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You are here: Home1 / River Basins2 / Mackenzie3 / Athabasca River

The Athabasca River

The Athabasca River originates in the Columbia icefields and ends in Lake Athabasca. The basin of the Athabasca River covers 138,412 square kilometers. Of this, 89% is in Alberta and 11% is in Saskatchewan. The system is comprised of 95 rivers and a minimum of 150 named creeks and lakes. It is joined by several large tributaries along its course including the McLeod, Pembina, Lesser Slave, and Clearwater rivers. The watershed is within both Treaty 8 and Treaty 6 territory, where each treaty notes the significant cultural value of the Athabasca River and watershed. For many indigenous peoples, “changes in the health and integrity of the Athabasca River consequently have a deeper set of political and cultural meanings”

The name of the Athabasca River is thought to have originated from the Woodland Cree word aeapaskāw meaning ‘where there are plants one after another.’ The watershed is home to at least nine Indigenous groups: the Dane-zaa, the Sekani, the Secwepmc (Shuswap), the Salish, the Ktunaxa, the Nadoka/Stoney, the Woodland Cree, the Chipewyan (Denesoline), and Metis. In 2001, the Athabasca river basin supported a population of 154,097 people … this includes all or parts of 22 rural or regional municipalities, one city, 12 towns, and 14 Indigenous settlements. The Watershed’s rich ecology also makes it home to a diverse population of terrestrial and aquatic wildlife. It is a source of life for “hundreds of fish, geese, ducks”, and more. Thus, the Athabasca Watershed is a historic waterway for Indigenous peoples.

A noted ecological stressor to the Athabasca Watershed is the W.A.C. Bennett Dam (in addition to the Peace River), which “irrevocably changed [the] patterns which fed the delta”. Additionally, the Athabasca Watershed is home to one of the largest, if not the largest, uranium reserves on the planet.

Quick Facts

  • Drainage Area: 296,000 km2 (this came from the text currently on the Athabasca page – text above says 138,412 square kilometers – seems to be a discrepancy!).
  • Human Population: Over 154,000Jurisdictions: Alberta, Saskatchewan, as well as Treaties 6, 8. Indigenous communities living along the Athabasca River include: Dane0zaa, Sekani, Ktunaxa, Secwepemc (Shuswap), Salish, Nakoda, Woodland Cree, Chipewyan, and Metis (and others).
  • Ecology: Ecology of the Athabasca River is diverse: boreal forest, foothills, rocky mountains, small area of the Canadian shield, fish and other aquatic species, migratory birds, mammals, etc.
  • Development: Hydroelectric development, agriculture, forestry, municipal/urban development, mining (uranium), oil and gas development (Fort McMurray).
    • The Athabasca Basin is the world’s leading source of high-grade uranium and currently supplies about 20% of the world’s uranium. 10 of the 15 highest-grade uranium deposits in the world located within the basin.
    • The W.A.C. Bennett Dam, constructed in 1967 has irrevocably changed the hydrologic patterns which feed the delta.

Community Research Projects

  • Denesuline Perspectives from the Hatchet Lake First Nation sector gathering: Tracking Changes in Lakes and Rivers in the Athabasca Region – Price Albert Grand Council.
  • Denesuline Elders and Youth Gatherings on the Health of the Aquatic Environment – Prince Albert Grand Council.
  • Canoe Trip 2017 – Protecting our Environment for Future Generations – Exercising our Treaty Rights – Treaty 8 of Alberta.
  • Placenames Mapping – Treaty 8 of Alberta.
  • Ya Thi Nene Lands and Resources Youth Science/Culture Camp and Canoe Quest – Ya Thi Nene First Nation.
  • Mikisew Cree First Nation Monitoring Program – Mikisew Cree First Nation.
  • MCFN Tracking Change in the Peace Athabasca Delta through Community Based Monitoring – Mikisew Cree First Nation.

Learning From The Land

“This was our land. This was our livelihood, and they destroyed everything we had. They destroyed our water. They destroyed the air. They destroyed the bush. Like they cut all the trees down and chased all the animals away. You know?” (FMkFNIRC 2008: 32)

“When the oil sands plants opened it was good for jobs but it ruined our country. We won’t have fish or berries to eat. The animals will be unfit to eat and we won’t be able to drink the water. Our lifestyle will be different…” (Emma Faichney in FMkFN 1994: 81)

Related Publications

  • Air Land and Water Planning - Mackenzie Athabasca
    View
  • Local and Traditional Knowledge in the Athabasca Watershed
    View
  • Uranium Exploration in the Athabasca Basin
    View
  • Facts About The Athabasca Basin
    View
  • About The Athabasca Basin
    View
  • Water Availability In The Athabasca River Basin
    View

FMkFN—Fort McKay First Nation (1994) There is Still Survival out There: A Traditional Land use and Occupancy Study of the Fort Mckay First Nation. Calgary: Arctic Institute of North America

FMkFN-IRC – Fort McKay First Nation – Industry Relations Committee (2008a), Fort McKay First Nation. Traditional Knowledge Report. Parsons Lake Resources Park. Environmental Assessment Report. Calgary: FMA Heritage Resources Consultants Inc.

Quinn, F. (1991). As long as the rivers run: The impacts of corporate water development on Native communities in Canada. Canadian Journal of Native Studies

Co-Investigators

Link to: Brenda Parlee
Brenda Parlee

Brenda Parlee

Princpal Investigator, University of Alberta
Tracking Change
Link to: Arn Keeling
Arn Keeling

Arn Keeling

Memorial University of Newfoundland
Tracking Change
Link to: Bruno Wichmann
Bruno Wichmann

Bruno Wichmann

University of Alberta
Tracking Change
Link to: Dave Natcher
Dave Natcher

Dave Natcher

University of Saskatchewan
Tracking Change
Link to: Henry Huntington
Henry Huntington

Henry Huntington

Huntington Consulting
Tracking Change
Link to: Herman Michell
Herman Michell

Herman Michell

Prince Albert Grand Council
Tracking Change
Link to: Jennifer Fresque-Baxter
Jennifer Fresque-Baxter

Jennifer Fresque-Baxter

Government of Northwest Territories
Tracking Change
Link to: Mark Nuttall
Mark Nuttall

Mark Nuttall

University of Alberta
Tracking Change
Link to: Shalene Jobin
Shalene Jobin

Shalene Jobin

University of Alberta
Tracking Change
Link to: Sonia Wesche
Sonia Wesche

Sonia Wesche

University of Ottawa
Tracking Change
Link to: Trevor Lantz
Trevor Lantz
mailto:tlantz@uvic.ca

Trevor Lantz

University Of Victoria
Tracking Change
Val Napoleon

Val Napoleon

University of Victoria
Tracking Change

Master Students

Link to: Laura Gaitan
Laura Gaitan

Laura Gaitan

Memorial University of Newfoundland

M.A. Candidate, Geography

Tracking Change
Link to: Laura Gaitan

Related Publications

Local and Traditional Knowledge in the Athabasca River Watershed

Tu Ɂëhena – “Water is Life”: Tracking Changes on Land, Lake, and River Systems in the Northern Saskatchewan Athabasca Region from the Perspectives of Denesuline Peoples

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  • MEKONG BASIN

ABOUT TRACKING CHANGE

We build and share knowledge about the sustainability of three of the world’s largest freshwater ecosystems: The Mackenzie River Basin, The Mekong River Basin, and The Amazon River Basin.

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Tracking Change Project Office
566 General Services Building
Edmonton, AB Canada
T6G 2H1

info@trackingchange.ca

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