A water licence application filed by Northback Holdings is drawing sharp criticism from the Livingstone Landowners Group. The group says the application contradicts the coal company’s public statements and raises questions about transparency.

Calling the application filed with the Alberta Energy Regulator to divert water from the Blairmore Creek watershed “premature,” the LLG is urging municipal and provincial leaders to demand full disclosure before any permit is approved. The concerns are tied to the Grassy Mountain coal project, along the Eastern Slopes of the Rocky Mountains.

In a letter sent to both the Town and MD of Pincher Creek on April 22, the LLG said Northback’s March 13 application to divert 185,022 cubic metres of water annually from the Blairmore Creek watershed for 25 years is inconsistent with the company’s previous public assurances.

The group pointed to statements on Northback’s website and a Dec. 9, 2025 presentation to council committees, where the company said the project would require no water drawn from rivers and creeks.

In the letter, the LLG also argues the application is being made ahead of a full mine proposal and therefore does not provide sufficient context for regulators or the public to assess the broader environmental implications.

Bobbi Lambright, LLG board member, says the water issue is central to the group’s concerns about how Northback presents information.

“It just doesn’t feel like Northback is being upfront about what their requirements are,” she says. “How do you trust somebody who’s saying one thing to your face and then is going behind your back essentially to ask the regulator for a permit?”

Lambright raises concerns about the scale of the proposed diversion, saying the application seeks to take water from a tributary of Blairmore Creek in an area she describes as already water-constrained.

“If you have a city of between 120,000 to 150,000 people, that’s how much water they would use, and that’s a lot of water from an area that is very water constrained,” she says.

The LLG also takes issue with the timing, saying the application predates any broader environmental assessment or public disclosure of total water requirements.

The group says this prevents regulators and the public from understanding the full project scope, including total water demand, treatment needs and environmental risks.

“There’s no way that this application should even be considered in advance of a formal application for the mine itself,” Lambright says. “You don’t have enough information for people to fairly evaluate what the implications are going to be.”

The LLG also flags that the Oldman River Basin is already fully allocated and has been closed to new licences since 2007.

However, the group says Northback is seeking to access water under a clause in an earlier allocation order that allows for industrial use.

The group argues the company is attempting to secure a significant portion of that allocation without disclosing its full water requirements for the mine or potential cumulative impacts on the watershed.

Lambright questions the data being used in Northback’s submission, saying the application relies on older hydrological information rather than current conditions.

The LLG has raised its concerns with local and provincial leaders with letters sent to the MD of Pincher Creek, the Town of Pincher Creek, Premier Danielle Smith, the minister of energy, the minister of environment and protected areas, and Livingstone-Macleod MLA Chelsae Petrovic.

Lambright said no responses had been received at the time of the interview.

Northback, in a written response, defended the application as part of its broader water management plan. The company says the water application is part of its revised mine design and water management approach, and is required under Alberta’s water allocation system.

“Northback is advancing a revised mine design which will provide significant benefits to Alberta, while operating with the highest environmental standards,” says James Robson, the company’s manager of strategic communications.

He says water contacting the mine site will be captured for use and treated if necessary, and that full details of water management will be included in its integrated environmental assessment application.

“As such, this application is part of Northback’s water use plan and the full details will be available as part of the integrated environmental assessment application.”

The Grassy Mountain coal project has been the subject of long-standing debate in the region, particularly over its potential impacts on water resources in the Eastern Slopes.

The LLG says its position is not only about the current application, but about ensuring complete disclosure of all water requirements before any approvals are considered.

Lambright says the group’s immediate concern is that the Alberta Energy Regulator does not approve the water permit until a full mine application is submitted and reviewed.