Note: the following content was retired and replaced by the next phase of the Water Nexus project. However, in light of the current water shortage concerns (as of March, 2024), we think the information may be of interest.
The Alberta Water Nexus Project pilot focuses on the Bow River basin, one of four sub-basins located in the greater South Saskatchewan River basin (SSRB). The Bow River basin covers over 25,000 square kilometres, making up about 23% of the SSRB’s drainage area. The basin’s water journey begins in the Rocky Mountains, where snow and glacial-melt feed the headwaters. From the mountains water flows into Bow Lake which is also the beginning of the Bow River. The Bow River flows through Banff National Park into foothills and continues through grasslands before joining the Oldman River, where together the two rivers form the South Saskatchewan River, 80 kilometres upstream of Medicine Hat.
The Bow River is approximately 645 kilometres long and, in terms of flow, is the largest tributary feeding the South Saskatchewan River. In fact, the Bow River provides almost 43% of the South Saskatchewan River flow.
The Bow River basin is comprised of a diverse range of water bodies, all of which significantly affect the basin’s water, food, and energy Nexus. These water bodies are vital in maintaining the basin’s ecosystem viability and support numerous economic activities in the region.
The basin’s lakes, such as Lake Louise, Lake Minnewanka, and Moraine Lake, as well as the numerous reservoirs including Newell Reservoir, Ghost Lake Reservoir, Glenmore Reservoir, and Spray Lakes Reservoir are also important. These lakes and reservoirs are used for a variety of activities such as power generation, irrigation, drinking water production, and recreation. Connected mountain and prairie tributaries, such as the Sheep, Elbow, and Highwood Rivers, as well as many smaller irrigation reservoirs, also contribute to the basin’s diverse water resources.
Primarily fed by snow melt, rainfall, and glacial melt, the Bow River has significant flow variations throughout the year. During the months of spring and summer snow melt and rainfall typically leads to higher river flows, whereas in fall and winter the river experiences reduced flows. During reduced river flows water resources are derived from groundwater. However, on an annual basis, groundwater only contributes around 20% of the Bow River’s flow.
Agriculture is the Bow River basin’s largest fresh-water consumer, using water primarily for irrigation purposes. Major agricultural activities in the basin include crop production and raising livestock. In terms of crop production, wheat, barley, and oil seed farming represent the majority of the basin’s farming activities. A range of other crops including vegetables, potatoes, silage corn, and alfalfa are also produced in the basin. One of the most important livestock farming activities in the basin is raising cattle, including bulls, dairy and beef cows, calves, and slaughter steers and heifers. Moving forward, a sustainable and competitive agriculture industry will be required to meet the needs of the basin’s growing population.
Additionally, as one of the world’s largest food exporters, Canada is expected to play an even greater role in meeting global food demand, anticipated to increase significantly, due to population growth and changing diets. As part of this, the Bow River basin will likely make a significant contribution to satisfying future food demand, particularly due to its abundant arable land. Ensuring sufficient water availability for agricultural use, without neglecting the needs of other key sectors in the basin, will require careful consideration by decision-makers*.
With more than one million people living in the Bow River basin it’s no surprise municipal use represents the basin’s second largest water allocation. This water is used to meet the needs of the basin’s numerous urban, rural, and First Nations’ settlements.
Major population centres in the basin include the City of Calgary and the City of Airdrie, as well as several rural municipalities, such as Rocky View County and the Municipal District of Foothills. First Nations’ settlements also make up significant population centres, such as the Stoney Nation and Siksika Nation reserves. The City of Calgary is by far the largest municipal water user, withdrawing over 176,000 million litres (ML) of water in 2014. With the population of Calgary estimated to reach 1.4 million by 2041, ensuring the availability of sufficient water quality and quantity will pose a major challenge. Additionally, with further municipal growth planned in other parts of the Bow River basin, balancing the water demands of new municipalities with the water needs of other sectors will require decision-makers to manage significant trade-offs.
Industrial users in the Bow River basin require water for a wide range of industrial activities. A significant non-consumptive water user is the power generation industry, which uses water to produce hydroelectricity. A significant consumptive industrial water user, on the other hand, is the petroleum sector, which uses water for oilfield injection, including enhanced oil recovery and hydraulic fracturing, as well as other petroleum related activities that support production from thousands of oil and gas wells in the basin. Other industrial water uses in the basin include cooling, such as for thermal power generation and air conditioning, as well as fertilizer production. A significant portion of the water that is needed for these activities is returned to the basin as a return flow, rather than consumptive use.
Future industrial developments in the region will face stiff competition for water resources from industrial sectors already present in the basin. This is particularly important for the petroleum sector as growing energy demand, combined with advances in technology, leads to increased oil and gas development in the region. Even though current water use by the petroleum sector is less than 1% of allocations in the basin (Figure 2), this share can be expected to increase in the future. For example, water intensive practices such as hydraulic fracturing will likely play a significant role in future oil and gas development in the region, particularly as conventional production of oil and gas continues to decline.
[1] “Profile of the Bow River Basin.” Bow River Basin Council. Accessed November 2015. http://brbc.ab.ca/brbc-documents/…/66-web-based-state-of-the-watershed-2010-booklet
[2] Ibid.
[3] Ibid.
[4] “Hydrology.” Bow River Basin Council. Accessed November 2015. http://brbc.ab.ca/brbc-documents/…/66-web-based-state-of-the-watershed-2010-booklet
[5] Ibid.
[6] “Water Allocations and Use in the Bow River Basin.” Bow River Basin Council. Accessed November 2015. http://brbc.ab.ca/brbc-documents/…/66-web-based-state-of-the-watershed-2010-booklet
[7] bid.
[8] “Alberta Crop Production Statistics.” Alberta Agriculture and Forestry. Accessed November 2015. http://www1.agric.gov.ab.ca/$department/deptdocs.nsf/all/sdd12061
[9] “Agriculture Statistics Factsheet.” Alberta Government. Accessed November 2015. http://www1.agric.gov.ab.ca/$department/deptdocs.nsf/all/sdd12807
[10] “Better by the Drop: Revealing the Value of Water in Canadian Agriculture.” Schreier, H. & Wood, C. Accessed November 2015. http://www.cwn-rce.ca/assets/resources/pdf/Blue-Economy-Initiative/BEI-Better-by-the-Drop-report-EN-web.pdf
[11] “Profile of the Bow River Basin.” Bow River Basin Council. Accessed November 2015. http://brbc.ab.ca/brbc-documents/…/66-web-based-state-of-the-watershed-2010-booklet
[12] “Hydrology.” Bow River Basin Council. Accessed November 2015. http://brbc.ab.ca/brbc-documents/…/66-web-based-state-of-the-watershed-2010-booklet
[13] “2014 Water Report.” The City of Calgary. Accessed November 2015. http://www.calgary.ca/_layouts/cocis/DirectDownload.aspx?target=http%3a%2f%2fwww.calgary.ca%2fUEP%2fWater%2fDocuments%2fWater-Documents%2fWater-Report.pdf&noredirect=1&sf=1
[14] “Regional Water and Wastewater Servicing Masterplan.” CH2M Hill on behalf of the Calgary Regional Partnership. Published 2014. Link: http://calgaryregion.ca/dam/Website/reports/General/Regional-servicing-and-CMP-Implementation/Regional-Water-and-Wastewater-Servicing-Master-Plan/Regional%20Water%20and%20Wastewater%20Servicing%20Master%20Plan.pdf
[15] “Bow River Basin State of the Watershed Summary 2010.” Bow River Basin Council. Published 2010. Link: http://www.brbc.ab.ca/brbc-documents/publications/66-web-based-state-of-the-watershed-2010-booklet
[16] “Our Water, Our Future – A Conversation with Albertans.” Alberta Government. Accessed November 2015. http://aep.alberta.ca/water/water-conversation/documents/WaterFuture-ConversationAlbertans-Feb2013.pdf
[17] “ST98-2015: Alberta’s Energy Reserves 2014 and Supply/Demand Outlook 2015-2024.” Alberta Energy Regulator. Accessed January 2016. www.aer.ca/documents/sts/ST98/ST98-2015.pdf
[18] “Water Allocations and Use in the Bow River Basin.” Bow River Basin Council. Accessed January 2016. http://wsow.brbc.ab.ca/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=86&Itemid=84
[19] “Water Rights and Property Rights.” Environmental Law Centre. Accessed November 2015. http://www.elc.ab.ca/Content_Files/Files/Water_Rights.pdf
We provide Canadian educational resources on water practices to promote conservation and sustainability. Our team crafts current and relevant content, while encouraging feedback and engagement.
The Canada WaterPortal is a registered charity, #807121876RR0001
We recognize and respect the sovereignty of the Indigenous Peoples and communities on whose land our work takes place.
© 2024 All Rights Reserved.
Ross has extensive executive experience in Operations, Governance, Information Technology and Strategy at the board and senior management level including Mancal Corporation, Mancal Energy, Highridge Exploration and Atlantis Resources. He has worked in Oil and Gas, Coal, Commercial Real Estate, Portfolio Management, Recreation, Retail and Water and Wastewater Treatment. His experience is also geographically diverse having overseen operations in Canada, the United States, United Kingdom and Northern Ireland. Additionally, he has been on the board of companies with operations in Argentina, Azerbaijan, Barbados, Kazakhstan, and Russia. He has served on numerous Public, Private and Not for Profit Boards across a number of industries.
Ross has been active on several industry Boards and committees including the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP) and The Schulich School of Engineering Industry Advisory Council at the Schulich School of Engineering.
Brian is a seasoned Cleantech entrepreneur with a proven history of successfully bringing complex water technologies to the market. With over 25 years of experience, he has led various organizations to achieve significant milestones in the industry.
Having started as the founding CEO of the Pressure Pipe Inspection Company (PPIC) and later taking the helm at the Water Technology Acceleration Project (WaterTAP), Brian’s entrepreneurial spirit has been instrumental in driving innovation and growth within the sector.
He is an active investor in the cleantech sector and has served on many boards including the Ontario Clean Water Agency.
Actively engaged in industry associations like AWWA, WEF, IWA, and ASCE, Brian enjoys collaborating with fellow professionals to promote advancements in the field.
Brian holds an undergraduate degree and a PhD in Physics from Queen’s University, which has provided him with a solid technical foundation. As a member of the Institute of Corporate Directors, he brings valuable insights to corporate governance.