Frequently Asked Questions

A watershed is all the land that drains into a common body of water — a river, lake, or wetland. Rain and snowmelt falling anywhere in that area eventually reach the same water source, connecting everything upstream to everything downstream. Click here to learn more about watersheds.

The Athabasca Watershed begins at the Columbia Icefields in Jasper National Park and eventually drains northeast into Lake Athabasca, then ultimately into the Arctic Ocean. The Athabasca Watershed covers close to a quarter of Alberta. Click here to view a map of Alberta's Watersheds.

We're one of Alberta's 11 Watershed Planning and Advisory Councils. We bring together landowners, Indigenous communities, industry, government, and other stakeholders to share information, support watershed science, and guide decisions that keep the Athabasca watershed healthy. Click here to learn more about us and our work.

A WPAC is a non-profit group designated by the Government of Alberta to lead watershed planning for a major river basin, under the province's Water for Life strategy. There are 11 WPACs covering Alberta, and the Athabasca Watershed Council is the one responsible for the Athabasca River watershed.

Subscribe to our newsletter on the Get Involved page, or follow us on social media. We share watershed news, upcoming events, and ways to get involved throughout the year.

Learn about hwo we assess watershed health through our State of the Watershed reports. Stay tuned for updates as we work towards advancing the state of our watershed reporting this winter.

We developed and are now implementing an Integrated Watershed Management Plan. We have a number of projects and initiatives across the watershed, as well as curated resources for various sectors.