The State of the Watershed report provides essential information on the health and management of the watershed. To make this information more timely and accessible, the RDRWA is releasing the report online in a phased format, sharing sections as they become available. The first two sections, Surface Water Hydrology and Surface Water Allocation, are now published, presenting updated data and insights on water flow, drought conditions, and licensed water use across five Watershed Management Zones: Upper Headwaters, Lower Headwaters, Central Urbanizing, Central Agricultural, and Dry Grasslands.
Surface Water Hydrology Section – Highlights:
- Overview of the hydrologic cycle and surface flow patterns across the watershed.
- Detailed summary of 2023 hydrologic conditions, including drought impacts and low flow records.
- Data from 20 flow stations, spanning from the mountain headwaters to the dry grasslands.
- Instream objective information for key tributaries.
- High flow advisory records (2010–2023) and years below 10th percentile flow documented.
Key Insights:
- Over 50% of total river flow originates in the mountain and foothill regions, despite their small area.
- Tributaries upstream of Dickson Dam saw flows below the 25th percentile from January–April and September–year end.
- Downstream of Drumheller, the river exhibits negative water yield, indicating water loss in that reach.
- Tributaries in the Dry Grasslands (Berry Creek and Matzhiwin Creek) saw flows substantially below the 25th percentile for most of the year.
- 2023 recorded the lowest annual flow volume since 1961 at Bindloss (noting the effect of Dickson Dam’s regulation).
Surface Water Allocation Section – Highlights:
- Overview of major policies relating to water licence governance, including:
- Water Act
- Water Management Plan for the South Saskatchewan River Basin
- Master Agreement on Apportionment
- Irrigation Districts Act
- Bow, Oldman, and South Saskatchewan River Basin Water Allocation Order
- Summary of surface water allocation quantities by Water Management Zone (WMZ) and sub-basin.
- Breakdown of allocations by long-term licences and Temporary Diversion Licences (TDLs).
Classification of licensed water by use category (industrial, municipal, agricultural, etc.).
Key Insights:
- In 2023, the Red Deer River watershed had 16,778 active surface water licences, allocating a total of 354,799,322 m³ of water.
- Temporary Diversion Licences (TDLs) represented only 2% of total allocations; however, proportions were much higher in some sub-basins:
- Medicine River – 43%
- Upper Red Deer River – 24%
- Matzhiwin Creek – 19%
- Blindman River – 18%
- Bulk volume of allocated surface water by WMZ (highest to lowest):
- Dry Grasslands – 144,855,480 m³
- Central Urbanizing – 138,605,935 m³
- Central Agricultural – 50,030,670 m³
- Lower Headwaters – 17,631,946 m³
- Upper Headwaters – 3,675,291 m³
- Dominant water uses by Water Management Zone (WMZ):
- Upper Headwaters – Industrial (69.7%)
- Lower Headwaters – Agricultural (40.0%)
- Central Urbanizing – Municipal (42.0%)
- Central Agricultural – Municipal (37.4%)
- Dry Grasslands – Agricultural (60.9%)
These sections provide critical context for understanding the watershed’s current hydrologic conditions, water use distribution, and the implications of recent drought patterns on long-term water availability.
Please review the newly released sections and share any feedback or questions.
To learn more and view the online report, go here. See the “Surface Water” tab for the sections outlined above.