faq's
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Who is the Gull Lake Watershed Society and what is their role in restoring the water level on Gull Lake?
The Gull Lake Watershed Society is a stewardship group of dedicated volunteers who monitor Gull Lake for water level, water quality, and overall health of the watershed ecosystem. We advocate for the lake with the Alberta Government, local municipal governments, and other interested parties. We explore, develop and initiate proof of concept ideas that may present elegant and practical solutions for concerns about the lake.
How is the water level measured on Gull Lake?
The Gull Lake Watershed Society recognizes and refers to the data on the following two websites: https://rivers.alberta.ca/ or https://wateroffice.ec.gc.ca/map/index_e.html?type=real_time&default_marker=data_availability Just locate Gull Lake on either map and review the data
When will the pumps on the Blindman river be turned on again?
Work is currently under way to install new filters, upgrade the pump house, and recommission the pumps at the Blindman Pumping Station. The project is being managed by the Alberta Government. If all project conditions are met and the pumping station is able to divert its full water allocation, pumping is expected to resume in April 2027, following project completion in November 2026. At full operation, the pumping station will divert 5.18 million cubic metres of water per year, which is equivalent to about 6.5 centimetres of water entering the lake annually. However, because the lake also loses water through natural processes, the actual increase in lake level will be lower. In an average year, the net increase is expected to be about 3 centimetres, although it could be somewhat more or less depending on conditions.
If the Paskapoo Aquifer is used to supply water to Gull Lake, what impact will it have on existing surface wells?
Existing hydrogeological data suggests that the Haynes Aquifer, which lies at the lowermost part of the Paskapoo Formation, is separated from the upper Dalehurst/Sunchild Aquifer by an aquitard (Lacombe Member). Water for residential and agricultural needs comes primarily from surface wells drilled into the upper aquifer. A primary objective of drilling the test well into the Haynes Aquifer near Gull Lake is to validate the existing data and confirm the separation of the aquifers. Comprehensive testing, including drawdown evaluations, will be completed and assessed by the regulatory agencies to ensure that any temporary diversion from the Haynes Aquifer will not impact the upper aquifer. Data collected in 2025 from observation wells in the upper aquifer show declines consistent with the decline in the level of Gull Lake. This suggests that there is connectivity between the lake and the upper aquifer, which is concerning and provides greater impetus for measures aimed at increasing the level of the lake.
Is there any progress on pumping from the Haynes Aquifer?
There are a number of procedural and regulatory steps that must be taken prior to drilling to the depth necessary to reach the Haynes Aquifer. GLWS has initiated the necessary application and approval processes to allow drilling to take place. Once a test well has been drilled, there are further regulatory processes that need to be completed to demonstrate water compatibility and deliverability. While these various requirements make for a lengthy process, they are essential to ensure any subsequent approvals are in the best interest of the lake and are best suited to the goal of restoring the water level to a suitable target.