Feasibility Assessment of Treatment Wetlands for Northern Riverbank Stabilization: An Exploratory Hydrodynamic Study of the Nechako River

The Nechako River in Prince George, British Columbia, suffers from eroding riverbanks and contaminated sediments left behind by past industrial activities. This project will investigate whether treatment wetlands, which are engineered ecosystems that use plants and natural processes to clean water and stabilize soil, could help address both problems at once. The student will use computer modeling software to study how water flows along the riverbanks and identify locations where treatment wetlands might work well. The project includes dedicated training on cold-climate treatment wetlands, allowing the student to gain leading-edge knowledge in an emerging field critical to Canada and other northern regions. For Canada, this research advances the development of low-cost, nature-based water infrastructure suited to northern communities, many of which face combined challenges of aging systems, legacy contamination, and limited resources for conventional engineering solutions. For UNBC, this work provides the initial site assessment needed before designing a pilot wetland system, directly supporting the university’s ongoing research on cold-climate water treatment. For Tecnológico de Monterrey, the collaboration extends their river modeling expertise into northern environments and establishes a partnership that can lead to future student exchanges and joint research projects between the two institutions.

Faculty Supervisor:

Flor Garcia-Becerra

Student:

Partner:

Tecnológico de Monterrey

Discipline:

Engineering

Sector:

Clean Technology; Water; Environmental Science and Technology

University:

University of Northern British Columbia

Program: