Gleniffer Lake, a reservoir created by the Dickson Dam on the Red Deer River in Alberta, Canada, is influenced by snowmelt runoff as part of the broader hydrological dynamics of the Red Deer River watershed. While specific historical data on snowmelt runoff directly into Gleniffer Lake is not detailed in the provided search results, some relevant information about the watershed and reservoir operations can be pieced together to provide context on historical patterns and influences.
Snowmelt is a significant contributor to the water levels and flow in the Red Deer River system, which feeds Gleniffer Lake. Historically, the meltwaters from the surrounding regions have shaped the river valley, cutting through sedimentary layers to form deep canyons and badlands downstream4. Although direct measurements of snowmelt runoff into Gleniffer Lake are not available in the search results, the general hydrological patterns in the Red Deer River watershed indicate that snowmelt contributes to peak flows in the spring and early summer. For instance, in the Little Red Deer River subwatershed, located south of Gleniffer Lake, water discharge rates typically increase from April to early June, reflecting the influence of snowmelt, before decreasing towards the end of October3. This pattern is consistent across nearby tributaries like Fallentimber Creek and the headwaters of the Little Red Deer River near Water Valley, where discharge maxima occur in mid-summer, often driven by snowmelt and rain events3.
Gleniffer Lake’s water levels are heavily managed due to its role as a reservoir. The Dickson Dam, completed in 1983, regulates flows to store water primarily for winter supplementation, flood control, and other purposes like municipal supply and environmental protection5. Historical water level data for Gleniffer Lake shows that, on average, levels increase from May to October, with a typical maximum in October and a minimum in May, influenced by dam operations and seasonal inflows, including snowmelt1. While snowmelt contributes to these inflows during spring and early summer, the reservoir’s elevation and outflow are also determined by operational priorities, such as maintaining the Water Conservation Objective (WCO) downstream and managing storage during drought periods5.
The search results do not provide specific historical records or quantitative data on snowmelt runoff volumes directly into Gleniffer Lake. Instead, they focus on broader watershed discharge trends, reservoir elevations, and modelled future scenarios. For example, projections for the Red Deer River suggest an advance in the timing of peak snowmelt runoff by an average of 10.5 days by 2041–2070 due to climate change, with potential challenges for water availability later in the summer5. However, historical analogues or detailed past snowmelt data specific to Gleniffer Lake are not included.
Conclusion
While historical snowmelt runoff is a key factor in the hydrology of the Red Deer River watershed, specific data for Gleniffer Lake itself is not available in the provided search results. The general pattern indicates that snowmelt contributes to increased discharge and water levels in the spring and early summer months, with reservoir management playing a significant role in modulating these natural inflows. For precise historical snowmelt data, further resources or direct records from Alberta Environment and Parks or related monitoring divisions would be necessary, as suggested by the water level monitoring references1.
Citations:
- https://alms.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Gleniffer-2017.pdf
- https://rdrwa.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/ALMS-RDRWA-Report-2017.pdf
- https://rdrwa.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/rdr_sowr_4_04_lrdr2.pdf
- https://albertawilderness.ca/issues/wildwater/red-deer-river/
- http://rdrmug.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Water-Smart-SSRB-Water-Project_Red-Deer-Basin-Report_Feb-12-2015_final-1.pdf
- https://www.alberta.ca/system/files/custom_downloaded_images/aep-draft-red-deer-specific-study-questions.pdf
- https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02626667.2016.1255747
- https://www1.agric.gov.ab.ca/$department/deptdocs.nsf/all/irr13053/$file/ssrb_main_report.pdf
- https://labs.waterdata.usgs.gov/visualizations/snow-to-flow/index.html
- https://rivers.alberta.ca/Contents/WaterSupply/2022/3/
- https://www.academia.edu/48381677/Climate_change_and_hydrology_at_the_prairie_margin_Historic_and_prospective_future_flows_of_Canadas_Red_Deer_and_other_Rocky_Mountain_rivers?hb-sb-sw=25952273
- https://rivers.alberta.ca/Contents/WaterSupply/2025/4/epa-water-supply-outlook-report-april-10-2025-v4.pdf
- https://alms.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Gleniffer-2017.pdf
- https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/environment/natural-resource-stewardship/nrs-climate-change/applied-science/winklerfinalreportwebversion.pdf
- http://rdrmug.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Water-Smart-SSRB-Water-Project_Red-Deer-Basin-Report_Feb-12-2015_final-1.pdf
- https://ags.aer.ca/document/REP/REP_96.pdf
- https://rivers.alberta.ca
- https://www.saskatchewan.ca/government/news-and-media/2024/december/13/still-below-normal-but-conditions-improved-over-last-year-province-releases-conditions-at-freeze-up
- https://climate.weather.gc.ca/historical_data/search_historic_data_stations_e.html?searchType=stnProv&timeframe=1&lstProvince=BC&optLimit=yearRange&StartYear=1990&EndYear=2016&Year=2016&Month=12&Day=16&selRowPerPage=100&txtCentralLatMin=0&txtCentralLatSec=0&txtCentralLongMin=0&txtCentralLongSec=0&startRow=201
- https://www.awchome.ca/uploads/source/Publications/Project_Team_Reports/AWC_NPS_Phase_I_Report-compressed.pdf
- https://www.thealbertan.com/local-news/reservoir-study-to-improve-water-storage-on-red-deer-river-begins-9832106
- https://rivers.alberta.ca/Contents/WaterSupply/2025/1/
- https://rdrwa.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/O2_RDRWA_BT3_GW_SW_20130913.pdf
- http://rdrmug.ca/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/RDRWA_Wetlands-Riparian-LandUse-Outcomes-Draft.pdf
- https://www.drumhellermail.com/news/34533-snowpack-levels-show-no-concern-for-gleniffer-reservoir-dickson-dam
- https://www.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:1849536/FULLTEXT01.pdf
- http://parkscanadahistory.com/publications/riding/mcginn-2012.pdf
- https://www.saskatchewan.ca/-/media/news-release-backgrounders/2025/mar/2025-p-035-preliminary-runoff-outlook-report.pdf
- http://bcrfc.env.gov.bc.ca/freshet/cleverm_ref/Luo_WSC2021_2021Luo.pdf
- https://yukon.ca/sites/default/files/env/snow_bulletin_may_2022_en.pdf
- https://www.wsask.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/2025-P-020-20240201-Preliminary-Runoff-Outlook-Report-1.pdf
- https://rdrwa.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/ALMS-RDRWA-Report-2017.pdf
- https://www.wsask.ca/news/water-security-agency-issues-updated-runoff-forecast/
- https://www.safewater.org/news/tag/Red+Deer+River
- https://alms.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/ALMS-LakeWatch-Summary-2017.pdf
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