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Acreage guides for towns in this county: Westlock

Location of Westlock County in Alberta
Westlock County within Alberta

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

If you run a working farm in Westlock 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.

Grain and oilseed dominate with a strong dairy and hog presence around Westlock and Clyde. Trucking distance to Edmonton elevators is short, which keeps land values firm.

Well depth and water table for farm operators

Nearby well records suggest completed wells around 50 m deep in Westlock County, with static water levels often in the 5–33 m range. The predominant aquifer on file is Paskapoo Formation sandstone and glacial sand aquifers. These figures come from a Land Intelligence report run on a representative quarter in the county (NW 12-60-26-W4; 150 provincial well records within 5 km), not from your parcel.

Westlock is reliable mixed-farm country north of Edmonton, and most farmsteads still run on private wells. Bedrock wells into Paskapoo sandstone are typical, but thick glacial sand lenses give some quarters shallow water with variable chemistry.

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

Westlock County is generally treated as hardiness zone 3b, with a frost-free window on the order of 120 days. The zone is read from the Natural Resources Canada plant hardiness map (4th edition, 1991–2020 normals) at a representative quarter; frost dates are a regional table keyed by zone, not a logger on your fence.

Zone 3a with a frost-free window around 105 days supports canola, wheat, and barley, but late-May frost is a regular event. Low ground near the Pembina stays colder.

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 Westlock County.

Wetlands, sloughs, and flood limits on the field

Wetland density in Westlock County is best described as moderate. Notable mapped or commonly discussed flood-hazard areas include Pembina River, Tawatinaw River, Clyde Fen lowlands.

Pothole wetlands and the Clyde Fen complex are regulated, and many have been partly drained already. Any new ditch or culvert on a wet quarter should start with a wetland check.

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 Westlock County

From a Land Intelligence report run on a representative quarter in Township 60, Range 26, 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 depth42.5 m150 records within 5 km of the sample
Middle half of wells18.2–70.8 mshallowest 11.0 m · deepest 182.9 m
Median static level14.4 mbelow ground, where recorded
Annual mean2.5 °Clow -36.5 °C · high 29.4 °C in the sampled year
Days with frost177in the sampled year
Frost windowMay 15 – Sep 18regional table for zone 3b
Growing degree days1471base 5 °C
Precipitation466.1 mm/yr30-year normal at the sample point
Fixed south array yield1284 kWh/kWp/yrlatitude tilt, rough feasibility only
Annual insolation1646.2 kWh/m²global, horizontal
Soil at the sampleLoamDark Gray Chernozemics, Dark Gray - Gray Luvisols
Farmland value context$7,809/acretransfer average, FCC-trend adjusted; not an appraisal
Tree canopy at the sample52%from 1 m LiDAR
Nearby well records in Westlock County: completed depth (down) versus distance from the sample point0 m50 m100 m150 m200 m0.0 km0.8 km1.5 km2.2 km3.0 kmmedian 42.5 m0.4 km away: completed 11.1 m, static level 3.1 m0.4 km away: completed 66.9 m, static level 54.9 m0.7 km away: completed 42.5 m, static level 30.5 m0.7 km away: completed 34.9 m, static level 22.9 m0.8 km away: completed 103.6 m0.8 km away: completed 11.0 m, static level 2.7 m0.8 km away: completed 108.6 m, static level 100.6 m0.8 km away: completed 39.4 m, static level 27.4 m0.8 km away: completed 85.3 m0.8 km away: completed 48.8 m0.8 km away: completed 48.8 m0.8 km away: completed 24.2 m, static level 12.2 m0.8 km away: completed 182.9 m0.8 km away: completed 51.9 m, static level 39.9 m0.8 km away: completed 36.4 m, static level 24.4 m0.9 km away: completed 24.2 m, static level 12.2 m1.1 km away: completed 16.6 m, static level 4.6 m1.1 km away: completed 11.0 m, static level 2.1 m1.2 km away: completed 11.1 m, static level 3.1 m1.3 km away: completed 13.7 m1.3 km away: completed 18.1 m, static level 6.1 m1.3 km away: completed 15.1 m, static level 3.1 m1.3 km away: completed 85.3 m1.3 km away: completed 80.6 m, static level 68.6 m1.3 km away: completed 61.0 m1.4 km away: completed 91.4 m1.4 km away: completed 152.4 m1.4 km away: completed 43.1 m, static level 31.1 m1.5 km away: completed 70.1 m1.5 km away: completed 37.0 m, static level 5.8 m1.8 km away: completed 73.0 m, static level 61.0 m1.9 km away: completed 117.8 m, static level 13.7 m2.0 km away: completed 17.5 m, static level 5.5 m2.0 km away: completed 21.1 m, static level 9.1 m2.1 km away: completed 15.7 m, static level 3.7 m2.1 km away: completed 27.2 m, static level 15.2 m2.1 km away: completed 50.1 m, static level 38.1 m2.2 km away: completed 18.3 m2.2 km away: completed 57.7 m, static level 45.7 m2.2 km away: completed 42.6 m, static level 30.6 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, Westlock County-25250 °CJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJan: average high -5.8 °C, average low -14.6 °CJan: average high -5.8 °C, average low -14.6 °CFeb: average high -4.8 °C, average low -13.6 °CFeb: average high -4.8 °C, average low -13.6 °CMar: average high -3.3 °C, average low -13.2 °CMar: average high -3.3 °C, average low -13.2 °CApr: average high 4.1 °C, average low -4.7 °CApr: average high 4.1 °C, average low -4.7 °CMay: average high 18.4 °C, average low 6.2 °CMay: average high 18.4 °C, average low 6.2 °CJun: average high 18.2 °C, average low 9.5 °CJun: average high 18.2 °C, average low 9.5 °CJul: average high 22.4 °C, average low 12.6 °CJul: average high 22.4 °C, average low 12.6 °CAug: average high 21.2 °C, average low 10.8 °CAug: average high 21.2 °C, average low 10.8 °CSep: average high 17 °C, average low 7 °CSep: average high 17 °C, average low 7 °COct: average high 10.3 °C, average low 0.9 °COct: average high 10.3 °C, average low 0.9 °CNov: average high 0.9 °C, average low -5.9 °CNov: average high 0.9 °C, average low -5.9 °CDec: average high -12.4 °C, average low -21.9 °CDec: average high -12.4 °C, average low -21.9 °C22.4 °C-21.9 °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, Westlock County (kWh/m²/day)Jan: 0.94 kWh/m²/dayJFeb: 1.88 kWh/m²/dayFMar: 3.39 kWh/m²/dayMApr: 4.79 kWh/m²/dayAMay: 5.72 kWh/m²/dayMJun: 6.11 kWh/m²/dayJ6.11Jul: 6.1 kWh/m²/dayJAug: 5.03 kWh/m²/dayASep: 3.37 kWh/m²/daySOct: 2.06 kWh/m²/dayONov: 1.04 kWh/m²/dayNDec: 0.69 kWh/m²/dayD0.69
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 Westlock County: Westlock (zone 3b) · Barrhead (zone 3a) · Morinville (zone 3b) · St. Albert (zone 4a) · Alberta growing zones map

Neighbouring counties: County of Barrhead (36 km) · Sturgeon County (43 km) · Thorhild County (49 km) · Lac Ste. Anne County (57 km) · Compare Westlock County with another county

Sampled from the live report pipeline at a representative quarter in Township 60, Range 26, W4 on 2026-10-08: well depth, hardiness zone, solar irradiance (150 well records within 5 km). Text reviewed 2026-10-08. Methodology.

Common questions

How deep are farm wells in Westlock County?

Nearby records point to roughly 50 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 Westlock County?

Plan around about 120 frost-free days, then check your own field for frost pockets and shorter windows.

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

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

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