Research and information needs assessment to support sustainable watershed management in Northeast British Columbia.

Published online
26 Aug 2015
Content type
Miscellaneous
URL
https://www.for.gov.bc.ca/hfd/pubs/docs/tr/TR090.pdf

Author(s)
Lapp, S. & Redding, T. & Ronneseth, K. & Wilford, D.

Publication language
English
Location
British Columbia & Canada

Abstract

This assessment, combined with a compilation of relevant research and data/information sources for northeast British Columbia, Canada, will form the basis for developing an applied research strategy to support sustainable water resource management in this region. The survey was divided into five main topical themes: surface water (quantity and quality), groundwater (quantity and quality), groundwater-surface water interactions, aquatic ecosystems, and resource development hazards. A total of 65 respondents completed the survey and identified the following priority topics for research, monitoring, tools, and policy: (i) water balance research that quantifies fluxes (e.g., evapotranspiration, recharge) and storage (e.g., groundwater, lakes, wetlands) for the range of landscapes and land cover types (e.g., wetlands, upland forests, ponds) present in northeast British Columbia; (ii) development and testing of methods/models for defining environmental flow needs; (iii) aquifer identification and characterization to quantify the availability and extent of groundwater resources; (iv) climate change effects on all aspects of water resources, aquatic ecology, and natural hazards; and (v) development of methods for quantifying cumulative effects of resource development and land use change on water quantity and quality. This report presents the data collection methods used in the survey, a profile of the respondents, the ranking (high, moderate, low) of key research needs by topic area within each theme, and a summary of the written comments for each of the five main topical themes.

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