By Helge Nome

Central Alberta is drying out. To anyone travelling east or west of Red Deer and around the city, the evidence for this can be readily seen from highways as dry shallow sloughs are being vegetated by all manner of weeds and grasses. Deeper wetlands are partially dry, like Slack Slough, south of Red Deer.

Similarly, lakes in the Red Deer River Watershed have water levels well below normal, as can be observed by accessing  Water Survey of Canada gauging stations beside Gull Lake, Sylvan Lake and Buffalo Lake.

Ungauged lakes like Pine Lake, Alix Lake and Little Fish Lake south of Hanna are also losing water at an alarming rate, with the latter having lost some 6 feet in water level since the fall of 2019. (Verified by the author)

In contrast, Gleniffer Lake, created by the Dickson Dam on the Red Deer River, is full at this time thanks to snowmelt water from the mountains and precipitation in the river headwaters earlier in the summer. This has enabled dam operators to ensure a better than 16 cubic meters per second minimum flow in the river, downstream of the dam, throughout the year.

Unfortunately, the mainstem of the Red Deer River can only supply water to a percentage of the residents in the watershed and there is no guarantee of having a full Gleniffer Lake to rely on for the fall and winter every year.

Meanwhile, agricultural crops in the area appear to have done well, due to well timed precipitation earlier in the summer and dry, warm harvest weather.

By Helge Nome

View the GOA’s soil moisture report update here and the river flow reports here https://rivers.alberta.ca/