Water shortage advisory issued for Battle River

Local Journalism Initiative
·1 min read

The Battle River Watershed Alliance has issued a water shortage advisory for Battle River.

The alliance said on its website that historically, the Battle River has variable flows, but El Niño conditions resulted in below-average precipitation levels. Precipitation is the primary supply for the river.

As of February 2024, drought conditions in the Battle River and Sounding Creek watersheds are categorized as severe to extreme, and conditions in the Special Areas are categorized as exceptional.

On its website, the alliance said this winter’s snowpack has been below average for the majority of the watershed.

Snowpack was at a record low in several areas in the watershed. Bigstone, for example, had a snow water equivalent of 27 this year compared to the historical average of 69 making it rank as the third lowest snowpack over 50 years.

Water levels in both the Battle River and Sounding Creek fluctuate throughout the year primarily due to precipitation and evaporation.

In 2023, water volumes for the Battle River hovered around the 5th percentile.

This represents very low flow volumes that occur on average once every 20 years. With some rain over the summer, levels recovered slightly going into the fall. Overall, water levels were well below the long-term average last year.

The alliance suggested to residents that in times of water shortages, it is important to take part in conserving water for the community.

Many municipalities rely on the Battle River as a drinking water source and during drought, there can be a limited supply of water that impacts everyone.

Qiam Noori, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Ponoka News

  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next

Latest Stories

  • Should you kill hammerhead flatworms?

    Once again, hammerhead flatworms are wriggling into the spotlight - this time in Canada. The toxic and invasive pests, which originate from Southeast Asia, have the ability to regenerate even if chopped into pieces. They have long been spotted across the United States and in other countries, including Canada. On iNaturalist, an invasive species reporting platform, there is evidence of Canadians mentioning the worms since at least 2019, with the most recent report logged as of Tuesday.Subscribe t

  • Huge sea creature — the world’s largest — stuns California onlookers in early sighting

    It was like seeing a six-story building with fins.

  • Shark caught off New York had chunk bitten out by an even bigger shark. See the photo

    “Clearly, being a shark in the open ocean is not without risks.”

  • Ontario to begin buying land to build Highway 413, construction slated for next year

    CALEDON, Ont. — Ontario Premier Doug Ford says the province plans to begin buying up land to build a highway in the Toronto area. Ford says the province will be meeting with landowners soon to buy property at a fair market value. He says fieldwork has begun on the proposed 52-kilometre highway that will run west from Highway 400 in Vaughan, Ont., through Peel Region and southwest to Highway 401 in Halton Region, west of Toronto. Ford says early construction contracts will be awarded next year. E

  • Manchin vows to introduce resolution to overturn Biden permitting rule

    Senate Energy Committee Chair Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) said he will lead a Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolution to undo the Biden administration’s final rule on permitting announced Tuesday morning. “All the White House had to do was implement the commonsense, bipartisan permitting reforms in the Fiscal Responsibility Act, that all sides agreed upon, but once…

  • ‘Extremely rare’ white killer whale stuns onlookers off California coast. See Frosty

    “When Frosty is swimming underwater, he is like this glowing white object.”

  • May outlook: Spring into summer or a stalling spring ahead, Canada?

    Is the May pattern set to sputter or spring into summer? We have your monthly outlook details

  • Sad ending for great-horned owl nest in flower pot on Wisconsin couple's balcony

    A nest built by great-horned owls in a flower pot on a Wisconsin balcony did not produce young. The female owl ate one egg and abandoned the nest.

  • Snow blankets S. Alberta to kick off month of May

    Heavy, wet snow greeted people in Calgary and beyond as a long-duration snowstorm moved through Alberta.

  • Whale Cove, Nunavut, mayor says community was denied approval to help with search for missing man

    The mayor of Whale Cove, Nunavut, says the territorial government blocked the community's request for approval to help with official search and rescue efforts last week, after a 21-year-old man went missing from Baker Lake. The man, who went missing on April 19, was believed to be heading from Baker Lake to Rankin Inlet on snowmobile. His body was found three days later, about 140 kilometres outside of Baker Lake. The Whale Cove searchers had requested what's called a "tasking number," from Nuna

  • Travel difficulties remain in Alberta as snow hangs on Thursday

    Expect travel to remain tricky into Thursday morning for parts of Alberta as the snow lingers, but will begin to ease, with an additional 2-5 cm expected and higher amounts in the Rockies

  • May pattern set to sputter or spring into summer?

    Get your May outlook details with meteorologist Tyler Hamilton.

  • Remote Lake Superior island wolf numbers are stable but moose population declining, researchers say

    Researchers forced to cut short an annual survey of wildlife on a remote Lake Superior island this winter due to unusually warm weather announced Tuesday that they managed to gather data that shows the wolf population is stable. Isle Royale is a 134,000-acre (54,200-hectare) island situated in far western Lake Superior between Grand Marais, Minnesota, and Thunder Bay, Canada. Researchers typically conduct aerial surveys of the island to develop population estimates and observe animal behavior.

  • List of 2024 Atlantic hurricane season storm names starts with Alberto and Beryl

    A tropical storm gets a name when its sustained winds reach 39 mph; it becomes a hurricane when its winds reach 74 mph.

  • Sea creature that washed ashore in California likely killed by boat strike, experts say

    It was the first reported death for this type of sea creature in the San Francisco Bay Area so far this year, experts say.

  • Microsoft and Brookfield Sign Biggest-Ever Clean Power Deal

    (Bloomberg) -- Microsoft Corp. and Brookfield Asset Management’s green energy arm signed the biggest corporate clean-energy purchase agreement ever announced, as the technology giant ramps up its investment in artificial intelligence.Most Read from BloombergUS and Saudis Near Defense Pact Meant to Reshape Middle EastTesla Axes Supercharger Team in Blow to Broader EV MarketNYPD Arrests Over 300 Protesters in Crackdown on College CampusesThe Ozempic Effect: How a Weight Loss Wonder Drug Gobbled Up

  • Spring storm brings wet, heavy snowfall to southern Alberta

    A spring storm is hitting parts of Alberta, with up to 25 centimetres of snow possible for some regions.Environment and Climate Change Canada issued a special weather statement for a swath of the province — from Jasper south to Banff and Canmore, east to Calgary, and down to Pincher Creek and Cardston — with significant snowfall expected to continue all week.Areas along the foothills were expected to see heavy, wet snowfall starting this evening and continuing through Wednesday, with 10 to 25 ce

  • Gas Prices Are Putting Washington’s Boldest Climate Policy at Risk

    (Bloomberg) -- When regular gas prices in Seattle blew past $5 last month, it appeared to play into the hands of conservative activists and politicians who say the surefire way to bring down fuel prices is repealing Washington state’s most ambitious climate policy: a cap-and-trade program.Most Read from BloombergTesla Axes Supercharger Team in Blow to Broader EV MarketNYPD Arrests Over 300 Protesters in Crackdown on College CampusesFed to Signal Delay of Interest-Rate CutsThe Ozempic Effect: How

  • Climbers have turned Mount Everest into a high-altitude garbage dump, but sustainable solutions are within reach

    Mountain tourism brings revenues to Nepal but leaves a mess behind. Local and international groups are offering new cleanup strategies.

  • US, Europe Fear of China's Dominance Threatens Climate Fight, Says Xi's Envoy

    (Bloomberg) -- Efforts by the US and Europe to stem China's dominance in green technologies risk stalling the fight against global warming, according to the veteran diplomat tasked by Xi Jinping to represent the top polluter on climate issues.Most Read from BloombergUS and Saudis Near Defense Pact Meant to Reshape Middle EastJerome Powell Offered Markets a Reprieve. It Vanished in a BlinkTesla Axes Supercharger Team in Blow to Broader EV MarketNYPD Arrests Over 300 Protesters in Crackdown on Col