Current river conditions in the region point to a low flood risk. Watershed health remains as the key to continued success.
Meghan Hunt, executive director of the Lesser Slave Watershed Council, says river flows are average and the flood risk is low. She says residents can monitor advisories and alerts through Alberta Rivers, the provincial river basins service that provides near real-time information on river flow, water levels, precipitation and other water-related data.
Alberta Rivers is operated by Alberta Environment and Protected Areas and includes flood alerting, advisories and water-management information.
Environment and Climate Change Canada’s Water Survey of Canada describes itself as the national authority responsible for collecting, interpreting and distributing standardized water-resource data and says it operates more than 2,800 active hydrometric gauges across Canada in partnership with provinces, territories and other agencies.
Hunt says Alberta’s flood forecasting system is also a key part of public safety. The province’s River Forecast Centre says it monitors weather, river conditions and mountain snowpack to assess flood risk, forecast when floods may occur and communicate information to the public and local emergency managers.
According to the River Forecast Centre’s flood forecasting and warning fact sheet, a high streamflow advisory means water levels are rising or expected to rise quickly, though major flooding is not expected. A flood watch means flooding of areas adjacent to a stream is likely, while a flood warning means flooding is occurring or imminent and property or infrastructure impacts are likely.
In the Slave Lake area, flood mapping is already part of that planning work. Hunt says the Government of Alberta has completed flood mapping projects for Marten Beach and the Town of Slave Lake. Provincial records say the Marten Beach flood study assessed flood hazards along three kilometres of Marten Creek and one kilometre of an unnamed tributary through the Municipal District of Lesser Slave River, including Marten Beach. The Slave Lake study assessed hazards along 13 kilometres of Sawridge Creek through Slave Lake, the M.D. of Lesser Slave River and Sawridge First Nation.
The province says flood studies and maps help identify where water could flow during different-sized flood events. Alberta’s Flood Hazard Identification Program says flood hazard maps are typically used by communities for planning and local land-use and development decisions, while inundation maps can support emergency response planning and infrastructure design.
From an environmental perspective, Hunt says floods are a natural river process. They occur when flows overtop stream banks and spread into flood plains, delivering water and nutrient-rich sediment to vegetation as the water recedes.
Problems arise, she says, when homes, roads, utilities and other infrastructure are built in flood plains, where flood water can cause damage and erosion. Hunt says modern land-use bylaws restrict development in flood zones, but many communities were historically established close to rivers and lakes because water supported drinking supplies, transportation, fishing and trapping.
Hunt says the intensity of flooding can be influenced by climate change, land-cover change, deforestation, the removal of vegetation, wetland loss, intense rainfall and the speed of spring snowmelt.
“When the landscape loses its ability to slow, trap and hold water, flooding becomes more intense,” Hunt says in written responses.
That is why wetland conservation and riparian buffers matter, she says. Wetlands can store flood water and slowly release it downstream, while also filtering sediment and pollutants. During drought, Hunt says, wetlands can contribute to stream flow, groundwater recharge and habitat for many species.
Riparian is an ecological zone, it refers to the land that borders or buffers bodies of water.
Ducks Unlimited Canada says its Alberta water-retention projects help reduce drought and flood impacts, improve water quality and support biodiversity. The organization says, as of March 31, 2024, it had 4,532 projects under management in Alberta representing 1,690 basins that store an estimated 1.6 billion cubic metres of water.
The province’s Watershed Resiliency and Restoration Program has described its goal as building long-term watershed resilience to flood and drought by improving natural watershed functions and supporting conservation, restoration and stewardship of wetlands, riparian areas and flood plains.
The Lesser Slave Watershed Council says it has used provincial Watershed Restoration and Resiliency grant funding since 2016 to partner with landowners on projects that improve wetland health. Hunt says the council has supported 26 projects to protect or restore 911 acres of riparian areas or wetlands, including 42.6 kilometres of riparian or wetland fencing, 22 off-stream watering systems and the planting of 1,175 native trees.
Most projects have been with agricultural landowners, Hunt says, but anyone with a water body on their property may be eligible. The council’s watershed resiliency program says eligible projects can include riparian or wetland fencing, off-stream watering systems, native riparian restoration, bioengineering to reduce erosion, improved stream crossings and shoreline naturalization.
Hunt says the council has funding available for new projects in 2026. However, she says the provincial government did not fund the watershed restoration and resiliency program in 2026, meaning the organization will need to find another funding source if it is to continue supporting partnership projects.
Hunt says that flood and draught planning go hand in hand. Natural infrastructure, including wetlands and intact riparian buffers, can reduce flood intensity while also helping landscapes hold water through dry periods.
“We tend to look at floods and droughts separately when planning for emergencies,” Hunt says. “But things like natural infrastructure, maintaining wetlands and riparian buffers mitigate the intensity of floods and droughts.
Sara Driedger
Lakeside Leader