Lake Level Index: More about the data

Lake level information is gathered by water level gauges operated by Alberta Environment and the Water Survey of Canada. Frequency of measurements will depend on the individual station, with some reporting almost daily while others may only be read weekly or monthly. Only a handful of stations are capable of real-time reporting. In most cases, the data are not generally available until site visits are made or else observers report the data to the respective authority. Although there is data available for many other lakes, the 27 chosen for this indicator have sufficient historical information for comparison to longer-term conditions.

The lakes have been classified according to the following system: