Assessment of impacts of upstream developments and climate change on Carp River Watershed

There are plans for residential/commercial/industrial developments in upstream sections of Carp River Watershed (CRW). This will have impacts on the quantity and quality of the river water downstream as well as the sediment loads. In addition, due to climate change it is expected that both quantity and quality of the Carp River will deviate from the norms. Mississippi Valley Conservation Authority (MVCA) is in charge of managing and protecting Carp River Watershed. Due to expected future impacts, MVCA is interested to conduct a research study on this watershed, which involves collecting field data through sampling and developing water quality/hydraulic models using numerical models (e.g., CE-QUAL-W2/QUAL2K, SWAT) in GIS environment. After calibrating the models with field data, different scenarios, for example with and without low impact development components and/or restoration plan details, can be assessed. In addition, different climate change scenarios and sensitivity and uncertainty analysis will be another spinoff from this project. Outcomes of this research project will help MVCA with planning and decision-making in management of the CRW.

Faculty Supervisor:

Majid Sartaj;Ousmane Seidou

Student:

Baba-Serges Zango

Partner:

Mississippi Valley Conservation Authority

Discipline:

Engineering - civil

Sector:

Environmental industry

University:

University of Ottawa