In December 2011, the Global Institute for Water Security secured a Canadian Water Network grant to support research to understand the effects of agricultural beneficial management practices on hydrology, water quality, and aquatic ecosystem health in the Red River Valley and Lake Winnipeg Basin. Agricultural beneficial management practices (BMPs) are used to reduce nutrient loads to sensitive aquatic ecosystems, and mitigate effects of flood and drought. Despite widespread application of these practices across North America and Europe, there remains relatively little information on their effectiveness.

Tobacco Creek is a 1,000 km² subwatershed located in south-central Manitoba which is part of the agriculture-dominated drainage system of the Lake Winnipeg Basin.  It is one of the most data-rich watersheds in Canada, where more than 20 years of research has been targeted to understanding effectiveness of several BMPs.  The research has been facilitated by government scientists and university researchers from across the country in cooperation with the Tobacco Creek Model Watershed – a group of stakeholders (community members, farmers, agriculture industry, and government) and scientific researchers. The watershed is an ideal environmental laboratory for GIWS development of coupled hydrological-biogeochemical models for quantitative assessment of BMP effectiveness, and for testing agri-environmental indicators.

Current scientific focus:           

• Hydrological modelling to assess BMP effects on peak flows in cold regions
• Development of nutrient sub-models for understanding BMP effectiveness in reducing downstream nutrient export
• Testing functional indicators of nutrient status and ecological condition
• Assessing in-stream nutrient retention processes
• Design of monitoring networks capable of detecting BMP effects
• Testing high frequency sensors in challenging environments 
• Contributing to long-term research legacy at Tobacco Creek, and disseminating results to local stakeholders and policy makers. 

Research group members: Helen Baulch, Howard Wheater, John Pomeroy, Taufique Mahmood 

• Observation sites located in central southern Saskatchewan within the moist mixed grassland ecoregion. 
  • Primarily cultivated with cereal crops, with areas of native grassland and pasture.
• The basin area is approximately 900 km² and covers much of the headwaters of Brightwater Creek, which drains to the South Saskatchewan River.
• Research site was established in 2007 as part of a National Agri-Environmental Standards Initiative (NAESI) research project.
• Station network set up and operated by Environment Canada and University of Guelph.
• The site is part of the CanEx-SM10 experiment run in collaboration with NASA.

Current Scientific Focus

• Hydrological modelling and remote sensing validation.
• Flux towers for surface mass/energy balance measurements.
• Soil moisture and precipitation networks.
• Large scale soil moisture/evaporation measurements.

Global Institute for Water Security Working Groups

• Kenaston sub-group, Climate Change and Water Security research theme

The St. Denis National Wildlife Area is a 361-hectare area that was established by Environment Canada in 1968 to monitor the effects of agricultural activities on wildlife habitat. Located about 40 km east of Saskatoon, the landscape is characterized by numerous closed-basin wetlands, known as prairie potholes, and a rich diversity of plant and animal species.

Since 1980, a number of research initiatives have been carried out, including investigations of waterfowl and habitat, hydrology and soil science. The site has a long record of data collection and scientific study and provides an excellent opportunity for integrated research on the effects of land management and climate change on the hydrology of the prairie landscape. Researchers from the Global Institute for Water Security and Environment Canada are working jointly at St. Denis.

Current scientific focus:

• Measurement of air temperature/humidity, precipitation and wind speed via two meteorological stations.
• Monitoring of tree swallow nesting activity and waterbird communities.
• Continuous monitoring of water levels in selected wetlands, to track runoff and estimate water balance. 
• Monitoring and modelling of surface and subsurface hydrology and water quality response, including extreme events.
• Development of an integrated model (i.e. ecohydropedology) to improve understanding of fundamental processes.
• Testing of the model using manipulative experiments on selected watersheds.
• Linkage of the results to regional models using both local and regional transects.

Research group members: Angela Bedard-Haughn, Bob Clark, Bing Si, Dan Pennock, Chris Spence, Garth van der Kamp, Andew Ireson, Helen Baulch, Britt Hall, Jane Elliott, Cherie Westbrook, Christy Morrissey, Jeffrey McDonnell, Darcy Henderson, Uri Nachshon, Heather Wilson, Dell Bayne. 

• A large, multi-purpose reservoir on the South Saskatchewan River in south-west Saskatchewan, Lake Diefenbaker was formed by the construction of Gardiner Dam and Qu’Appelle River Dam.
  • Approximately 430 km² surface area, 9.4 km³ volume and 22 m average depth.
  • Uses include power generation, flood control, irrigation, industrial water supply, recreation and fishing, aquaculture, and augmentation of the Qu’Appelle River.
• Fed by Old Man, Bow and Red Deer Rivers in southern Alberta.
  • Most of the upstream basin area is dry, treeless prairie; primary land use is grain and livestock production.
  • Irrigation return flows and municipal/industrial effluents represent major sources of contaminants in upstream contributing watersheds.

Current Scientific Focus

• The Global Institute for Water Security research is among the first long-term research program established at Lake Diefenbaker and aims to understand current and future vulnerability of water quality and aquatic ecosystems to nutrient loading. 
• Past research projects include: 
  • Water quality analysis on nutrient loading and algal blooms (2008) by the Toxicology Centre, University of Saskatchewan.
  • Sampling and analysis of nitrogen fixation by cyanobacteria (1994 – 2005) by Department of Biology, University of Regina.
  • Intensive study (1984) by Water Quality Branch of Environment Canada and Saskatchewan Department of Environment on nutrient loading from upstream areas and sediment toxicity.

Global Institute for Water Security Working Groups

• Lake Diefenbaker sub-group, Climate Change and Water Security and Land-water Management and Environmental Change research themes

• Located in eastern Saskatchewan within the Aspen Parkland sub-basin of the Assiniboine River.
• Approximately 435 km² basin characterized by prairie pothole topography, with numerous isolated wetland areas with little or no surface inflow/outflow.
• Established in 2007 by the Centre for Hydrology, U of S with funding from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Prairie Habitat Joint Venture Committee, Prairie Provinces Water Board, Manitoba Water Stewardship, Saskatchewan Watershed Authority and Ducks Unlimited Canada.
• Basin has undergone rapid changes over the past 50 years, transitioning from areas of extensive woodland and wetlands to grain and oilseed cultivation.
• There has been a reduction in wetland areas from 17% to 9% during 1958 – 2001.

Current Scientific Focus

• Smith Creek is being studied to understand the effects of land use changes and drainage on eastern prairie hydrology, flooding and drought, and to develop a hydrological model for predicting these changes.
  • Investigations of the role of wetlands in governing streamflow and effects of wetland drainage through modelling and experimental techniques.
• More recent focus on water quality issues related to wetland drainage.

Global Institute for Water Security Working Groups

• Smith Creek sub-group, Land-water Management and Environmental Change research theme