Your Watershed, Everyone's Water
The Oldman River Watershed, located in southwestern Alberta, extends north to High River, east to Grassy Lake, west to the Alberta/British Columbia border, and dips south across the 49th parallel into Glacier International Peace Park in Montana.
The main tributaries of the Oldman River are the Livingston, Crowsnest, Castle, Waterton, Belly and St. Mary Rivers. These rivers are supplied upstream by numerous small streams, springs and wetlands. The Oldman River joins the South Saskatchewan River upstream from Medicine Hat. Since water flows downhill, our water - and everything we do that affects its quality - eventually finds its way across western Canada to the Arctic Ocean. 
As residents of the Oldman River Basin Watershed, we are responsible for the health of our watershed and the quality of our water.
Our basin is home to 161,400 rural and urban residents. There are about 70 small towns, villages and hamlets in the Basin, as well as the City of Lethbridge with a population over 85,000. The Watershed encompasses approximately 28,000 km2 and has an average population density of just less than six people/km2.
Basin residents enjoy a wide variety of beautiful and productive landscapes. The headwaters of the Oldman River rise in the west among the Montana foothills of fir and pine forests, which support several historical ranches and provide critical habitat for wildlife. The central and eastern portions of the watershed consist of dryer Fescue Grasslands and Mixed Grass areas, where some native prairie vegetation remains.
Due to the changing landscape, there are many different types of land use within the watershed. About 33% of the Watershed's land cover is agricultural, 29% is forested and 17% is native vegetation. Recreation, concentrations of urban and industrial development, dry land farming, and intensive livestock agriculture all directly impact the health of the Oldman Watershed.
Source: Alberta Environment 2000
Glossary of Terms Related to Water and Watershed Management in Alberta
This glossary was prepared by Alberta Environment at the request of water stewards across Alberta, both within and outside of government. They desired an easy-to-understand glossary of common Alberta-based water and watershed management-related terms to aid communication and understanding between the numerous water/watershed stewardship organizations and partnerships in Alberta.
To view the glossary, click here.