Whitemans Creek Water Budget - Latornell Conservation Symposium

Whitemans Creek Water Budget
Balancing the Needs of Water Users
James Etienne, Grand River Conservation Authority
A.D. Latornell Conservation Symposium, November 17, 2015
Whitemans Creek
 404 km2 (situated in Brant and Oxford Counties)
 Southern portion on Norfolk Sand Plain
 Significant cold water fishery
 Dominant water use is agricultural
 Municipal water supply for Bright and Paris (Bethel)
 Two streamflow stations  Perennial low water issues
BRIGHT
BETHEL
What are Water Budgets?
Relationship between supply and demand
Through an integrated understanding of system function we can make better planning decisions and are better prepared effectively manage water resources.
“ Water Budgets lead us on the path to secure and sustainable source waters ”
Water Budgeting
QP
QET
Surface Water
Modelling
Unsaturated
Zone
Q
Q
Ultimate Goal: Balancing Water Needs
Q
wa
GW-C
SW-RO
ter table
QSW-C
QGW-R
Saturated
Zone
SW-Out
Surface
Water
QSW-In
QGW-D
QGW-In
QGW-Out
Groundwater
Groundwater
Modelling
Grand River Tier 2 Water Budget
N
Legend
W
Climate Normals
Roads
E
Drainage
0 - 1100.00
Precipitation (mm/year)
< 800.00
S
800.00 - 850.00
850.00 - 900.00
900.00 - 950.00
950.00 - 1000.00
1000.00 - 1050.00
1050.00 - 1100.00
- 850.0
1100.00800.00
- 1150.00
> 1150.00
1000.00 - 1050.00
< 800
Climate
Water resource professionals characterized the watershed,
using models, statistics and estimates to track the volume of water entering, Surficial Geology
moving through and leaving
the watershed for Streamflow
sustainable
water
Recharge
use.
850.00 - 900.00
Discharge
900.00 - 950.00
950.00 - 1000.00
0
20 km
Hydrologic Cycle
Groundwater
Levels
Water
Use
Water Use Permits
Surface
Water
Permits
Groundwater
Permits
~700 permits
~1200 sources
Municipal:
20% of permits
Agricultural:
<50% of permits
Tier 2 Stress Assessment
Bright
Bethel
Surface Water
Groundwater
Low Water Conditions in 2007 & 2012
Figure 4: Average Daily values for Whitemans Creek and Burford
Level 1 Called
2.5
Level 2 Called
0
10
2.0
20
60
Level 2 flow
first reached
70
Beaver dam affects
flow readings
0.5
80
Level 3 flow
reached
90
0.0
Whitemans Creek Flow
Burford Rain
 Streamflow <30% of average summer low flow
 Anticipated harmful effects to environment, fishery
 Unknown: agricultural use vs. water availability
7-Sep
31-Aug
24-Aug
17-Aug
10-Aug
3-Aug
27-Jul
20-Jul
13-Jul
6-Jul
29-Jun
100
22-Jun
 OLWR Level 3 apparent
1.0
15-Jun
 Very low precipitation
50
Level 1 flow
first reached
8-Jun
 Voluntary reductions at Levels 1 and 2
40
1-Jun
 Declared Conditions
Flow (m3/s)
1.5
Rainfall (mm)
30
Precipitation (1961‐2014)
1960’s Drier 1970’s & 1980’s Wetter 1990’s Drier 2000’s Mixed Surface Water (1961‐2014)
1960’s Drier 1970’s & 1980’s Wetter 1990’s Drier 2000’s Mixed Groundwater (2001‐2014)
2006
2001‐2002
2004
2008‐2010
2007
2012
Surface and Groundwater (2001‐2014)
2006
2008‐2010
?
2001‐2002
2004
2007
2012
Water Use
Grand Watershed
Whitemans Subwatershed
Irrigation Water Sources
Water Use Timing **estimated monthly water use from the Tier 2 stress assessment
Water Use Timing Challenges 1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Water use is different than the rest of the watershed
Many water users, but one main water use
Reliance on shallow groundwater and surface water
High water use coincides with low stream flow Water use cycles with crop cycles
Watershed Drought Plan
 Watershed scope
 Based on past work
 focused on high water use sectors




municipal
agriculture industry and commercial
rural domestic
19
Drought Preparedness
Contingency Planning
Best Practices
BMP Locations
Education & Outreach
Pilot Outcomes
Supporting Other Initiatives
 Grand River Water Management Plan
 Ensuring water supplies
 Drinking Water Source Protection
 Water budget assessment
 Ontario Low Water Response Program
 Developing drought resistance
 Whitemans Creek Drought Contingency Plan
 Transferable to other high use agricultural watersheds
Going Forward
Tier 3 Water Budget model
Encourage growers to implement new BRWQP actions
Promote the need Voluntary “no fishing” signage campaign
for PTTW workshops Automate data collection from remote soil moisture sensors in Oxford & Brant
Seek opportunities and apply for drought preparedness pond renovations funding
Deliver a free “Soil WHAT’S NEXT
Moisture Probe Borrowing Program”
Promote workshops & discussions re: nitrogen legacy
Whitemans
Creek Tier 3
Water Budget
and Water
Quantity Risk
Assessment
Tier 3 Data Updates
 2010 Woodstock‐Brantford Surficial Geology Survey
 2014/15 Field Work Program
 Spot Flow Surveys
 Piezometer & Level Logger Installations
 2013 Crop Mapping Imagery
 Review Whitemans Creek PTTWs
 2015 Whitemans Creek Workshop
Update Integrated Modeling Tools (SW‐
GW)
Whitemans Creek
 Surface Water – Groundwater Combined Model
 better represent groundwater and surface water interactions
 discharge and recharge functions are integrated
Tier Three Risk Assessment
 Characterize




Demand (municipal and non‐municipal)
Hydrology Hydrogeology
We are here
 Modelling Tools
Refine Characterization
Refine Modeling Tools
 SW & GW
 Delineate “Vulnerable Area”
 WHPA‐Q1, WHPA‐Q2
Define “Vulnerable Area”
 Risk Assessment Scenarios  Assign semi‐quantitative ‘RISK’
 Evaluate hydrogeologic uncertainty Assess Risk Level using Multiple Scenarios
Ecological Water Needs
Next Steps in Tier 3 Work








Monitor water levels across the subwatershed (2015‐16)
Assess historic irrigation water use (2015) Consultant Conceptualization Report (September 2015)
Develop integrated surface/groundwater model (2015‐16)
Assess Bright & Bethel Well water supplies (Summer 2016)
Complete Tier 3 Water Budget (Fall 2016)
Integrate results in amended Grand River Assessment Report (2017)
Beyond Source Water




Whitemans is Water Management Plan priority area
Use model to assess Water Demand/Permit to Take Water
Drought Planning
Climate Change Assessment
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Acknowledgements
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Farm & Food Care Ontario
Hajnal Kovacs, Conservation Sudbury
Brant County Federation of Agriculture
Ontario Federation of Agriculture
AquaResource Inc. (now Matrix Solutions Inc.)
EarthFX Incorporated
Ministry of Agriculture, Food & Rural Affairs
Ministry of Natural Resources & Forestry
Ministry of Environment & Climate Change