- Environmental flow – refers to the quality, quantity and timing of water flows required to maintain the components, functions, processes and aquatic ecosystems that provide goods and services to people. Environmental flows are about the equitable distribution of, and access to water and services provided by aquatic ecosystems (source: World Bank)
- Instream flow – The precise quantity and timing of water flows necessary to sustain one or more specified instream uses of water.
- Minimum flow – the smallest possible flow that is compatible with a particular instream use when describing efforts to limit the amount of water that can be protected for instream use.
- Preservation Flow – the smallest amount of water that will allow biotic organisms to survive a limited amount of time.
- Water Conservation Objectives – set for sub-basins in Southern Alberta by river councils and approved by the Lieutenant Governor in Council, relate to the volume and quantity of water to remain in rivers for the protection of a natural body and its aquatic environment. There is a retrofit provision for existing licenses and it will apply to all new licenses, to achieve flow targets under the first-in-time, first-in-right priority water allocation system.
