Supporting Canada’s water monitoring network in remote Alberta

Alberta Hydrometric Stations Land Surveys

Accurate water information starts with dependable monitoring on the ground. Environment and Climate Change Canada operates a network of hydrometric stations across Alberta to track water levels and flows, supporting watershed management, infrastructure planning, and environmental protection. To continue operating these sites in Alberta, ECCC needed updated land surveys to support land tenure and disposition applications. They reached out to our team to help.

The sites fell under a mix of federal and provincial regulations including the Public Lands Act, Canada Lands Survey requirements, and Provincial Park rules. Many locations were also remote and difficult to access, some reachable only by helicopter. On top of that, the project timeline was tight, with a short field window late in the year.

We provided disposition services tailored to each site’s regulatory and physical conditions. Instead of using one standard method, we broke the work into three key components: hydrometric stations, access roads, and heliports. This allowed us to meet the specific requirements of each jurisdiction while keeping the overall process compliant.

In total, we completed 20 cadastral surveys across 13 sites under the direction of an Alberta Land Surveyor. Fieldwork required careful coordination. About half the sites were only accessible by helicopter, so we planned operations around flight schedules, weather, and daylight hours. Using precise point positioning with global satellite systems, we were able to collect highly accurate data quickly and efficiently.

By refining our field approach in real time, we reduced on-site survey time from about four hours to two while maintaining accuracy. This improved safety, reduced costs, and decreased disruption at each site.

Aided by this flexible, hybrid approach to navigating multiple regulatory frameworks and challenging logistics, ECCC can continue operating their hydrometric monitoring network with confidence.