Glen’s take · Why we chose this story
A true story, researched by hand and told with AI.
Primary source water.usask.ca
Open the original on water.usask.caIn short the story, from water.usask.ca
Snow and glacier melt from the Canadian Rockies are the source of much of the river water the Prairies live on. University of Saskatchewan hydrologist Dr. John Pomeroy says snowmelt provides about four-fifths of the streamflow generated on the Prairies, and that 99 per cent of the South Saskatchewan River water reaching Saskatoon comes from Alberta, 60 to 80 per cent of it mountain snowmelt (USask News, March 2024). Source · water.usask.ca
Pomeroy's work began on the prairie itself: in 1984 he and colleagues designed and built a gauge to measure blowing snow, and he spent several winters measuring snowstorms from a trailer near Loreburn, Saskatchewan. That research produced the basic theory of blowing snow transport and sublimation, which he says Saskatchewan farmers use to manage snow with tall stubble and glaciologists use for the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets (GIWS interview, April 2025). Source · water.usask.ca
He directs the USask Centre for Hydrology and the Coldwater Laboratory in Canmore, Alberta, holds the UNESCO Chair in Mountain Water Sustainability, and was named co-chair of the UN advisory board for the International Year of Glaciers' Preservation 2025. He warns that glacier meltwater, a safety net in drought, has only a few decades left on the North Saskatchewan and is already minimal on the South Saskatchewan. He received the 2025 Dooge Medal (IAHS, UNESCO, WMO) and the Royal Society of Canada's Bancroft Award (announced September 2026). Source · water.usask.ca
The read Glen’s take, in his words
Picture a trailer near Loreburn, Saskatchewan, in a prairie blizzard. Inside is John Pomeroy of the University of Saskatchewan. In 1984, he and his colleagues designed and built a gauge to measure blowing snow. For several winters, he measured the storms from that trailer. Source · water.usask.ca
Most of us see blowing snow as a nuisance. John saw a question. From it came the basic theory of how blowing snow moves, and how some of it turns straight from ice to vapour. Saskatchewan farmers use that work to manage snow with tall stubble. Glaciologists use it for the ice sheets of Greenland and Antarctica.
Here's why that matters for our water. John says snowmelt provides about four-fifths of the streamflow generated on the Prairies. For the South Saskatchewan River, ninety-nine percent of the water that reaches Saskatoon comes from Alberta, and sixty to eighty percent of that is mountain snowmelt. In his words, what happens in those mountains completely determines our water availability for Saskatchewan.
Glaciers are the drought safety net, and they keep shrinking. John says the North Saskatchewan has only a few decades of glacier water left, and on the South Saskatchewan it's already pretty well minimal.
So he helped build ways to watch it. He leads the Coldwater Laboratory in Canmore, Alberta, where researchers model snowmelt and glacier retreat and study the Bow River Basin. With Howard Wheater and others, he helped launch Global Water Futures. And the United Nations named him co-chair of its advisory board for the International Year of Glaciers' Preservation.
He doesn't stop at the warning. Humans are water managers, he says. We have been for millennia.
When we talk about clean water, most of us start at the tap. John Pomeroy reminds me it starts much higher, as snow on a mountain or a field, waiting for spring.
This is why we're making space for John Pomeroy in the I Drink Living Water Research Library.
Read the research, and the University of Saskatchewan's own sources, on the I Drink Living Water research page.
Questions answered from this page
What is this story about?
Snow and glacier melt from the Canadian Rockies are the source of much of the river water the Prairies live on. University of Saskatchewan hydrologist Dr. John Pomeroy says snowmelt provides about four-fifths of the streamflow generated on the Prairies, and that 99 per cent of the South Saskatchewan River water reaching Saskatoon comes from Alberta, 60 to 80 per cent of it mountain snowmelt (USask News, March 2024).
Why did Glen Kerby choose this story?
When we talk about clean water, most of us start at the tap. John Pomeroy starts much higher, with the snow on a prairie field and the glaciers at the head of our rivers. He has spent decades measuring where that water comes from and how fast it is changing, and he still believes people can manage it well.
Where can I read the original?
It was published by water.usask.ca as “Frozen Frontiers and Global Impact: Five Questions with Dr. John Pomeroy”, at https://water.usask.ca/news-items/2025/frozen-frontiers-and-global-impact-five-questions-with-dr-john-pomeroy.php.
Go to the source their work, in full
“Frozen Frontiers and Global Impact: Five Questions with Dr. John Pomeroy”
Published by water.usask.ca. Read it where it was reported.
