logo
episode-header-image
May 2024
23m 15s

How did a Mormon town grab first dibs on...

CBC
About this episode

As Alberta struggles to navigate several years of dry conditions in the province, its historic water license system has come under scrutiny. In short, whoever got water rights first has first dibs on the water today.


One of the small towns that really benefits from this system is Magrath, established in 1899 by Mormon settlers from Utah and Idaho. But its senior water rights are becoming more contentious as other communities are forced to buy water amid an increasingly taxed supply.


We hear from CBC Calgary reporter Joel Dryden, who visited the town and tells us what the water rights debate is like today and whether any changes to those rights are on the table.


Help us make Front Burner even better by filling out our audience survey.

Up next
Today
Canada retaliates and trade war deepens
The U.S. announced a new string of bans and tariffs against Canadian products, set to go into effect later this month. This came after Canada imposed counter-tariffs against billions of dollars of American imports. As the trade war ramps up, we look to both sides of the border to ... Show More
31m 43s
Yesterday
Trump, ICE and the impact of 9/11
This week will mark 25 years since the September 11th terrorist attacks on the World Trade Centre and the Pentagon. Those attacks, by al-Qaeda, killed nearly 3000 people.What followed that tragedy was the 'War on Terror', characterized by a series of foreign wars and domestic sec ... Show More
32m 6s
Sep 7
Why are people vanishing in Dawson Creek, B.C.?
The Mile Zero Murders investigates the baffling wave of disappearances and murders in the small town of Dawson Creek, B.C., a community struggling with a deadly local drug trade. Host Timothy Sawa explores missing person cases like that of Cole Hosack and Renee Didier, pursuing l ... Show More
27m 54s
Recommended Episodes
Nov 2023
Groundwater Wars
Kingman, Arizona, a small farming town in the desert, is a cautionary tale in the West’s water crisis. About a decade ago, large corporate farms started moving into the desert of Mohave County, growing thirsty crops like alfalfa and nuts. At the time, there were practically no ru ... Show More
33m 38s
Jul 2023
Understanding the Real Fight Over Water in Arizona
Arizona recently announced new constraints on housing development in the areas around Phoenix. At issue is water rights and scarcity, which have been a challenge for the US Southwest for as long as people have been living there. That being said, the region is currently in the mid ... Show More
47m 27s
Sep 2023
Arizona’s Pipe Dream
<p>A Times investigation revealed that in much of the United States, communities and farms are pumping out groundwater at alarming rates. Aquifers are shrinking nationwide, threatening supplies of drinking water and the country’s status as a food superpower.</p><p>Christopher Fla ... Show More
39m 3s
Aug 2024
For whom the well tolls: Why we must price water
<p>Water scarcity is growing even in parts of the world that used to be drought-free. Since&nbsp; <a href="https://www.economist.com/international/2024/08/26/the-poisonous-global-politics-of-water?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_conten ... Show More
24m 14s
Aug 2021
Stymie a river: the American West dries up
<p>The first-ever water shortage declared for the Colorado River is just one sign of troubles to come; as the climate changes, century-old water habits and policies must change with it. Israel’s Pegasus spyware has raised concerns the world over, but the country is <a href="https ... Show More
19m 14s
Jul 2022
Utah’s ‘Environmental Nuclear Bomb’
<p>The Great Salt Lake is drying up.</p><p>Soaring demand for water, exacerbated by drought and higher temperatures in the region, are shrinking the waters, which play such a crucial role in the landscape, ecology and weather of Salt Lake City and Utah.</p><p>Can the lake be save ... Show More
32m 41s
Jan 2023
7 States, 1 River and an Agonizing Choice
<p>In the United States, 40 million people in seven states depend on water provided by the Colorado River.</p><p>After 20 years of drought, the situation is dire and the river is at risk of becoming a “deadpool,” a condition in which there is not enough water to pass through the ... Show More
23m 45s
Sep 2020
Well, Well, Well
In the 1990s, lakes and wetlands dried up in Florida’s fast-growing Tampa Bay region. Some attributed the drastic change to drought; others to overpumping of an underground aquifer. A pitched legal battle, known as the Water Wars, played out. Some government-run utilities wanted ... Show More
26m 20s
Nov 2023
Water, water, everywhere
As water supplies in the west dry up, finding solutions is critical. The good news is that water is all around us, if you know where to look and how to treat it. In this episode, we’re going on a road trip to check out the fascinating technology producing water from the sewer, th ... Show More
25m 18s