BC Hydrometric ProgramHydrometric Network Review, 2011-13

Network Review,Play It Again Sam?

Hydrometric Program:B.C.-Canada Partnership

A Partnership to address water quantity issues common to all Provincial interests.

A Program with a Fixed Budget, set each year by respective governments.

Hydrometric Program:B.C.-Canada Partnership

Approximate Cost of operations in 2012: $6.8 Million provided:

• BC Ministry of Environment (approx 45%)• Environment Canada, WSC (approx 31%)• Major single 3rd party (approx 18%)• Other 3rd parties (Regional Water Boards, Communities,

industries, approx 6%)All Partners work together to operate best network possible.

Hydrometric Program requires network “planning and review evaluations”.

Phase 1: 2011-12, -To update network station details, relevant to Program Management (planning, budget support, future directions, etc.).-Undertaken by methods used in the past.Phase 2: 2013, Explore Functional Classification

455 stations Geographic, operational details

USE:R=regional hydrologyW=water management programsE=Environmental questions/leg.FOR=Forestry management Priority:1=High

Simplified Example of Station Inventory Spreadsheets(many collapsed/omitted columns and rows)

Use and priority

1900 1920 1940 1960 1980 2000 20200

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

900

1000HYDROMETRIC NETWORK SIZE IN B. C.

YEAR

Num

ber o

f Sta

tions

Area of BC: 950,000 km^2Network 2012: approx $7MTo operate 700 stations today: $11MTo meet WMO minimum today in BC: over $14M

WMO minimal standard for even terrain

NORTHERN COAST MOUNTAINSSTIKINE PLATEAU

NORTHERN ROCKY MOUNTAINSNORTHERN INTERIOR PLAINS

NORTHERN CENTRAL UPLANDSSOUTHERN INTERIOR PLAINS

SOUTHERN ROCKY MOUNTAIN FOOTHILLSNECHAKO PLATEAU

SOUTHERN HAZELTON MOUNTAINSCENTRAL COAST MOUNTAINS

QUEEN CHARLOTTE ISLANDSMCGREGOR BASIN

UPPER FRASER BASINNORTHERN COLUMBIA MOUNTAINS

FRASER PLATEAUSOUTHERN QUESNEL HIGHLAND

NORTHERN THOMPSON PLATEAUUPPER COLUMBIA BASINUPPER KOOTENAY BASIN

CENTRAL KOOTENAY BASINLOWER KOOTENAY BASINLOWER COLUMBIA BASIN

OKANAGAN HIGHLANDSOUTHERN THOMPSON PLATEAU

EASTERN SOUTH COAST MOUNTAINSCENTRAL SOUTH COAST MOUNTAINS

WESTERN SOUTH COAST MOUNTAINSEASTERN VANCOUVER ISLAND

WESTERN VANCOUVER ISLAND

0.0 5.0 10.0 15.0 20.0 25.0 30.0

Hydrometric Station Density in British Columbia, 2011

Number of stations per 10,000km^2 area

WMO guideline for mountainous terrain

WMO guidelines for even terrain

BC average

Hydrometric Program:B.C.-Canada Partnership

Constrained to a fixed budget each year:

How to accommodate request for additional hydrometric services??!!!

Budget completely committed to running existing network;Any additions to network must be balanced by equivalent deletion(e.g., # stations added = # stations deleted)

BC Hydrometric Network 2012Results from Phase 1:-Existing network achieves government’s core

mandates (public health & safety, economic & environmental interests);

-Both station densities and water needs differ geographically;

- Long term stable funding mechanism has proven illusive;

-Existing network not overly flexible in its ability to accommodate new and future needs.

Conclusions from 2012 Network Review:

Given that not all stations are presently effective (not many ineffective, but do exist)

And, in areas of high station density, redundant stations may exist

Then, stations that are currently either redundant or ineffective could be re-located to accommodate new hydrometric demands.

Considering a functional station classification.

Functional ClassificationRe-classify active station according to:

• Benchmark (BmS): a regional reference (zonally representative), will not be moved or discontinued;

• Strategic (StS): to fill hydrological gaps between BmS (due to spatial variability), operated until a statistical correlation established with best BmS, then relocated, typically 10+ years;

• Special (Sp): installed for specific research objective (e.g., Upper Penticton Creek, Carnation Creek, etc.).

Exploring and applying a FUNCTIONAL Classification to the BCHP network

Phase 2, Specific Objective:Develop 2 Station Lists:

-BmS (list of Benchmark Stations)

-StS (list of Strategic Stations)

BmS & StS Determinations:

BmS designation for three (3) reasons

B1: Restricted (third-party stations, legal, stage-only);

B2: Statistically unique (stations with r<0.8 for all pairs);

B3: Operational Criteria (half of all stations with r>0.8)

StS: Remainder of Operational Criteria (B3)

Designation of BmS and StS based on statistical similarity of paired stations.

Network serves multiple purposes

Cannot rely solely on one hydrograph characteristic to compare stations.

Used Nathan and McMahon (1990), for base flow recession analyses.

Recall from Phase 1 Network review:

Station “Use” and “Priority” of use included;For correlation of pairs, compare appropriate

hydrograph component.Examples:

Fish habitat (low flow)—base flowpeak flow needs—storm flow

Hydroelectric storage– total flow

Blue: McKale River near 940m contour Red: Dore River near McBride

Dore River near McBride

McK

ale

Rive

r nea

r 940

m c

onto

ur

Dore River near McBride

McK

ale

Rive

r nea

r 940

m c

onto

ur

Tsitika River below Catherine Creek

Gold

Riv

er b

elow

Uco

na R

iver

Tsitika River below Catherine Creek

Gold

Riv

er b

elow

Uco

na R

iver

Example:A – B: r = O.5 Both A & B included as BmS (not correlated, unique)A – C: r = 0.9 Both are candidates, subject to Operational Criteria

A B CA 1 0.5 0.9

B 0.5 1 0.75

C 0.9 0.75 1

Pearson Correlation Coefficient r for each Flow Component

If r>0.80 for a pair of stations, use operational criteria to distinguish

Of each pair, which:Longest Record Length BmS

Shorter Record StS

Least stable record StS

Most expensive operations StS

88.7

11.3

BC Hydrometric Network:Functional Classes, 2013.

BmS

StS

N = 436 Stations

%

%

Determining Functional Classifications for BC Hydrometric Network

First attempt:1) The list of all Benchmark Stations (BmS) accounts for just under 90% of the total network

2) The list of all Strategic Stations (StS) represents a pool of stations that are candidates for re-location, pool is approximately 11% of total network (50 stations).

StS Candidates IMPORTANT Conditions

StS re-location only after:-comprehensive scientific/hydrologic,

economic and business cases confirmed.

Summary

1) Hydrometric Network has a fixed budget-work with available funds

2) Functional Classification applied-in an effort to gain flexibility, this is:

3) To accommodate new hydrometric demands & fill hydrologic gaps by expanding the network in small, sustainable increments.

Play it again Sam?

Same old... ...hope notHave attempted to:

-Rectify network user issues;-Ensure that all stations are effective, efficient and

unique;-Add flexibility to alleviate future hydrometric

demands, in a timely, comprehensive and economically realistic manner. .