Red Deer River Watershed Facts

Did You Know?

• The Red Deer River originates in the Canadian Rocky Mountains in Banff National Park.
• The Red Deer River flows northeast and then southeast for 724 kilometres and has a mean annual flow rate of 62m3/S. It  is almost  wholely contained within Alberta, joining up with the South Saskatchewan River just 8 kilometres across the Saskatchewan border.
• The Red Deer River is fed primarily by snowmelt and precipitation and minimally by glacial runoff. The Red Deer River is also fed by numerous inflowing tributaries.
• The Red Deer River watershed includes 13 municipal districts/counties and 50 urban centres (cities, towns, villages and summer villages).
• In the Red Deer River watershed, water flows over and through mountains, foothills, rangeland, residential land, industrial land, oil and coal deposits, cities, towns, parks, reserves, forests and croplands.
• Dickson Dam provides Albertans with an assured water supply, improved water quality downstream, flood and erosion control, recreational opportunities and the potential for hydroelectric generation on a limited scale.
• Flows downstream of the Dickson Dam are actually higher in the winter now, as compared to before the dam was built.
• For a healthy ecosystem, organisms in and around the Red Deer River require not only good water quality but the right flows at the right time including low flows and floods. (For example, cottonwood trees will not reproduce without floods that recede at a specific rate.)
• The Gleniffer Reservoir is approximately 11 kilometres long and 2 kilometres wide and provides opportunities for recreation activities such as boating and fishing.

Status of Alberta Wildlife - 2005 general status of Alberta's wild species,

• BIRDS
• MAMMALS
• PLANTS AND INVERTEBRATES
• REPTILES, AMPHIBIANS & FISH

Locations for wildlife viewing in the Red Deer River watershed region

Wildlife in the subregions of the Red Deer River Watershed: 

• Central Mixedwood
• Dry Mixedwood
• Alpine Rocky Mountain Natural Region
• Subalpine Rocky Mountain Natural Region
• Upper Foothills
• Lower Foothills
• Central Parkland
• Foothills Parkland
• Dry Mixedgrass
• Mixedgrass
• Foothills Fescue
• Northern Fescue 

Fish Species in Alberta - some of the sport fish species that exist in the Red Deer River Watershed includes walleye, northern pike, brown trout, rainbow trout, yellow perch, goldeye, whitefish and more.

Photos of Red Deer River fish, sourced from Alberta Conservation Association:

Walleye, 8 pound walleye, Quillback release, Copper Quillback, Sturgeon,Sauger, Pike

Alberta Sustainable Resource Development fish species maps for the Red Deer River - Powerpoint presentation

Fishing in Alberta