Sectoral Allocations - Hay River Basin

The first chart shows the Sectoral Water Allocations Sub-Index (allocations measured against supply) for the Hay River basin. To be able to see the allocations in detail, a second chart (underneath) shows the data using a smaller scale.

Overall water allocations dropped significantly between 2004 and 2005 in the Hay River basin as a result of an administrative review that cancelled some unused licenses. Allocations increased marginally in 2006. The largest sector use of water in the Hay River basin is for oil and gas, representing about 73.5% of total allocations in 2006. The next largest uses are for other use-fish and wildlife (13.5%) and municipal water supply (11.5%). Growth in allocations has been fairly consistent in the 1970's and 1980's but has since slowed in recent decades. In 2006, less than 0.25% of the natural supply, as measured by the average natural flow of the Hay River, was allocated for use.

Note that allocations are not a direct measure of actual use, rather they represent the maximum amount of water that can be used under the terms of licenses that have been issued, when and if sufficient water is available in the quantities licensed in a given year.

For administrative purposes the Hay River basin includes the Liard River and other river basins that drain to the Great Slave basin into the Northwest Territories. Allocation totals include data from all these sub-basins. Since the Hay River basin contains more than 99% of these allocations, they are measured against the Hay River alone.