Alberta river flows looking strong, provincial gov’t says

According to a news release:

“The May Water Supply Outlook forecasts river volumes through September that are above normal or well above normal for the North Saskatchewan, Red Deer, and Bow River basins, and most parts of the Oldman River basin.”

It goes on to explain:

Alberta conducts mountain snowpack surveys monthly from Feb. 1 to June 1. From February through August, Alberta’s government uses snowpack and precipitation information to create a water supply forecast for 20 locations in central and southern Alberta, ranging from the North Saskatchewan River Basin, south to the Milk River Basin.

The exception to the positive news for most of the province is the outlook for the Milk River basin, which is expected to see river volumes that are well below normal through September. Forecasts for the Milk River are lower due to early season runoff soaking into the soil and not making its way into the river.

Due to the entitlements outlined in the Canada-U.S. Boundary Waters Treaty, irrigators in the basin can no longer draw water from the river. Household water use in the Town of Milk River is not impacted by an irrigation shutdown.

Alberta’s government explored options for additional water use flexibility on the Milk River that would support Canadian irrigators while still complying with the Canada-U.S. Boundary Waters Treaty and not harming irrigators on the Montana side.

Both mountain snowpack sites in the Red Deer River basin, eight of 14 Bow River basin sites, and three of eight North Saskatchewan River sites were in the top five highest years on record. Conversely, the one site surveyed in the Oldman River basin was the third lowest on record, the ministry adds.

Drought stage definitions in Alberta range from Stage 0 (no drought conditions) to Stage 5 (severe drought conditions).

Drought stages for major river basins were last updated on May 11. More than half of Alberta’s major river basins are now at stage 0. The exceptions are:

Stage 1 – Red Deer River basin
Stage 2 – Oldman River basin, South Saskatchewan River basin, Buffalo River basin and Great Slave Lake basin
Stage 3 – Milk River basin

The May Water Supply Outlook can be read in full here.

by Josh Hall

Alberta river flows looking strong, provincial gov’t says

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