The Bow River and its tributaries have a wide range of flows throughout the year. Peak flows are reached during late June and July following snow melt in the mountains and taper off until the fall. Two graphs document the current water flows through Calgary and below the Carseland Dam after the takeoff into the Bow River Irrigation District Headwater Canal. For a better understanding of the Bow River water management objectives the calculated and natural flows for the Elbow to Highwood, and Highwood to Carseland reached of the Bow River have been added:
Calculated flow: The recorded flow at a station, or summed flow from several stations,
Natural flow: The natural flow represents the predicted flow at the station in the absence of significant human impacts upstream (e.g., reservoirs, diversions, etc.).
Water Conservation Objective (WCO): Used to determine whether diversion of water is allowed under a minimum flow,
Today’s Calculated and Natural Flows for the Elbow to Highwood reach of the Bow River
Today’s Calculated and Natural Flows for the Highwood to Carseland reach of the Bow River
The Alberta Government’ s Rivers App reports live flow rates and snowpack across the province. Stream flow advisories are also available on the website.
