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Nurture - Renew - Protect
Executive Summary
The Bow River Basin is home to more than one million Albertans
and welcomes hundreds of thousands of visitors every year. Valued
for its beauty, and as a home for diverse fish, wildlife and plant
communities, it is under immense pressure from a growing urban
community and various land use impacts. This report, written for
the Bow River Basin Council (BRBC) and its stakeholders, addresses
the challenges faced by those whose task it is to ensure the responsible
use and conservation of water resources in the basin. It updates
and expands on the 1994 BRBC State of the River report.
Most of the Bow River Basin is highly altered from its natural
state. Hydroelectric generation, effluent dilution, and water allocation
for irrigation, municipal, industrial, agricultural, and recreational
uses impact the natural flows of the river. By the time the river
reaches its confluence with the Oldman River, 68% of its average
annual flow has been allocated, although actual consumption is
currently lower. Of the allocated water, 76% is licensed for irrigation.
Population growth has placed additional demands on the water supply
in the last decade and will likely become a greater challenge in
the future. Climate change and glacial retreat add uncertainty
to the quantity of flows for the future. Any new allocations will
have a significant risk of not receiving water in drier years.
Human activities within the basin also influence water quality
and the ecosystem. The impacts of stormwater runoff and wastewater
effluent are particular challenges. As this report shows, water
quality declines along the length of the Bow River, with higher
concentrations of nutrients and pesticides in the lower reaches.
Fish and riparian habitat are negatively impacted by the fluctuations
in stream flows and reservoir water levels that result from hydroelectric
facilities. Several dams and weirs are barriers to fish movement
along the river. Lower spring and summer flows have also resulted
in poor regeneration of cottonwood trees, which may disappear from
the lower reaches in the next 100 to 150 years. Habitat degradation,
heavy angling pressure and introduced fish species have reduced
the distribution and number of some native fish species. Invasive
plants have become established and wetlands have been destroyed
to allow for development or agricultural production.
But the picture is not all negative; there are many positive activities
ongoing within the basin. The BRBC and other organizations, government
agencies and individual citizens have been addressing these issues
for the past 13 years with a fair degree of success. Recent actions
have led to great improvements in wastewater treatment by the City
of Calgary and several smaller communities, the restoration of
wetlands by organizations such as Ducks Unlimited and the Eastern
Irrigation District, and water conservation programs by many municipalities
and the Irrigation Districts. Many new stewardship groups and initiatives
have been formed as a result of greater awareness of the issues,
including Water for Life: Alberta’s Strategy for Sustainability.
Volunteer groups and individuals have initiated assessment, renewal
and protection programs.
Recommendations for the future focus on six themes:
1. Development of the Bow River Integrated Watershed Management
Plan
2. Appropriate use and sharing of technology
3. Preparation of a Water Balance Sheet
4. Continued research and monitoring
5. Public consultation and engagement
6. Proactive contingency planning
Through implementation of these recommendations, current management
practices may be improved to mitigate or avoid further pressure
on the basin’s resources. We now recognize and have an understanding
of the many issues and challenges facing the Bow River Basin. It
is now time for all of us to take action and address them.
These pdf files are quite large and will take a little more time
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Table of Contents,
letters, acknowledgements(3.3mb) Low
Resolution Version
Chapter 1(10.2mb) Low
Resolution File
Chapter 2(38mb) Low
Resolution File
Chapter 3(23.1mb) Low
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Chapter 4(26.4mb) Low
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Chapter 5(21.2mb) Low
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Chapter 6(72.8mb) Low
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Chapter 7(32.1mb) Low
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Chapter 8(25.9mb) Low
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Chapter 9(47.1mb) Low
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Chapter 10(36.1mb) Low
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Chapter 11(38.2mb) Low
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Chapter 12(8.5mb) Low
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Chapter 13(189kb) Low
Resolution File
In 1994, the Bow River Basin Council issued a report titled, “Preserving
Our Lifeline: A Report on the State of the Bow River Basin”.
This report provided an overview of water quantity and water
quality related issues on the main stem of the Bow River. The
purpose of this initiative was to establish some “baseline” data
and analysis that could form the basis for assessing future changes
in the river and determining whether or not those changes were
positive or negative. The format of the report included an assessment
of a number of significant water quality parameters on a reach-by-reach
basis along the main stem of the Bow River.
The Council's intention is to establish an on-going series of
status reports in order to:
- improve the overall understanding of the Bow River Basin through
the analysis of data, current information and trends;
- facilitate decision-making for water issues in the Bow River
Basin; and
- engage the general public, stakeholders and resource managers
in discussion, and through these discussions, make meaningful
recommendations for future improvements.
Jay White, Co-Chair of the Steering Committee
Tel: 780.433.9414
Email: jay.white@shaw.ca
Gary Kindrat, Co-Chair of the Steering Committee
Mark Bennett, Executive Director, BRBC
Tel: 403.268.4596
Email: mark.bennett@calgary.ca
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