North Saskatchewan River Basin - Water Supply Forecasts

Natural runoff volumes (for the March to September 2002 period) are forecast to be below-average at the Brazeau Reservoir and at Lake Abraham, and much-below-average for the North Saskatchewan River at Edmonton (Table 6). Current snowpack at the higher elevations is near normal with considerably less accumulation at lower elevations. The North Saskatchewan River basin has a considerable drainage area in the plains and with below-average snowpack in these regions, the forecast at Edmonton is lower percentage-wise compared to the upstream locations (Brazeau Reservoir and Lake Abraham).

Current forecasted values for the March to September period for the North Saskatchewan River at Edmonton would rank 14th lowest in 84-years of record (1912-95). The February 1 forecasts are 7 to 16% higher than recorded values observed over the same time period last year.