Reservoir Storage Conditions

As of October 1, 2006, water storage in the major irrigation reservoirs in the Oldman River basin ranged from normal to above normal. Storage in the Chain Lakes, Keho Lake and Oldman reservoirs are above normal, while the Milk River Ridge, St. Mary and Waterton reservoirs are at normal levels. Water storage in the basin is similar to or slightly lower than at this time last year, except in the St. Mary Reservoir where storage volumes are 40% lower.

Water storage as of October 1, 2006 in the major hydroelectric and irrigation reservoirs of the Bow River basin varies widely from below to above normal, with storage volumes ranging from 83% to 94% of reservoir capacity, except for the Travers Reservoir which is at 53% of reservoir capacity. Water storage is generally similiar to storage last year at this time, except at the Spray and Upper Kananaskis Lakes and Lake Minnewanka which are slightly lower, and the Travers Reservoir which is signifcantly lower.

Water storage in the major reservoir of the Red Deer River basin is normal. Water storage in the Dickson Reservoir is similar to this time last year.

Storage volumes in the major hydroelectric reservoirs in the North Saskatchewan River basin are below normal for Brazeau Reservoir and above normal for Lake Abraham. Water storage in Lake Abraham is similar to last year, while the Brazeau Reservoir storage is much lower than last year at this time.

In the Athabasca River basin, the storage volume is below normal at both the South Heart and Paddle River reservoirs. As compared to this time last year, water storage is 35% lower in the South Heart Reservoir.

October 1, 2006 reservoir data is available in Table 1.