over freshwater allocation continues in Alberta's central region.