2024 Drought Information

Current Information

Most of the water (over 90%) in the Bow River comes from the mountain region. A majority of the water reaches the river as groundwater that has been stored for varying periods (days to millennia). Alberta has been experiencing drought conditions across the province, and the Bow Basin is no exception. Fortunately, conditions have improved across the Basin throughout this Spring and Summer. There are currently no water shortage advisories in the Bow Basin (down from 12 earlier this year). The river flows in the Bow River at Calgary and Bow River near the mouth are within normal range as of August 26, 2024.

The BRBC will continue supporting our partners across the watershed throughout the summer to ensure we are all well-informed of the conditions.  

Calculated river flow for the Bow River at Calgary is currently within normal range (as of August 26, 2024).

For the most up-to-date information, visit the Alberta Rivers App: rivers.alberta.ca

Soil moisture across the Bow Basin is mostly average with some areas around Calgary being slightly below average as of August 26, 2024.

The Government of Alberta publishes regular agricultural moisture situation updates here: Agricultural moisture situation update (2024)

Announcements

As of August 26, the City of Calgary has implemented Stage 4 Water Restrictions as urgent repairs are made on the Bearspaw South Feeder Main. For information on these restrictions, see the City of Calgary webpage.

Water sharing agreements have been signed by 38 major water users in the South Saskatchewan River Basin, the largest water-sharing agreements in Alberta’s history. These agreements are designed to be proactive and use drought modelling scenarios to ensure that water use does not outpace supply. In the Bow Basin, the Agreement has been signed by 7 major water users. To read the full Memorandum of Understanding, download it here. More information on this historic milestone is available on the Government of Alberta website. 

Drought ParticipACTION Workshop Summary Report is now available! The BRBC Legislation and Policy Committee hosted a workshop in February 2024 to understand community members’ concerns and suggested solutions heading into a drought this year. The report is available for download from the BRBC Library or here.

BRBC in the Media

BRBC Partner Resources:

Government of Alberta

Government of Canada

Municipalities

Licensees

Watershed Planning and Advisory Councils

Information Resources:

Mental Health Support:

For the most recent information, visit Alberta.ca: