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Acreage guides for towns in this county: Wetaskiwin

Location of County of Wetaskiwin in Alberta
County of Wetaskiwin within Alberta

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

If you run a working farm in County of Wetaskiwin, 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.

Wetaskiwin County is productive mixed-farm country with dairy, hogs, cattle, and grain, plus strong acreage demand around Pigeon Lake. Highway 2A and the rail line keep market access easy.

Well depth and water table for farm operators

Nearby well records suggest completed wells around 69 m deep in County of Wetaskiwin, with static water levels often in the 12–31 m range. The predominant aquifer on file is Paskapoo Formation bedrock. These figures come from a Land Intelligence report run on a representative quarter in the county (SW 30-46-26-W4; 199 provincial well records within 5 km), not from your parcel.

Pothole wetlands and Paskapoo wells share the same landscape. A wet field edge is not the same as a reliable aquifer. Keep wetland flags and well logs in separate folders.

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

County of Wetaskiwin 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.

Wetaskiwin’s zone 3b label is usable for shelterbelts. Fruit on a frost pocket still needs a thermometer, not a brochure.

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 County of Wetaskiwin.

Wetlands, sloughs, and flood limits on the field

Wetland density in County of Wetaskiwin is best described as moderate to high. Notable mapped or commonly discussed flood-hazard areas include Battle River, Pipestone Creek.

Pigeon Lake and the Battle River headwaters carry shoreline and flood limits, and pothole density is moderate across the uplands. Lakeshore wetlands are closely regulated.

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 County of Wetaskiwin

From a Land Intelligence report run on a representative quarter in Township 46, 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 depth73.2 m199 records within 5 km of the sample
Middle half of wells34.2–107.8 mshallowest 9.1 m · deepest 173.7 m
Median static level24.1 mbelow ground, where recorded
Annual mean3.7 °Clow -32.8 °C · high 30.4 °C in the sampled year
Days with frost180in the sampled year
Frost windowMay 15 – Sep 18regional table for zone 3b
Growing degree days1547base 5 °C
Precipitation456 mm/yr30-year normal at the sample point
Fixed south array yield1307 kWh/kWp/yrlatitude tilt, rough feasibility only
Annual insolation1675.4 kWh/m²global, horizontal
Soil at the sampleLoamBlack Chernozemics
Farmland value context$6,330/acretransfer average, FCC-trend adjusted; not an appraisal
Nearby well records in County of Wetaskiwin: completed depth (down) versus distance from the sample point0 m45 m90 m135 m180 m0.0 km0.8 km1.5 km2.2 km3.0 kmmedian 73.2 m0.4 km away: completed 70.1 m0.4 km away: completed 137.2 m0.4 km away: completed 18.4 m0.7 km away: completed 41.0 m, static level 29.0 m0.8 km away: completed 88.4 m0.8 km away: completed 91.4 m1.0 km away: completed 34.3 m, static level 15.5 m1.0 km away: completed 34.0 m, static level 22.0 m1.2 km away: completed 91.4 m1.2 km away: completed 157.9 m1.2 km away: completed 13.5 m, static level 5.5 m1.2 km away: completed 137.2 m1.2 km away: completed 19.6 m, static level 7.6 m1.4 km away: completed 111.3 m1.4 km away: completed 36.4 m, static level 24.4 m1.4 km away: completed 19.3 m, static level 7.3 m1.5 km away: completed 17.1 m, static level 5.1 m1.5 km away: completed 82.7 m, static level 37.2 m1.5 km away: completed 39.4 m, static level 27.4 m1.5 km away: completed 33.3 m, static level 21.3 m1.5 km away: completed 38.2 m, static level 26.2 m1.5 km away: completed 91.4 m1.5 km away: completed 76.2 m1.5 km away: completed 47.1 m, static level 35.1 m1.6 km away: completed 76.3 m, static level 23.8 m1.6 km away: completed 152.4 m1.6 km away: completed 121.9 m1.6 km away: completed 152.4 m1.7 km away: completed 114.7 m, static level 34.7 m1.7 km away: completed 25.7 m, static level 13.7 m1.7 km away: completed 103.6 m2.0 km away: completed 42.5 m, static level 30.5 m2.0 km away: completed 115.8 m2.0 km away: completed 96.0 m2.0 km away: completed 43.1 m, static level 31.1 m2.0 km away: completed 106.7 m2.0 km away: completed 9.1 m2.0 km away: completed 173.7 m2.0 km away: completed 14.8 m, static level 3.1 m2.1 km away: completed 47.7 m, static level 35.7 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, County of Wetaskiwin-20250 °CJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJan: average high -3.7 °C, average low -12.1 °CJan: average high -3.7 °C, average low -12.1 °CFeb: average high -1.8 °C, average low -10.7 °CFeb: average high -1.8 °C, average low -10.7 °CMar: average high 0.1 °C, average low -9.4 °CMar: average high 0.1 °C, average low -9.4 °CApr: average high 7.2 °C, average low -3.5 °CApr: average high 7.2 °C, average low -3.5 °CMay: average high 19 °C, average low 6.6 °CMay: average high 19 °C, average low 6.6 °CJun: average high 17.3 °C, average low 9.2 °CJun: average high 17.3 °C, average low 9.2 °CJul: average high 22.9 °C, average low 12.6 °CJul: average high 22.9 °C, average low 12.6 °CAug: average high 21.4 °C, average low 11.2 °CAug: average high 21.4 °C, average low 11.2 °CSep: average high 17.6 °C, average low 7.3 °CSep: average high 17.6 °C, average low 7.3 °COct: average high 11.6 °C, average low 1.5 °COct: average high 11.6 °C, average low 1.5 °CNov: average high 1.6 °C, average low -6.3 °CNov: average high 1.6 °C, average low -6.3 °CDec: average high -9.1 °C, average low -18.9 °CDec: average high -9.1 °C, average low -18.9 °C22.9 °C-18.9 °CAverage daily highAverage daily low
Open-Meteo daily archive (ERA5 reanalysis), 2025-10-09 to 2026-10-09: 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, County of Wetaskiwin (kWh/m²/day)Jan: 1.01 kWh/m²/dayJFeb: 1.96 kWh/m²/dayFMar: 3.43 kWh/m²/dayMApr: 4.81 kWh/m²/dayAMay: 5.71 kWh/m²/dayMJun: 6.13 kWh/m²/dayJ6.13Jul: 6.11 kWh/m²/dayJAug: 5.13 kWh/m²/dayASep: 3.43 kWh/m²/daySOct: 2.15 kWh/m²/dayONov: 1.11 kWh/m²/dayNDec: 0.76 kWh/m²/dayD0.76
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 County of Wetaskiwin: Wetaskiwin (zone 3b) · Leduc (zone 3b) · Ponoka (zone 3b) · Devon (zone 3b) · Alberta growing zones map

Neighbouring counties: Ponoka County (32 km) · Leduc County (34 km) · Lacombe County (54 km) · Camrose County (55 km) · Compare County of Wetaskiwin with another county

Sampled from the live report pipeline at a representative quarter in Township 46, Range 26, W4 on 2026-10-08: well depth, hardiness zone, solar irradiance (199 well records within 5 km). Text reviewed 2026-10-08. Methodology.

Common questions

How deep are farm wells in County of Wetaskiwin?

Nearby records point to roughly 69 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 County of Wetaskiwin?

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 County of Wetaskiwin?

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

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