The Nelson River Drainage BasinCraig ChristensenJulie Nitsche OlsenAstrid Mathilda Arvidson

Contents1. Profile of the Nelson River Drainage Basin

2. Water Resources and Their Usage in

Western Canada3. Challenges in River

Management

Profile of the Nelson River Drainage BasinPart One

Where?

Basic StatisticsMean Discharge 2370 m³/sTotal Catchment Area 1,093,442km²Land Cover

GrasslandsForestWetlandsShrubArid

5%34%27% 2%22%

Land UsageCultivatedProtected Area

51% 4%

Major Cities (over 100,000) Situated in Basin

(Listed by population)

Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Saskatoon, Regina, Fargo

Number of Large Dams 13

Major Tributaries of the Nelson River

Statistics for Major Tributaries SaskatchewanMean Discharge 700 m³/sCatchment Area 335,900km²Altitude Change (From source confluence to base) (from source to base)

160m

1900mAssiniboineMean Discharge 45m³/sCatchment Area 182,00

0 km²Altitude Change (From source to base)

410m

Red River of the NorthCatchment Area 287,00

0 km²Altitude Change (From source to base)

70m

WinnipegCatchment Area 29,000 km²

Factors Affecting The River Basin• Climate

▫More arid in southern regions▫Majority of precipitation in summer months▫Over 5 months of daily mean temperature below

freezing allows for build-up of snow Southern regions thaw sooner than larger. The

Nelson river and the Red River both flow from South to North, meaning snow and ice build up can cause flooding.

Factors Affecting The River Basin•Topography of the Basin

▫Rocky Mountains▫Topography of the Praries

Glaciers created a flat, undulating landscape Deep soils

Drainage pattern in Dendritic Groundwater Sources

3 different levels of the prairies

The composition of the Long Profile• Short Upper Course

▫The Saskatchewan River experience a rapid fall in altitude near their source (beginning at over 1900m at glacial sources)

• Extended middle course▫Rivers meander gently across prairies

• No upper course proper in the Red River North▫From source to base level, there is only 1m fall per

5km of river length▫No river gorge or flood plain due to low erosion rates▫Very prone to flooding.

Bow G

lacierSource of one of the tributaries to the South Saskatchewan River

North Saskatchew

an River in Edm

onton, AlbertaNotice the asymmetrical meandering

Confluence of the North and South Saskatchewan

Rivers

Notice the formation of more symmetrical meanders, and the high angle of incidence of the two channels. This is an indication of the slowing speed of the river.

The Red RiverThe Red River lacks a river valley , cause by a low gradient and slow erosion rates

Assiniboine RiverNotice the steeper sides of the River

Fluvial features•Lake Winnipeg

▫Source of the Nelson River▫11th largest lake in the World▫Winnipeg, capital of the province of

Manitoba, lies at its southern shore. ▫Fifth largest lake in Canada, but still very

shallow due to the deposition of material in it. Mean depth of only 12m Well know for many sandy beaches.

Winnipeg Beach, M

anitobaOne of the beaches along the shores of Lake Manitoba

Nelson River Mouth•Mesotidal Estuary

▫Mesotidal: “coastal ocean or waterway with a moderate mean tidal range (i.e. 2m to 4m)” (Source: US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

(NOAA) )

▫Hudson’s Bay is frozen most of the year▫Sediment form river has different aldebo,

speeding up sea ice melting

Mouth of the N

elson River

Sources• http://www.ags.gov.ab.ca/publications/wcs

b_atlas/A_CH26/CH_26.html• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nelson_River• http://earthtrends.wri.org/maps_spatial/m

aps_fullscale.php?mapID=395&theme=2• http://www.salinesystems.org/content/figu

res/1746-1448-1-10-2-l.jpg• http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/i

magerecords/1000/1821/HudsonBay.A2001138.1720lrg.jpg

• http://www.wildernessspirit.com/assiniboine%20river%20L.jpg

Water Resources and Their Usage in Western Canada

Part Two

Main usages•Irrigation•Idustry (oil)•Hydro-electric power•Drinking water

Irrigation•5000 km2< irrigated of South

Saskatchewan River drainage basin annualy

Oil industryMust separate sand bitumen

Oil industry•No clear quantitative data•Enviromentalists makes claims•Groundwater decreasing•½ of natural flow must enter

Saskatchewan

Hydro-electric power

Hydro-electric power•Lake Winnipeg 3rd largest resevoir

globally•Finalized 1979•Large surface area

(24514km2)waterlevel does not change much

•23.3TWh annualy in Nelson River•Complaints from local owners•Operator: Manitoba Hydro•Worries about Cree (Churchill River)

Sources• http://www.safewater.org/PDFS/resourcesknowthefact

s/Cdn_Prairie_Drink_Water.pdf

• http://www.sicc.sk.ca/saskindian/a77mar07.htm • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nelson_River_Hydroelect

ric_Project

• http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_7111/is_3_33/ai_n32067867/

• http://www.albertawater.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=80&Itemid=78

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Winnipeg • Craig William Christensen’s presentation about

“Athabasca Tar Sands”

Challenges in Management•CASE STUDY :

▫Flood prone area▫1950, 1997, 2009▫Red River of the North▫Dakotas and Manitoba

Flood in May 1950•Causes: heavy precipitation in winter/spring

•100 000 people evacuated

•6 people dead

•Damage: 600 – 1000 million CAD

•Worst damaged: Winnipeg

Result•Red River Floodway•1962 - 1972•73.5 million m³ earth•47 km channel•63 million CAD•Saved estimated 10 billion CAD in potential damages

Red River Floodway

Flood in April and May 1997•”The Flood of the Century”•12 m above winter levels•5 km inland•1820 km² inunded•Grand Forks & East Grand Forks•500 million CAD in damages•Winnipeg saved by RRF

St. Agathe 1997

Brunkild Dike

Flood in 2009

•Causes:▫High winter snowfall▫High temperature snow melt rate▫Rainstorm on March 22 -25 (20 cm) of ppt▫Ice jams

•Volunteer efforts reduce damage•Sandbagging

▫2 million bags•Salvation army•Ring dikes•Red River Floodway

Fargo-Moorhead 2009

Fargo-Moorhead 2009

Sum up of Manitoban Flood Management Plan

• Red River Floodway▫In 2003, the province announced plans to expand the

Floodway, increasing its flow capacity from 2,550 m³/s to 4,000 m³/s. It was decided to widen the Floodway as opposed to deepening it because of the soil and ground conditions in the area.

• Ring dikes around communities• Shellmouth reservoir • Promotion of non-structural planning:

▫Emergency preparation▫Flood proofing▫Land regulation

Fun stuff to end with•The Last Saskatchewan Pirate

▫http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8G_L9tXEwmc

▫http://artists.letssingit.com/arrogant-worms-lyrics-the-last-saskatchewan-pirate-c73bzxw

•Norway House, Manitoba▫http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norway_House

Sources• http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE

&Params=M1ARTM0011336• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_River_Floodway• http://watertreatment.ca/2009/manitobas-flood-management/• http://www.apfm.info/pdf/case_studies/canada.pdf• http://www.syntexgeo.com/images/a_newimages_may08/_400pixel

s/bag%20drop_400.gif• http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2009/images/redriver.jpg• http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/customcode/TCEMedia

Popup.cfm?Language=E&ArticleID=M0011336&MediaID=6063&TB_iframe=true&height=612&width=885&modal=true

• www.ndsu.edu/fargo_geology/fldphotos2009.htm