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Acreage guides for towns in this county: Cardston

Location of Cardston County in Alberta
Cardston County within Alberta

Farming in Cardston County, Alberta: Water, Wells and Frost-Free Days

If you run a working farm in Cardston County, four things set your season: how much water you can count on, how long the frost-free window is, which fields are wet or regulated, and what it costs to fix them. County figures are a starting point for a farm plan. They are not a parcel survey.

Ranching and irrigated forage, with grain on the eastern prairie. Many operations combine deeded land with grazing leases toward the mountains.

Well depth and water table for farm operators

Nearby well records suggest completed wells around 39 m deep in Cardston County, with static water levels often in the 4–16 m range. The predominant aquifer on file is Belly River and St. Mary River Formation sandstone with foothills gravels. These figures come from a Land Intelligence report run on a representative quarter in the county (NW 11-3-25-W4; 106 provincial well records within 5 km), not from your parcel.

Cardston County runs from irrigated prairie to the Waterton front, and water varies with it. Belly River and St. Mary River sandstones supply most wells; foothills gravels give shallow, fast water near the mountains.

For livestock, plan for peak summer demand and for winter freeze-up. For irrigation, a well rarely replaces a licensed surface source, and diverting water for irrigation generally needs a Water Act licence. Only a pump test tells you yield, and a county average does not.

Frost-free days and hardiness zone

Cardston County is generally treated as hardiness zone 3b, with a frost-free window on the order of 115 days. The zone and frost-free-day figures are county-scale estimates from published Canadian hardiness maps and climate normals, not a logger on your fence.

Zone 3b to 4a, with roughly 115 frost-free days moderated by chinooks. Elevation and the mountain front bring cooler summers than Lethbridge.

Match variety maturity to the shorter, colder number, not the longer one. After an early harvest, a cover crop needs seed in the ground fast, and a 4R nitrogen plan helps you time inputs to the season you actually get. More on the zone: hardiness zone in Cardston County.

Wetlands, sloughs, and flood limits on the field

Wetland density in Cardston County is best described as moderate. Notable mapped or commonly discussed flood-hazard areas include St. Mary River, Belly River, Lee Creek at Cardston.

Foothills wetlands, fens, and river floodplains are more common than on the dry prairie. The 2014 Lee Creek flood at Cardston marked how fast mountain streams can rise.

Alberta regulates changes to wetlands and watercourses. Draining, filling, or ditching a wet area can require approval under the Water Act, even when it looks like a low spot in a field. Read the Alberta wetland policy guide before you order a ditcher, and price field drainage only after you know what is allowed.

Work packages farm operators ask about

Check grant fit before you spend

Alberta's producer programs run through Sustainable CAP, with streams for water, landscapes, efficiency, and value-added work. The federal On-Farm Climate Action Fund has supported nitrogen management, cover crops, and rotational grazing. Rates, caps, and intake change, so use the grant eligibility quiz to see what may apply, then confirm with the program administrator.

Sampled data for Cardston County

From a Land Intelligence report run on a representative quarter in Township 3, Range 25, W4. These are measured or record-based values for that location, shown to put the county figures above in context. They are not your parcel.

Median completed depth26.8 m106 records within 5 km of the sample
Middle half of wells16.7–37.6 mshallowest 4.5 m · deepest 73.2 m
Median static level8.7 mbelow ground, where recorded
Annual mean7.3 °Clow -24.5 °C · high 33.4 °C in the sampled year
Days with frost144in the sampled year
Frost windowMay 8 – Sep 22regional table for zone 4b
Growing degree days1799base 5 °C
Precipitation473.4 mm/yr30-year normal at the sample point
Fixed south array yield982 kWh/kWp/yrlatitude tilt, rough feasibility only
Annual insolation1259.3 kWh/m²global, horizontal
Soil at the sampleLoamBlack Chernozemics
Farmland value context$7,629/acretransfer average, FCC-trend adjusted; not an appraisal
Tree canopy at the sample57%from 1 m LiDAR
Nearby well records in Cardston County: completed depth (down) versus distance from the sample point0 m20 m40 m60 m80 m0.0 km0.8 km1.5 km2.2 km3.0 kmmedian 26.8 m0.2 km away: completed 15.4 m, static level 2.6 m0.2 km away: completed 4.5 m0.2 km away: completed 40.2 m, static level 15.9 m0.2 km away: completed 37.2 m, static level 15.2 m0.3 km away: completed 37.2 m, static level 15.7 m0.3 km away: completed 38.6 m, static level 15.2 m0.5 km away: completed 38.9 m1.0 km away: completed 19.3 m, static level 11.3 m1.0 km away: completed 27.2 m, static level 15.2 m1.2 km away: completed 45.7 m1.3 km away: completed 24.4 m1.3 km away: completed 34.9 m, static level 4.3 m1.3 km away: completed 46.3 m, static level 22.0 m1.3 km away: completed 46.3 m, static level 22.0 m1.4 km away: completed 53.1 m, static level 45.1 m1.4 km away: completed 36.6 m1.6 km away: completed 27.4 m1.6 km away: completed 24.2 m, static level 12.2 m1.6 km away: completed 56.6 m, static level 41.0 m1.6 km away: completed 30.3 m, static level 18.3 m1.6 km away: completed 17.5 m, static level 5.5 m1.7 km away: completed 13.8 m, static level 1.8 m1.7 km away: completed 73.2 m1.7 km away: completed 30.6 m2.0 km away: completed 14.7 m, static level 6.7 m2.1 km away: completed 17.5 m, static level 5.5 m2.2 km away: completed 12.3 m, static level 4.3 m2.2 km away: completed 50.1 m, static level 18.3 m2.3 km away: completed 17.1 m, static level 2.4 m2.4 km away: completed 30.9 m, static level 18.9 m2.4 km away: completed 21.8 m, static level 6.1 m2.5 km away: completed 11.1 m, static level 3.1 m2.5 km away: completed 4.9 m2.7 km away: completed 11.4 m, static level 3.4 m2.7 km away: completed 15.1 m, static level 3.1 m2.7 km away: completed 22.0 m, static level 10.7 m2.8 km away: completed 4.9 m2.8 km away: completed 26.3 m, static level 1.6 m2.8 km away: completed 18.1 m, static level 6.1 m2.8 km away: completed 36.1 m, static level 0.0 m
Each dot is one provincial well record near the sampled quarter: distance across, completed depth down (deeper is lower). Hover a dot for its values. The dashed line is the median. Records are shown by distance only; no locations are published.
Monthly average high and low temperature, Cardston County-10300 °CJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJan: average high 3.1 °C, average low -4.7 °CJan: average high 3.1 °C, average low -4.7 °CFeb: average high 4.2 °C, average low -5.8 °CFeb: average high 4.2 °C, average low -5.8 °CMar: average high 7.3 °C, average low -3.6 °CMar: average high 7.3 °C, average low -3.6 °CApr: average high 11.1 °C, average low -1.3 °CApr: average high 11.1 °C, average low -1.3 °CMay: average high 18.9 °C, average low 6.7 °CMay: average high 18.9 °C, average low 6.7 °CJun: average high 17.5 °C, average low 8.2 °CJun: average high 17.5 °C, average low 8.2 °CJul: average high 26.4 °C, average low 13 °CJul: average high 26.4 °C, average low 13 °CAug: average high 23.4 °C, average low 11.3 °CAug: average high 23.4 °C, average low 11.3 °CSep: average high 17.9 °C, average low 7.8 °CSep: average high 17.9 °C, average low 7.8 °COct: average high 12.8 °C, average low 1.9 °COct: average high 12.8 °C, average low 1.9 °CNov: average high 6.6 °C, average low -2 °CNov: average high 6.6 °C, average low -2 °CDec: average high 2.6 °C, average low -8.3 °CDec: average high 2.6 °C, average low -8.3 °C26.4 °C-8.3 °CAverage daily highAverage daily low
Open-Meteo daily archive (ERA5 reanalysis), 2025-10-08 to 2026-10-08: one recent year at the sample point, not a 30-year normal. Use it for the shape of the year, not for a design value.
Monthly horizontal irradiance, Cardston County (kWh/m²/day)Jan: 1.2 kWh/m²/dayJFeb: 2.09 kWh/m²/dayFMar: 3.33 kWh/m²/dayMApr: 4.41 kWh/m²/dayAMay: 5.28 kWh/m²/dayMJun: 5.82 kWh/m²/dayJ5.82Jul: 5.92 kWh/m²/dayJAug: 5.06 kWh/m²/dayASep: 3.65 kWh/m²/daySOct: 2.26 kWh/m²/dayONov: 1.24 kWh/m²/dayNDec: 0.93 kWh/m²/dayD0.93
Horizontal irradiance by month from the report pipeline's insolation tables at the sample point. June and December are labelled; the ratio between them sizes an off-grid battery bank.

Growing zones near Cardston County: Cardston (zone 4b) · Pincher Creek (zone 4b) · Lethbridge (zone 4b) · Alberta growing zones map

Neighbouring counties: MD of Pincher Creek (58 km) · County of Warner (64 km) · Lethbridge County (66 km) · Crowsnest Pass (91 km) · Compare Cardston County with another county

Sampled from the live report pipeline at a representative quarter in Township 3, Range 25, W4 on 2026-10-08: well depth, solar irradiance (106 well records within 5 km). Kept as regional estimates: hardiness zone (point sample read 4b, more than a half-zone from the regional label). Text reviewed 2026-10-08. Methodology.

Common questions

How deep are farm wells in Cardston County?

Nearby records point to roughly 39 m as a planning figure. Your parcel can differ a lot, so a pump test matters more than the county average.

How long is the growing season in Cardston County?

Plan around about 115 frost-free days, then check your own field for frost pockets and shorter windows.

Do I need approval to drain a wet field in Cardston County?

Often, when a wetland or watercourse is involved. Confirm with Alberta Environment and Protected Areas before you dig.

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