PUBLISHED: 28 March 2016

The Alberta Water Nexus Simulation

This simulation is best viewed full screen on a desktop with standard resolution or higher.

What would you do to manage water in 2030?

Fast forward to 2030: you’ve become the decision-maker responsible for how water is managed in the Bow River Basin in southern Alberta where the Water-Energy-Food Nexus presents a challenge to manage converging water demands.

First, select how much water is available to use–is it a dry, average, or wet year impacting the river’s flow?

Then use each slider to manipulate the graphs and see how well you can manage the water available under different circumstances.

Adjusting the amounts for agriculture, energy, and communities will reveal trade-offs between these sectors. But don’t forget the river’s health as you also need to consider water requirements for the environment. Also, play with the rate of population growth and see the impacts on overall water availability.

Are you an effective water manager?

Can you ensure the Bow River Basin has enough water to meet the needs of agriculture, energy, and communities while ensuring a healthy river flow? How might climate change impact the situation? Did you sacrifice one sector for another to make it all work?

The Alberta Water Nexus poses many questions and aims to get everyone thinking about a more holistic approach to water management for the province.

Behind the scenes: assumptions and constraints

pdf Click here (1.05 MB) to read more about the calculations and assumptions used to create this simulation.

Share feedback

Click here to provide your feedback on the simulator.

0500K1M1.5M2M2.5M3MWater Withdrawal Volume in dam3 / yr
PositionAgricultureMaximum Allocation
0
0.61,987,458
11,359,696.1631,987,458
1.41,987,458

Agriculture

Water withdrawn for agricultural production.

020K40K60K80K100K120KWater Withdrawal Volume in dam3 / yr
PositionEnergyMaximum Allocation
0
0.613,772
166,708.64313,772
1.413,772

Energy

Water withdrawn for cooling in natural gas-fired electricity production

0100K200K300K400K500K600KWater Withdrawal Volume in dam3 / yr
PositionCommunitiesMaximum Allocation
0
0.6500,472
1182,723.674500,472
1.4500,472

Communities

Water withdrawn for residential, commercial, and industrial applications

02M4M6MWater Consumption (Net) – Volume in dam3 / yr
PositionEnvironmental FlowsUnused allocated WaterOther usesAgricultureEnergyCommunitiesLow Flow Year (10th Percentile Naturalized Flow)
0
0.62,851,449
187,011.2731,570,948.00947,174.21,087,756.93122,013.85236,544.7352,851,449
1.42,851,449

Combined

Net consumption for agriculture, energy, and communities

Reset

Agriculture

2344 Litres per person per day

Energy

115 Litres per person per day

Communities

315 Litres per person per day

Environment

150 Litres per person per day

Population

1,589,247 People living in the basin