Water & Hydrology
Rivers, streams, lakes, wetlands, waterbody setbacks, and aquatic habitat data that map Alberta's surface water features.
View rivers, lakes and wetlands on the interactive mapGoA Base Hydrology / Altalis / ABMI Wetlands
Government of Alberta EPA / ABMI
A multi-source water features layer combining Government of Alberta Base Hydrology data (waterbody polygons and stream polylines) with ABMI Alberta Wetland Inventory data. Together these datasets provide comprehensive coverage of lakes, rivers, reservoirs, streams, creeks, ditches, and classified wetlands across Alberta. Users can select individual sub-sources or view all water features combined.
- •Measuring setback distances from water features for Alberta Environment regulatory compliance.
- •Identifying surface water receptors for contaminant transport and risk assessment.
- •Mapping wetland locations for environmental impact assessments and wetland compensation planning.
- •Supporting water well protection area delineation and source water assessments.
Used extensively in distance analysis tools, calculating distances from a selected point to the nearest water features with directional flow analysis. Supports sub-source selection (GoA Combined, ABMI Wetlands, or All Water) for both visualization and distance calculations.
Aquatic Species at Risk Map
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
Critical habitat and distribution ranges for aquatic species listed under Canada's Species at Risk Act (SARA), published by Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO). The dataset identifies areas designated as Endangered or Threatened critical habitat where destruction is prohibited under federal law, covering freshwater fish, diadromous fish, molluscs, and other protected aquatic species. Alberta coverage is clipped from the Canada-wide dataset.
- •Screening project sites for federally protected aquatic habitat to determine SARA compliance requirements.
- •Identifying watercourses requiring DFO review or Fisheries Act authorization before development.
- •Supporting environmental impact assessments with species-at-risk occurrence data near project areas.
- •Determining buffer zone requirements and mitigation measures for activities near critical habitat.
Displayed as polygons color-coded by SARA status (Endangered, Threatened, Special Concern) with configurable status filtering. Included in Reconnaissance reports to flag federal species-at-risk considerations at a site location.
How consultants use these layers
- 1Calculating distances to nearest water bodies for regulatory setback compliance and ESRD 2014 methodology.
- 2Identifying wetlands and aquatic habitat that may require additional environmental protection measures.
- 3Mapping drainage patterns and potential contaminant pathways to surface water receptors.