Frequently Asked Questions

The FAQs that follow are authored primarily by members of the Flow Forecasting team of the Environmental Monitoring and Evaluation Branch of Alberta Environment. Questions related to ice jamming and water mastering have been addressed by staff of Alberta Environment Regional Services. For other questions of a regional nature such as Water Operations Reports and Water Management Plans we refer you to Alberta Environment Regional Services.

• Who contributes to the Alberta River Basins Web/site?
• Who can I contact if my question is not on the FAQs?
• What are the functions of the Flow Forecasting team?

Q. Who contributes to Alberta River Basins Web/site?
A. There are several groups that contribute to different parts of Alberta's River Basins section:

• Flow Forecasting team of Environmental Monitoring and Evaluation Branch - Responsible for:
  • Basin maps and graph plots of near real-time hydrometeorological data
  • Advisories and Warnings
  • Forecaster's Comments
  • Water Supply Outlook
  • Precipitation Maps and Data Summaries
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Wabamun Lake Report.
• Data Management of the Environmental Monitoring and Evaluation Branch - Responsible for the operation in both the assembly and processing of near real-time data and the posting of this hourly data in tabular format to the Web/site.
• Regional Services - Responsible for portions of the Web/site that are regional in nature such as:
  • Water Operations Reports
  • Water Management Plans
  • Operational Flow Data
  • Operational Flow Forecasts
  • Licence and Monitoring Flows
  • Water Act Notices
  • Highwood River Weekly Streamflow Report
  • Regional reports such as the Environmental Assessment Committee's recommendations for the management of water and the environmental mitigation program associated with the Oldman Dam.
• Webmaster - Responsible for overall technical aspects of the Web/site.

Q. Who can I contact if my question is not on the FAQs?
A. Contacts are:

• Flow Forecasting or Data Management Units - see previous FAQ for areas of responsibility
• Regional Services - see previous FAQ for areas of responsibility
• AENV Webmaster - technical Web/site questions only

Q. What are the functions of the Flow Forecasting Team?
A. Flow Forecasting's primary functions are:

• Forecast floods and high flows in rivers and streams:
  • Issue advisories and warnings
    • High Streamflow Advisories
    • Flood Watches
    • Flood Warnings
  • Assist Regional Services in issuing advisories related to ice and ice jams.
• Forecast water supply
  • Track snowpack, precipitation, and soil conditions to forecast runoff
  • Water supply forecasts are published monthly in the
  Water Supply Outlook for Alberta.
• Support Water Management by providing information as required for:
  • Determining Instream flow needs
    • i.e. fish, water intakes, ferry crossings etc.
  • Tracking Apportionment (sharing) compliance
    • 1909 Boundary Water Treaty with U.S.
    • 1969 Master Agreement on Apportionment with Prairie Provinces
  • Water Mastering
  • Managing Water Quality
• Support management of Alberta's water management infrastructure by:
  • Developing flood operating procedures for provincially owned dams and provide operational advice to dam operators
  • Providing forecasts of;
    • Floods
    • Water quality
    • Water Supply
    • Inflows
    • Natural flows
• Report current conditions for:
  • Stream levels and flows
  • Lake and reservoir levels
  • Precipitation
  • Snowpack
  • Temperature, wind, humidity and other miscellaneous meteorological parameters.