The Bow River Basin Council (BRBC) has recently released the State of the Bow River Watershed Report. To help develop this report, a Water Quality Technical Committee (WQTC) was formed to develop a scope of work, retain a qualified consultant, and subsequently report on water quality across the Bow River Basin in five reaches. The Bow River Basin is one of the most heavily utilized watersheds in Alberta, serving a population of 1.6 million people. This also includes the irrigation of agricultural crops as the primary consumptive water use as well as over 15 dams and weirs. Consequently, the Bow River Basin is a unique case study in collaborative water management. The WQTC included 15 water quality experts and representatives from a range of affiliations to determine the reporting method that would best meet everyone’s needs. _x000D_ Water quality data spanning 2002 to 2022 from the Bow River mainstem and tributaries was compiled primarily through Parks Canada, Alberta Environment and Protected Areas, and the City of Calgary. Fifteen parameters were selected as primary indicators within the overall South Saskatchewan Region Surface Water Quality Management Framework, and their concentrations were compared against applicable surface water quality guidelines. Parameter fluxes were reported at stations where water flow data were available. Overall water quality and trends are presented in an online platform, with boxplots and percentile values used to highlight notable trends over time. _x000D_ This presentation will summarize the work of the WQTC and present results of surface water quality across the watershed.
