9504 - 49 St. Edmonton, AB T6B 2M9 Tel: (780) 496-3474 Fax: (780) 495-0610 Email: [email protected] http://nswa.ab.ca The North Saskatchewan Watershed Alliance (NSWA) is a non-profit society whose purpose is to contribute to the protection of water quality, water supplies, ecosystem function and improved watershed health through the collaborative efforts of all stakeholders and interested individuals. NSWA is guided by a Board of Directors composed of representatives of member organizations from within the watershed. It is the designated Watershed Planning and Advisory Council (WPAC) for the North Saskatchewan River under the Government of Alberta's Water for Life Strategy . Citation North Saskatchewan Watershed Alliance. 2012. Atlas of the North Saskatchewan River Watershed in Alberta. The North Saskatchewan Watershed Alliance Society. Edmonton, Alberta. Disclaimer The maps in this Atlas were created by compiling, evaluating and displaying the best available data for the purpose of improving general awareness about the watershed. These maps are not appropriate for addressing site-specific issues. The NSWA and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) make no representation or warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied, either as to the content of the maps or as to the fitness for any particular use. Both NSWA and AAFC do not assume nor accept any liability arising from any use of the information presented by this collection of maps. ISBN 978-0-9737599-1-4 Printed June 2012 Atlas of the North Saskatchewan River Watershed in Alberta North Saskatchewan Watershed Alliance About the North Saskatchewan Watershed Alliance Dedication The North Saskatchewan Watershed Alliance (NSWA) was incorporated This Atlas is dedicated to Mr. Bill Fox in 2000 as a not-for-profit society and provides a forum for sharing of Elk Point, Alberta who has information about the North Saskatchewan River Watershed (NSRW) in represented Alberta Beef Producers Alberta. The purpose of the NSWA is to generate knowledge and advice on the NSWA Board of Directors for to support the protection of water quality and ecosystem functioning over a decade. throughout the NSRW. The NSWA is guided by a Board of Directors His steadfast efforts in promoting composed of representatives of member organizations from within the awareness of environmentally watershed. It is the designated Watershed Planning and Advisory Council sustainable agriculture have (WPAC) for the North Saskatchewan River (NSR) under Water for Life: contributed greatly to a wider Alberta’s Strategy for Sustainability . To learn more about the NSWA understanding of watershed please see our website at www.nswa.ab.ca. management. Mr. Fox has been a About the NSWA Atlas Project driving force for the Atlas project. This Atlas contains information on several watershed themes. The content has been gathered from a number of sources, including technical studies prepared by the NSWA. The information is presented in an easy to understand, high level format and presents a broad overview of the NSRW, its natural attributes and the nature of human activities in the watershed. We hope the Atlas will broaden the understanding of watershed characteristics and will raise awareness about challenges associated with managing and protecting this watershed. Readers are encouraged to refer to original reference materials for a more in-depth discussion of data, issues and management initiatives. “The quality and relevance of this watershed atlas underscores the Acknowledgments valuable contribution the North Saskatchewan Watershed Alliance makes to public understanding of the importance of water to our Preparation of this atlas would have not been possible without the economy, our environment and to our identity as Canadians.” extensive support NSWA members and partners, who provided both data and funding for the project. The NSWA Board of Directors would like to Robert Sandford thank the Alberta Beef Producers; Petro-Canada; Agriculture and EPCOR Chair of the Canadian Partnership Agri-Food Canada (AAFC); Alberta Ecotrust; the City of Edmonton and Initiative in support of the United Nations Water for NSWA staff for their efforts, expertise and resources. The NSWA also Life International Decade for Action acknowledges Alberta Environment and Sustainable Resource Development; Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development; EPCOR; the Energy Resources Conservation Board and the Alberta Geological Survey for use of data and information. Graham Watt, NSWA Watershed Planner, and Candace Vanin, Land Use Specialist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, led the project and developed the maps. Melissa Logan, David Trew and Billie Milholland assisted in developing the text for the atlas. Gordon Thompson, Tom Cottrell and Edward G. Hoyes provided editorial assistance. 1 Table of Contents North Saskatchewan Watershed Alliance .............................................. 1 About the North Saskatchewan Watershed Alliance ...................... 1 About the NSWA Atlas Project ....................................................... 1 Acknowledgments .......................................................................... 1 Dedication ...................................................................................... 1 Table of Contents ..................................................................................... 2 Interaction Between Land and Water ..................................................... 3 The Hydrologic Cycle ..................................................................... 3 What is a Watershed? .................................................................... 3 Major Drainage Basins ................................................................... 3 Stream Order .................................................................................. 5 Subwatersheds ............................................................................... 7 Watershed Components ................................................................. 7 Lakes .................................................................................. 7 Wetlands .......................................................................... 10 Groundwater .................................................................... 13 Riparian Area ................................................................... 15 Climate and Water Yields ...................................................................... 16 Annual Precipitation, Evapotranspiration and Temperature ......... 16 Natural Subregions ....................................................................... 21 Topography ................................................................................... 22 Water Yield ................................................................................... 24 How We Use and Impact the Watershed .............................................. 26 Land Cover and Land Use ........................................................... 26 Population Density ....................................................................... 28 Surface Water Licences ............................................................... 30 Water Well Density ....................................................................... 34 Wastewater Treatment ................................................................. 36 Linear Disturbance Features ........................................................ 38 Oil & Gas Well Density ................................................................. 40 Agricultural Land Use in Rural Municipalities ............................... 42 Manure Application ....................................................................... 44 Potential Risk of Groundwater Contamination ............................. 46 Protecting the Watershed ...................................................................... 48 Environmentally Significant Areas ................................................ 48 Forest Management Areas, Parks and Protected Areas .............. 50 Best Management Practice Adoption ........................................... 52 Provincial Policy and Planning Initiatives ..................................... 54 Postscript ............................................................................................... 56 References .............................................................................................. 57 2 Interaction Between Land and Water The Hydrologic Cycle Major Drainage Basins The hydrologic cycle is the continuous movement of water on, above and In western Canada, all surface water flows either to the Pacific Ocean, below the Earth’s surface. The key components of this cycle are: Arctic Ocean, Hudson Bay or the Gulf of Mexico. The North precipitation; overland flow; infiltration to groundwater; transport and Saskatchewan River watershed forms a small part of the much larger storage as surface water or groundwater; evaporation; and transpiration Hudson Bay watershed, which drains almost one third of Canada’s land (see figure right). The cycle is ultimately driven by the effects of the sun’s surface. energy. Water changes states becoming liquid, gas (vapour) or solid (ice) at various points throughout the cycle. The hydrologic cycle affects Beginning at the Saskatchewan Glacier in the Rocky Mountains, the climate. Evaporation removes heat from the environment, thereby cooling North Saskatchewan River flows east through Alberta, joining the South air temperature; condensation releases energy into the