Overview: Located in southern Alberta, the West segment of the South Saskatchewan River sub-watershed is one of the most closely monitored regions in the area. It includes the river corridor upstream of Medicine Hat, and features gently rolling grasslands, irrigation lands, riparian forests and river-access lands.
Landscape & Ecology: The uplands consist of mixed grass prairie and irrigated agriculture, with key grazing reserves such as the Bow Island Provincial Grazing Reserve (~14,000 ha). The river valley supports fishing, canoeing, and hunting opportunities, and serves as an important corridor for wildlife.
Key Challenges: Upstream reservoir operations and water diversions from the Bow and Oldman Rivers heavily influence both water quantity and quality in this watershed. Agricultural return flows and municipal inputs also affect measures like total dissolved solids and nutrient loading.
Why it matters: As the head section of the South Saskatchewan system in Alberta, this zone is critical for downstream flows, ecological health of prairie riparian zones, and balancing agricultural water use with ecosystem services.