Source Water Protection Web Tool | Alberta Water Council

Context

This page provides information, references, links, and other resources related to the web tool developed for the Source Water Protection Phase I: Risk Assessment Tools and Data project.

For more information on the project, visit here.

For more information on source water protection, visit here.

The Healthy Rivers Ecosystem Assessment System (THREATS)

The web tool for this project, THREATS, is maintained by GREENLAND International Consulting Ltd.

THREATS is a platform for accessing and viewing complex spatial and time series data. It can be customized to include data and tool sets that address specific requirements.

For this project, we are focused on using THREATS to support the completion of risk assessments as part of source water protection planning, drinking water safety plans, and other watershed planning.

Instructions and Tutorials

Various instructions and tutorials are available to help you use and navigate THREATS.

THREATS has written instructions and videos within the tool. Generally, they are found by selecting a module in the Tools Menu and clicking "About" in the top right of the screen. Videos for some functions and analyses are also available through GREENLAND’s YouTube channel.
A 2022 AWC webinar walked through how to use THREATS to complete a SWP risk assessment, using Rocky Mountain House as an example.
Contextual information on SWP and some functions were demonstrated in an October 2024 workshop.

Supporting Materials

Several reports, videos, and other documents may be helpful in completing your risk assessment.

AWC’s Guide to SWP Planning outlines the SWP planning steps, which are also summarized in this video. Further supporting information is available in the associated Companion Report.
Information on Drinking Water Safety Plans is available on the Government of Alberta website. The Drinking Water Safety Plan template can be found here. For each risk in Drinking Water Safety Plans, there is a list of associated layers, datasets, and other information available in THREATS.

THREATS Registration Instructions

To register for THREATS:

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," you must choose 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.

Source Water Protection Plans in Alberta

Many groups have voluntarily developed source water protection plans in Alberta. Here are links to some plans as examples:

Other First Nations have developed SWP plans (Frog Lake, Siksika, Piikani, Saddle Cree), which be obtained by contacting their respective Consultation departments.