Peace/Slave River Basin

The Peace River begins in the mountains of British Columbia, and flows to Alberta. It is part of the Mackenzie River system, which eventually drains into the Arctic Ocean. The W.A.C. Bennett Dam is located on the Peace River in British Columbia and influences the stream flow downstream. The Peace/Slave River Basin includes the Wapiti, Smoky, Little Smoky and Wabasca rivers.

The river flows northeast across Alberta, through the town of Peace River and empties into the Slave River. At Peace Point, the Peace River has a mean annual discharge of 68,200 million cubic meters, and a drainage area of 293,000 km2.

The Peace/Slave River Basin covers an area of about 180,000 km2, is the largest river basin in Alberta, occupying approximately 30 % of the province. The mean annual natural river discharge of the Peace/Slave River is 108,000,000 dam3.

In 2001, the basin had a population of 133,973 people, which represents 5% of the provincial population. The basin had a population density of less than one person per square kilometre. The Peace/Slave Basin covers all or parts of 17 rural or regional municipalities and includes 15 Aboriginal settlements and 22 urban municipalities.

Allocations to the other sector account for 39 % of allocations (92,436 dam3) and the industrial sector accounts for another 37 % (691,866 dam3). The municipal sector accounts for 11 % (27,141 dam3) and the petroleum sector accounts for another 8 % (20,547 dam3). Total allocations in the Peace/Slave Basin in 2005 were 243,398 dam3.

Peace/Slave River
Peace/Slave River
Photograph of WaterPortal Board Member Ross Douglas

Ross Douglas

Board Member

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.

Photograph of WaterPortal Board Member Brian Mergelas

Brian Mergelas, PhD, ICD.D

Board Member

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.