Source Water Protection Risk Assessment
A critical step in developing a source water protection plan is characterizing your source water area. This includes compiling information on the watershed, identifying potential risks to source water, and determining how to manage the identified risks. Identifying, collecting, analyzing, and interpreting the necessary information and data can be a monumental task.
We have attempted to simplify this step in the process by providing a web tool that brings together the relevant data on water quality, water quantity, land use, and other information, and provides resources that allow you to visualize and analyze it.
The Healthy River Ecosystem AssessmenT System (THREATS™) is a sophisticated web-based platform for drinking water providers across Alberta. It transforms the complex process of source water risk assessment into a streamlined, data-driven workflow.
What THREATS™ Delivers:
- Watershed Delineation Tools that precisely define your source water area boundaries.
- Comprehensive Landscape Characterization including land use patterns, municipal boundaries, protected areas, and potential contamination sources.
- Advanced Water Quality Analytics with statistical trend analysis and comparison against regulatory guidelines.
- Water Quantity Assessment featuring hydrometric data analysis, flow regime evaluation, and flood/drought prediction capabilities.
- Interactive Visualization through user-friendly maps and charts.
- Integrated Data Access connecting to relevant open datasets from authoritative sources, including Water Survey of Canada, provincial databases, and Environment Canada.
Who Benefits from THREATS™:
- Municipalities and Water Utilities seeking to develop robust source water protection plans.
- Watershed Stakeholder Groups requiring comprehensive environmental data integration.
- Regulatory Agencies monitoring watershed health and compliance.
- Indigenous Communities incorporating traditional knowledge into water management.
THREATS™ significantly reduces the time and resources required for data acquisition, processing, and analysis. This enables more informed decision-making through a single, integrated platform that brings together Alberta’s critical water-related information.
Accessing THREATS™ is free. To register:
- Open https://threats.greenlandgroup.ca/.
- Click sign-in on the top right.
- In the pop-up menu that appears, select "Register" at the top.
- Enter the requested information, including an email address where you can receive a verification code.
- When you are asked to "Select your region," click "Alberta Water Council". If this is not selected, your account will have to be deleted and you will need to register again.
- Log in using your newly registered account.
THREATS™ enhancements were undertaken as part of the Source Water Protection Phase I: Risk Assessment Tools and Data project.
The following organizations participated on the project team:
- Alberta Environment and Protected Areas
- Alberta Forest Products Association
- Alberta Health
- Alberta Lake Management Society
- Alberta Municipalities
- City of Calgary
- Mighty Peace Watershed Alliance
- Rural Municipalities of Alberta
We gratefully acknowledge the funding provided for this project by Alberta Innovates and Alberta Environment and Protected Areas.