Alberta Flow Estimation Tool for Ungauged Watersheds (AFETUW)

Data provided through this web application was generated by the Government of Alberta. This data has not been reviewed or edited for accuracy and may be subject to significant change when reviewed or corrected. Please exercise caution and carefully consider the estimated nature of the information provided. The Government of Alberta assumes no responsibility for the accuracy or completeness of this data and any use of it is therefore, entirely at your own risk.



What is AFETUW?

The Alberta Flow Estimation Tool for Ungauged Watersheds (AFETUW, a-fet-to) is a GIS-enabled website tool designed to estimate flow statistics, real-time flows, and historic daily flows as well as query water licence information for an ungauged watershed in Alberta and help implement Surface Water Allocation Directive. The tool allows Alberta Environment and Parks (AEP) to efficiently and effectively protect the ecological integrity of streams within ungauged watersheds relating to Outcome One in the AEP 2018-2021 Business Plan: Environment and ecosystem health and integrity.
AFETUW integrates the following state-of-the-art technologies:
  • Alberta ArcHydro: A framework that connects Geographic Information System (GIS) and water resources modelling,
  • Water Information System KISTERS (WISKI): AEP’s environmental data management system for real-time hydrometric streamflow data,
  • ArcGIS for Server: An enterprise GIS server platform widely used by AEP,
  • Hydrologic Methods:
    • Pragmatic Method: A hydrologic science-based, peer-reviewed methodology that uses regional flow duration curves as well as watershed physical and hydro-climatic parameters to assess flow statistics at ungauged watersheds, and
    • Basin-Drainage-Area Transfer Method: A hydrologic-based, peer-reviewed methodology that uses regional empirical equation to calculate flow based on drainage area of basin.
  • Alberta Water Allocation Information Toolbox (AWAIT): A GIS-based decision support toolbox to automatically extract, filter, query, display, and summarize water allocation and approval information stored in AEP’s Environmental Management System (EMS).
The user-friendly AFETUW automates the following processes:
  • Watershed delineation for any ungauged watershed,
  • Watershed characterization,
  • Calculation of allowable cumulative allocation based on Surface Water Allocation Directive (SWAD) or existing Instream Objective (IO),
  • Calculation of flow statistics,
  • Generation of a near real-time hourly flow hydrograph at the watershed,
  • Generation of a historic mean daily hydrograph at the watershed,
  • Water licence query within the watershed, and
  • Presentation of the informative results to users, including graphics, tables, maps, summary reports, etc.
AFETUW was developed through the support from AEP’s Innovation Fund (2016-2019). The ultimate goal of AFETUW is to make it available to the public in alignment with the Government of Alberta Open Government Program.