The North Saskatchewan River Watershed
The Saskatchewan Glacier in the Columbia Icefields is the source of the North Saskatchewan River (NSR). EPCOR draws its water from this river to supply drinking water to Edmonton and 40 surrounding communities. The Columbia Icefields is the only glacier in the world that drains into three oceans: to the east, the North Saskatchewan River drains into the Atlantic Ocean; to the north, the Athabasca River drains into the Arctic Ocean; and the Columbia River flows westward into the Pacific Ocean.
Alberta's North Saskatchewan River Basin covers 28,000 km2 upstream of Edmonton. It is part of the larger Saskatchewan River Basin which flows from the Rocky Mountains to Hudson's Bay, covering 432,000 km2 (the same size as the Canadian Yukon Territory). The North Saskatchewan River Basin includes mountains, foothills, forest, muskeg and farm land.
The North Saskatchewan River itself flows from the foot of the Columbia Icefields, located in the Rocky Mountains. En route to Edmonton, it is also fed by the Brazeau, Clearwater and Nordegg rivers and numerous creeks including Modeste, Strawberry and Rose Creek. Each of these tributaries has its own, smaller watershed, or sub-basin.
For additional information on the North Saskatchewan River Watershed, please visit the North Saskatchewan Watershed Alliance’s website. |
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Click here or on the image at right to view a PDF of The North Saskatchewan Watershed Alliance's map of the North Saskatchewan River Basin. (3.37MB)
Click here or on the image at right to view a PDF of The Partners for the Saskatchewan River Basin's map of the Saskatchewan River Basin. (4.12MB)
The Source Water Protection Plan
Source Water Protection (SWP) is part of a multi-barrier approach for water utilities to protect both quality and quantity of water sources and to understand and mitigate potential risks to source water supplies through a watershed and aquifer approach. The quality of a surface or groundwater source is a direct result of the natural processes and human activities that occur within a watershed or within or above an aquifer.
In April 2008, EPCOR produced a Source Water Protection Plan (SWPP) as part of EPCOR’s due diligence to protect the communities it serves within Edmonton, Alberta and the surrounding areas. EPCOR has a vested responsibility to ensure the drinking water provided to our customers does not pose a threat to public health and is satisfactory in its physical, chemical and aesthetic characteristics.
Edmonton’s source water protection area has been identified as the entire watershed upstream of the Rossdale Water Treatment Plant in Edmonton to the headwaters located in the Rocky Mountains. The SWPP identified all potential hazards (land uses, contaminant sources) that have or could have an effect on the NSR basin and / or water treatment plant process as well as evaluated their level of risk to the drinking water system.
EPCOR recognizes that we do not own the watersheds in which we operate, therefore we are committed to working with stakeholders to implement improvements in the watershed and our source water, the North Saskatchewan River.
Additional Information and Resources
Watershed and Riparian Education
Watershed Groups
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Contact Information
Melanie Gray
Watershed Coordinator
Phone: (403) 717-8956
Fax: (403) 717-4601
mgray@epcor.ca