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Location: Alberta Government > Environment > Water > Northern River Basin Study - Home > Table of Contents > Background - The Slave River and Delta

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Northern River Basins Study Final Report 1.0 Background 1.5 The Slave River and Delta Figure 1.5.1 Peace, Athabasca & Slave Rivers: Relative Flows The Slave River drains north, still serving as the eastern border of Wood Buffalo National Park. As it travels towards the Northwest Territories, the river passes by the town of Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald is the last stop before a major series of rapids that culminate in the Rapids of the Drowned just north of the town of Fort Smith. The rapids impede travel and form a natural barrier to the upstream movement of fish, such as arctic lamprey and inconnu. The scenic beauty of the area attracts a growing number of tourists each year and the rapids have become a popular site for white water kayaking and rafting. The town of Fort Smith marks the crossover of the Slave River into the Northwest Territories. The volume of water flowing across this border is enormous, with an annual flow estimated at 107 billion m3 (Figure 1.5.1). Due to the high volume of water, the rapids along this stretch of river possess enormous hydroelectric potential and a large-scale hydroelectric development was proposed for the area. Alberta Environment conducted the Slave River Hydro Feasibility Study during the early 1980s to investigate the economic benefit and environmental impacts of the proposed dam. The monetary and environmental costs were deemed too high for the power demand, and the project was put on hold indefinitely. The Slave Delta lies on the southeast portion of Great Slave Lake, at the end of the river's 434 km course. Covering an area of 640 km2, the Slave Delta is considerably smaller than its southerly counterpart, but is still a valuable environment for fish and waterfowl habitat. In 1985, the Canadian Wildlife Service reported that 212 species of birds, mammals and fish frequented or live in the Slave Delta. Fort Resolution on the southern shore of Great Slave Lake marks the northernmost limit of the northern river basins. From there, the waters become part of the Mackenzie River system that eventually drains into the BeauFort Sea.

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