Water Levels in Alberta Reservoirs: More about the data

This indicator is measured by comparing median annual reservoir levels today with those of the past. Current levels are then identified as being: 1) Much above normal; 2) Above normal; 3) Normal; 4) Below normal; 5) Much below normal.

Reservoir level information is gathered by water level gauges. These gauges are operated by Alberta Environment, Water Survey of Canada and TransAlta Utilities, as well as the St. Mary and Eastern Irrigation Districts. The stations operated by the irrigation districts are "observer stations." This means that they are read manually every two days in the summer (depending on conditions). All others have "telemetry". This means that the data stored at the gauge can be accessed remotely, by satellite transmission, telephone or other means. This reporting is done every 15 minutes to every hour. Current reservoir water levels can be found on the Alberta Environment Alberta's River Basins website.