Post on 11-Dec-2015
Managing Water to Safeguard Alberta’s Future
Athabasca River Basin Research Institute14-March-2012
David Hill, Executive Director, Water Resources
Water is Unique ...
• Water is ...– LIFE ... all living things need
water– Personal, Emotional– Economic, Political– Embedded in everything
we do and everything we need (want)
– In most instances there is no replacement for it!
Water for Life (2003, 2008) …
Goals & Outcomes …
• Safe, secure drinking water supply
• Healthy aquatic ecosystems
• Reliable, quality water supplies for a sustainable economy
Key Directions & Actions …
• Knowledge and research• Partnerships• Water conservation
Alberta Water Facts ...
• Diverse landscape ...– Alpine– Boreal forests– Parkland– Semi-arid
• Diverse water uses ...– Irrigation (71%)– Commercial & Industrial (15%)– Cities, Towns (5%)– Water Management (4%)– Habitat (2%)– Agriculture (2%)– Other (1%)
Alberta has 2.2% of Canada’s freshwater.80% of the water is in the north, while 80% of the population is in the south.
Finance & Real Estate, 14.8%
Construction 9.6%
Retail & Wholesale 8.6%
Transporation & Utilities 6.3%
Public Administration 3.8%
Education 3.8%
Energy 25.7%
Business & Commercial Services 9.4%
Manufacturing 6.2%
Health 5.3%
Tourism & Consumer Services 5.0% Agriculture 1.5%
Alberta GDP 2010, $263.5 Billion
Alberta Water Facts ...
Fund and coordinate water research in support of Water for Life (2003, 2008) and Alberta’s Water Research Strategy (2006)
Serve as a ‘knowledge broker’ ... provide analysis and context about water research to decision and policy makers, water practitioners, and ensure the information is understandable, relevant and accessible
Employ a global view ... seek out the best research, information & knowledge regionally, provincially, nationally and internationally
Where ideas flow ...
Role of Water Resources in AI-EES ...
Role of Water Resources in AI-EES ...
VISION:Alberta is globally recognized as a leader in managing its water resources for people,
the environment and the economy.Water Security, Risk &
VulnerabilityWatershed Stewardship & Ecosystem Management
Conservation, Efficiency & Productivity of Water Use
MISSION:To promote an integrated and collaborative water research and innovation system
focused on providing science and evidence based analysis and technologies to ‐inform decisions and support actions needed for effective, adaptive and sustainable
water management.
Started operations in October 2007, with $30 million investment by Alberta, leveraged to $50 million
Attracted Dr. Alexander (Sascha) J. B. Zehnder as Scientific Advisor [Global Reach]
More than 35 initiatives completed or underway Almost 50% of portfolio with research teams at Alberta universities
& more than 10 international 30% focussed on water issues in oil sands region 10% of portfolio on knowledge mobilization *
Research Portfolio …
Wetland Health: Challenges and Opportunities in Implementing Alberta’s Wetland Policy Suzanne Bayley, Lee Foote, Naomi Krogman, University of Alberta; Irena Creed,
University of Western Ontario Bring together leading natural and social science disciplines Develop a pragmatic science based approach to wetland classification‐ Developing new tools to assess wetland function and wetland value Support decisions made by governments (provincial & local) in responding
to developments that may impact wetlands
Key Initiatives ...
Key Initiatives (IBI) ...
Key Initiatives (IBI) ...
Exceptional = Never
Good = 10
Fair =5
Poor =3
Key Initiatives (LiDAR +) ...
Compliance (PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT &
PROPONENT)
Approvals (PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT)
Site Planning(PROPONENT & LOCAL GOVERNMENT)
Compensation Plan &Compensation Site Selection
Monitoring of permit conditions
Calculation of compensation ratios
Standardized Wetland Assessment & Scoring
Regional Planning (PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT & RELEVANT
STAKEHOLDERS)
Wetland Inventory
REGIONAL MAPPING PRODUCTS
“Exceptional” WetlandsHigh Value WetlandsRestoration Potential
Performance of Compensation Sites
Municipal Policy/BylawsDensity Bonuses, TDC
Approval Modification &
Denials
Priority Setting(ecological/social/economic metrics)
Enforcement
Remote monitoring of losses through updated inventories
Impr
ovin
g O
utco
mes
Key Initiatives ...
The Dynamics of Alberta’s Water Supplies Alexander Zehnder, David Hill, AI-EES; Jon Fennell [Project Manager], Worley
Parsons Ltd., Shawn Marshal, University of Calgary; Stefan Kienzle, University of Lethbridge; Jungou Lui, Beijing Forestry University (China); Karim Abbaspour, EAWAG (Switzerland), Tara Hadler, University of Basel (Switzerland)
How much water is there? Where is it? When is it? How is it used? What are the risks and vulnerabilities?
Water Yield (m3/km2/yr x 1000) ...
% of Watershed Contribution ...
Blue & Green Water (SWAT) …174 to 320 billion m3 1,225 to 1,637 billion m3 30 to 128 billion m3
Blue & Green Water (SWAT) …174 to 320 billion m3 1,225 to 1,637 billion m3 30 to 128 billion m3
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Calibration to stream gauging stations
Aquifers Types & Water Volumes …
Storage volume:
Pore volume: 16 to 55 billion m3
<1 to 2 billion m3
6 to 1,526 billion m3
<1 to 4 billion m3
165 to 5,620 billion m3
6 to 210 billion m3
Alluvial aquifers Bedrock aquifersBuried channels
Water Security, Risk & Vulnerability Small and Cluster Systems for Water Treatment
and Wastewater Treatment, $300K over 2 years [w/ AEW, AMA, AAMDC, AUMA]
AB-Netherlands Groundwater Initiative, $240K over 18 months [50/50] [w/ AEW, AGS, Netherlands]
Conjunctive Surface Water and Groundwater Management, $600K over 4 years [w/ AEW, Okotoks, U of C, U of Waterloo]
Moving Forward ...
Watershed Stewardship & Ecosystem Management Stakeholder-Led Integrated and Adaptive Watershed
Management, $4.5 M over 4 years [CCEMC Funding, Phase I] [w/ AEW, SRD, AFRD, WPACs, Local Governments, Water Practitioners, U of L, U of C]
Functional Environmental Flow Management, $1.2 M over 4 years [AEW, SRD, AFRD, WPACs, U of L, U of C]
Scoping Stage … Oil Sands Saline Wetland Marsh Demonstration Project Ecological Goods and Services Pilot [w/ AI-Bio]
Moving Forward ...
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C lg ry Wastewater R trn I
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C lg ry Wastewater R trn II
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• Advanced analytical tools and models developed with stakeholders
• Leveraged existing models & data sets (e.g. WRMM, OASIS, Irrigation Demand Model, AESO electricity prices)
• Operating logic set by experienced water managers & leading scientists
• Results presented in user-defined performance measures
• Scenarios challenged by “stress tests”
Bow River Integrated Management …
Conservation, Efficiency & Productivity of Water Use Economic Analysis of Source Water Protection, $200K
over 2 years [w/ AEW, SRD, AFRD, WPACs, Local Governments, U of A, U of Waterloo]
Assessing Improvements in Water Use Efficiency and Productivity in Irrigated Agriculture $200K over 12 months [50/50] [w/ AFRD, AEW, SRD, Irrigation Districts]
Water-Food-Energy-Health [Environmental & Human] Nexus [scoping of initiatives underway]
Moving Forward ...
Regional water quantity & quality issues in the oil sands region; development of standards for return of water to the environment, wetlands as a feature of reclamation activities, regional water management & sharing opportunities
Water use & opportunities related to renewable energy & emerging fuels; alternate uses of produced water, integration with new economic opportunities
Cross-Cutting Initiatives in AI-EES ...
Initiatives are consistent with strategic directions of government, industry and public – focus on Water for Life objectives & emerging Alberta Water Research & Innovation Strategy,
Capitalizing on Alberta expertise in academia, industry and water practitioner community,
Building science and adaptive capacity through initiatives with practical place-based and evidence supported outcomes,
Sharing lessons learned, practices, tools, provincially, nationally and internationally.
Performance Measures ...