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Alberta.ca > Environment and Sustainable Resource Development > Water > Reports / Data > Athabasca River Conditions and use
The Lower Athabasca Region Surface Water Quantity Management Framework for the Lower Athabasca River establishes weekly management triggers and water withdrawal limits to enable proactive management of mineable oil sands water use from the Athabasca River. Weekly management triggers and associated water withdrawal limits reflect seasonal variability and become more restrictive as flows in the river decrease, in order to minimize impacts on the aquatic ecosystem.
Weekly flows of the Athabasca River measured at the McMurray station (Water Survey of Canada gauge 07DA001 “Athabasca River below McMurray”) are compared to the management triggers to determine the applicable limits on how much water is available for cumulative mineable oil sands water withdrawal for each week of the year. The weekly management triggers and water withdrawal limits are divided into five seasons: Mid Winter, Early Spring, Late Spring, Summer/Fall, and Early Winter. Each of these seasons has distinct weekly flow triggers and corresponding cumulative water withdrawal limits (Table 1). Additional information on lower Athabasca River weekly flows is available here
Actual water withdrawn by oil sands mines in 2019 was less than one per cent of the average annual flow - approximately 153 million cubic metres, or an average of 4.9 cubic metres per second.
In 2019, weekly water withdrawal by mineable and in situ oil sands producers from the Athabasca River ranged from 0.20% to 2.73% of the measured flow during the early 2019 winter period (weeks 1-15) and from 0.66% to 1.71% of the reported flow during the late 2019 winter period (weeks 44- 52). During the open water period (weeks 16-43), weekly water withdrawals ranged from 0.21% to 0.80% of measured flow. Reporting on the Lower Athabasca Region Surface Water Quantity Management Framework for the Lower Athabasca River is available here
View a graph of the current year 2024.
Mid Winter (January 1 to April 15)
Weeks 1-15
Weekly Flow
Triggers (m3/s)
Cumulative Water
Withdrawal Limits
more than 270 m3/s
16 m3/s
150 to 270 m3/s
6% of Weekly Flow
91.6 to 150 m3/s
9 m3/s
87 to 91.6 m3/s
minus 82.6 m3/s
less than 87 m3/s
4.4. m3/s
Early Spring (April 16 to May 6)
Weeks 16-18
more than 98.6 m3/s
87 to 98.6 m3/s
Late Spring (May 7 to June 10)
Weeks 19-23
more than 102.6 m3/s
20 m3/s
87 to 102.6 m3/s
Summer/Fall (June 11 to October 28)
Weeks 24-43
more than 111.6 m3/s
29 m3/s*
87 to 111.6 m3/s
Early Winter (October 29 to December 31)
Weeks 44-52
more than 200 m3/s
150 to 200 m3/s
8% of Weekly Flow
94.6 to 150 m3/s
12 m3/s
87 to 94.6 m3/s
*Cumulatively, licensed pumping capacity for mineable oil sands projects may eventually exceed this limit. Water sharing agreements will identify how water management decisions will help ensure maintenance of the limit.
