REPORT ON HYDROLOGIC ANALYSIS - Foundry Spatial · Report on Hydrologic Analysis • Montney Water Project • January 2011 Acknowledgements Adrian Hickin of the B.C. Ministry of

REPORT ON HYDROLOGIC ANALYSIS

MONTNEY WATER PROJECT

report prepared by:

Foundry Spatial Ltd.

Victoria, B.C.

Ben Kerr

President

January, 2011

i Report on Hydrolog ic Analys is • Montney Water Project • January 2011

Table of Contents

1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .......................................................................................................................... 1

1.1 Objectives ...................................................................................................................................... 1

1.2 GIS and Database Framework ....................................................................................................... 1

1.3 Surface Water ‐ Hydrologic Analysis ............................................................................................. 1

1.4 Recommendations for Future Work ............................................................................................. 3 1.4.1 Data Gaps .............................................................................................................................. 3 1.4.2 Analysis of Existing Data ....................................................................................................... 4

1.5 CONCLUSIONS ............................................................................................................................... 5

2 Methods ................................................................................................................................................ 6

2.1 Study Area ..................................................................................................................................... 6

2.2 GIS and Database Framework ....................................................................................................... 7

2.3 Watersheds ................................................................................................................................... 7 2.3.1 Farrell / Cache ....................................................................................................................... 8 2.3.2 Halfway River ........................................................................................................................ 8 2.3.3 Kiskatinaw River .................................................................................................................... 9 2.3.4 Moberly River ........................................................................................................................ 9 2.3.5 Peace River Valley ............................................................................................................... 10 2.3.6 Pine River ............................................................................................................................ 10 2.3.7 Pouce Coupe River .............................................................................................................. 11

2.4 Data Sources ............................................................................................................................... 11 2.4.1 Streamflow .......................................................................................................................... 11 2.4.2 Lakes .................................................................................................................................... 11 2.4.3 Water Balance ..................................................................................................................... 12 2.4.4 Surficial Materials and Land Use ......................................................................................... 12 2.4.5 Ground water and Paleovalleys .......................................................................................... 12 2.4.6 Climate and Future Climate Model (2010‐2039) ................................................................ 12

3 Analysis Themes .................................................................................................................................. 13

3.1 Streamflow .................................................................................................................................. 13 3.1.1 Methods .............................................................................................................................. 14 3.1.2 Halfway River ...................................................................................................................... 17 3.1.3 Kiskatinaw River .................................................................................................................. 18 3.1.4 Moberly River ...................................................................................................................... 19 3.1.5 Pine River ............................................................................................................................ 20 3.1.6 Pouce Coupe River .............................................................................................................. 22

3.2 Lakes ............................................................................................................................................ 24 3.2.1 Methods .............................................................................................................................. 24 3.2.2 Farrell / Cache ..................................................................................................................... 24 3.2.3 Halfway River ...................................................................................................................... 25 3.2.4 Kiskatinaw River .................................................................................................................. 25 3.2.5 Moberly River ...................................................................................................................... 25 3.2.6 Peace River Valley ............................................................................................................... 25 3.2.7 Pine River ............................................................................................................................ 26

ii Report on Hydrolog ic Analys is • Montney Water Project • January 2011

3.2.8 Pouce Coupe River .............................................................................................................. 26

3.3 Water balance ............................................................................................................................. 27 3.3.1 Methods .............................................................................................................................. 28 3.3.2 Farrell / Cache ..................................................................................................................... 30 3.3.3 Halfway River ...................................................................................................................... 30 3.3.4 Kiskatinaw River .................................................................................................................. 30 3.3.5 Moberly River ...................................................................................................................... 30 3.3.6 Peace River Valley ............................................................................................................... 31 3.3.7 Pine River ............................................................................................................................ 31 3.3.8 Pouce Coupe River .............................................................................................................. 31

3.4 Surficial materials, land use and vegetation ............................................................................... 33 3.4.1 Methods .............................................................................................................................. 33 3.4.2 Farrell / Cache ..................................................................................................................... 33 3.4.3 Halfway River ...................................................................................................................... 33 3.4.4 Kiskatinaw River .................................................................................................................. 33 3.4.5 Moberly River ...................................................................................................................... 34 3.4.6 Peace River Valley ............................................................................................................... 34 3.4.7 Pine River ............................................................................................................................ 34 3.4.8 Pouce Coupe River .............................................................................................................. 34

3.5 Climate ........................................................................................................................................ 35 3.5.1 Methods .............................................................................................................................. 36 3.5.2 Farrell / Cache ..................................................................................................................... 36 3.5.3 Halfway River ...................................................................................................................... 36 3.5.4 Kiskatinaw River .................................................................................................................. 36 3.5.5 Moberly River ...................................................................................................................... 37 3.5.6 Peace River Valley ............................................................................................................... 37 3.5.7 Pine River ............................................................................................................................ 37 3.5.8 Pouce Coupe River .............................................................................................................. 38

3.6 Future Climate Model (2010‐2039) ............................................................................................ 39

3.7 Ground water and paleovalleys .................................................................................................. 44

3.8 Ungauged watersheds ................................................................................................................ 46

References .................................................................................................................................................. 50

APPENDICES

Appendix 1(A) Spatial (GIS) Data Inventory ................................................................................................ 52

Appendix 1(B) Nonspatial Data Inventory .................................................................................................. 56

Appendix 2 Entity Relationship Model ....................................................................................................... 57

iii Report on Hydrolog ic Analys is • Montney Water Project • January 2011

List of Figures

Figure 1. Conceptualized diagram of components of the hydrologic cycle. ................................................. 2

Figure 2. Montney Water Project Study Area. .............................................................................................. 6

Figure 3. Location of Water Survey of Canada Hydrometric Stations. ....................................................... 14

Figure 4. Mean Monthly Discharge Halfway River near Farrell Creek. ....................................................... 17

Figure 5. Flow Duration Curve Halfway River near Farrell Creek 1984 – 2008). ........................................ 17

Figure 6. Flow Duration Curve Graham River above Colt Creek (1981 – 2008). ......................................... 18

Figure 7. Flow Duration Curve Kiskatinaw River near Farmington (1944 – 2008). ..................................... 18

Figure 8. Mean Monthly Discharge Kiskatinaw River near Farmington. .................................................... 19

Figure 9. Mean Annual Discharge Moberly River near Fort St. John. ......................................................... 19

Figure 10. Total Annual Discharge Moberly River near Fort St. John (1980 – 2008). ................................. 20

Figure 11. Mean Monthly Discharge Pine River at East Pine ...................................................................... 21

Figure 12. Mean Monthly Discharge Quality Creek near the mouth. ......................................................... 21

Figure 13. Mean Monthly Discharge Flatbed Creek at Kilometre 110 Heritage Hwy. ................................ 21

Figure 14. Total Annual Discharge Pine River at East Pine (1965 – 2008). ................................................. 22

Figure 15. Total Annual Discharge Pouce Coupe River below Henderson Creek (1972 – 2008). ............... 22

Figure 16. Mean Monthly Flow Pouce Coupe River below Henderson Creek. ........................................... 23

Figure 17. Flow Duration Curve Pouce Coupe River below Henderson Creek 1971 – 2008). .................... 23

Figure 18. Conceptualized processes and storages in the hydrologic cycle. .............................................. 27

Figure 19. Water Surplus and Deficit, Fort St. John 1961‐1990. ................................................................. 29

Figure 20. Precipitation and evapotranspiration, Fort St. John 1961‐1990. ............................................... 29

Figure 21. Modelled mean annual temperature increase for the period 2010‐2039

in relation to the period 1961‐1990, Montney Water Project area. .......................................... 40

Figure 22. Modelled mean annual precipitation increase for the period 2010‐2039

in relation to the period 1961‐1990, Montney Water Project area. .......................................... 41

Figure 23. Modelled mean annual winter (October ‐ March) precipitation increase for the

period 2010‐2039 in relation to the period 1961‐1990, Montney Water Project area. ............ 42

Figure 24. Modelled mean annual summer (April ‐ September) precipitation change for the

period 2010‐2039 in relation to the period 1961‐1990, Montney Water Project area. ............ 43

Figure 25. Ground water wells, mapped aquifers and interpreted paleovalleys. ...................................... 45

Figure 26. Hydrologic Zones in the Montney Area. .................................................................................... 47

List of Tables

Table 1. Watersheds in the Montney Water Project Area. .......................................................................... 7

Table 2. Water Survey of Canada Hydrometric Stations. ........................................................................... 13

Table 3. Results of hydrologic analysis. ...................................................................................................... 16

Table 5. Water balances calculated for watersheds associated with

Water Survey of Canada hydrometric stations. ............................................................................. 28

Table 6. Flood return coefficients. .............................................................................................................. 48

Table 7. Total annual discharge coefficients. .............................................................................................. 48

Table 8. Drought discharge coefficients. .................................................................................................... 49

iv Report on Hydrolog ic Analys is • Montney Water Project • January 2011

Acknowledgements

Adrian Hickin of the B.C. Ministry of Energy provided content for the ground water and paleovalley

section. Janet Fontaine of Strategic West Energy Ltd. assisted with editing and generating this report.

Norma Serra‐Sogas assisted with production of figures and graphics. Richard Franklin illustrated the

conceptualized diagram of components of the hydrologic cycle. Allan Chapman of the B.C. Oil and Gas

Commission provided insightful comments and discussion at several stages of this project. Derek Brown

of Strategic West Energy Ltd. managed this project and 'Lyn Anglin and Christa Sluggett of Geoscience

BC reviewed preliminary results of the accompanying poster series and provided feedback.

1 Report on Hydrolog ic Analys is • Montney Water Project • January 2011

1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Geoscience BC met with industry and government in early 2010 and collaborated to undertake water

studies in the Montney area in northeastern British Columbia. The project is designed to create a

comprehensive database of surface water, ground water and deep saline aquifers in the Montney area.

1.1 OBJECTIVES

Foundry Spatial Ltd. was commissioned by Geoscience BC to compile a comprehensive database of

information on surface water sources and to conduct analysis of this information by overlaying

watersheds with other available information. This project contributes to the surface water and GIS and

database framework components of the Montney Water Project and will assist project partners in

understanding surface water resources and carefully managing their use.

1.2 GIS AND DATABASE FRAMEWORK

This work began with a review of hydrologic modelling software. To support future hydrologic

modelling in the region, it is critical that the database compilation contain the sufficient data themes to

support future requirements. Over 50 models were identified, briefly described, catalogued, and

tabulated based on their data requirements. A separate report provides details on this process as well

as references for more in‐depth reviews of model applicability (Kerr, 2010).

A comprehensive search of available spatial information from international, federal, provincial and non‐

governmental organizations was conducted and data was collected to meet as many of the modelling

data requirements as possible. An inventory and discussion of the data themes collected, including gaps

and recommendations for more detailed information is included in this report. Copies of the database

compiled, with metadata and spatial reference information have been provided to project members.

1.3 SURFACE WATER ‐ HYDROLOGIC ANALYSIS

Analysis of surface water resources in the Montney region took a broad approach, considering several

aspects of the hydrologic cycle that influence the timing and movement of water through the region

(Figure 1). This included eight key themes:

1. Streamflow

2. Lakes

3. Water Balance

4. Surficial Materials, Land Use and Vegetation

5. Climate

6. Future Climate Model (2010‐2039)

7. Ground water and Paleovalleys

8. Ungauged watersheds


Figure 1. Conceptualized diagram of components of the hydrologic cycle.

ILLUSTRATION: Richard Franklin.

This analysis provides an overview of the water resources in the Montney region, and is broken down

into seven major watersheds (or watershed groups) to highlight the distinctions across the region. Over

the course of this work, several areas became apparent as meriting further investigation:

1. Interactions between surface and shallow ground water systems ‐ when and where ground water recharge may occur;

2. Streamflow characteristics in small to medium size, lower elevation watersheds;


3. Winter snowfall maximums throughout the region;

4. Weather patterns across the region;

5. Base flow contribution to stream flow; and,

6. Surficial geology and quaternary stratigraphic relationships.

Two supplements accompany this report, containing tables of data, maps and charts that are referenced throughout Section 3, Analysis Themes, in particular.

1.4 RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FUTURE WORK

1.4.1 DATA GAPS

1. Hydrometric Stations: 3‐5 new stations. There exist thousands of water courses in the

Montney Water Project area. Collection of new hydrometric data should focus on filling in gaps

based on watershed size, precipitation regime, and elevation. Farrell and Cache Creek

watersheds are two of the largest drainage systems in the Montney Water Project area with no

hydrometric information. Existing hydrometric stations in the region have good representation

at small and large watershed scale, and mid‐high elevations. Farrell and Cache are medium size,

low‐mid elevation watersheds. Other potential locations are Stewart, Septimus, Eight Mile and

Red Creeks. These are small watersheds (100‐200 km2) at low elevations, and in the fairway of

the Montney Trend.

2. Weather station network ‐ 8‐10 new stations. The ClimateBC model highlights extreme

variations in precipitation, particularly, expected throughout the Montney Water Project area.

Precipitation is the controlling factor in generating runoff, and as such the quality of hydrologic

models in large part depends on the quality of meteorological inputs. ClimateBC provides high

quality climate data; hydrologic modelling requires weather data ‐ in most cases daily records as

factors such as intensity, duration and frequency of precipitation events are very relevant in

runoff generation. Precipitation, temperature, radiation, humidity and wind speed data should

be collected. Water temperature and soil moisture sensors may be useful where applicable.

Selected sites measuring evapotranspiration may also be useful. Weather stations should be co‐

located with any new hydrometric stations, and may also be co‐located at existing hydrometric

stations where no weather stations are present. Weather information has wide ranging uses

beyond hydrologic modelling and as such, shared, real‐time access to data should be a

component of any network installed. If Geoscience BC chooses to install weather stations,

joining the MOU signed November 2010 with the Province of B.C., BC Hydro, UVic and Rio Tinto

Alcan should be investigated. Optimal locations for new weather stations would complement

existing Environment Canada and B.C. government stations. Potential locations are near the

confluence of the Halfway and Cameron Rivers, at or near hydrometric stations 07FB001 and

07FB008 on the Pine and Moberly Rivers, and near Salt Creek southeast of Mt. Puggins. A

station in the headwaters of the Sukunka River, with a focus on winter precipitation, though


difficult to access, would be very useful. The Sukunka River is the most productive in the region

and has a strong influence on flow conditions in the Pine River system.

3. Snow monitoring ‐ 5 ‐ 10 new locations. The majority of current snow monitoring sites are

outside of the Montney trend, in the headwaters of larger watersheds. New monitoring

locations should be sited in headwaters of smaller, lower elevation watersheds flowing through

the Montney play area. A larger sample of peak snow accumulations (March 1, April 1) spread

across the region would be preferable to fewer locations with several visits through the winter.

Sublimation and wind transport of snow are without a doubt factors influencing variations in

snow accumulations throughout the winter, but accumulation prior to melt is likely the most

relevant for hydrologic modelling applications. Manual snow monitoring should be the most

effective method as the cost‐benefit of snow pillows is likely only realized with a long‐term

commitment to data collection. Automated snow depth sensors or all season precipitation

gauges may also be integrated with weather stations.

4. Ground water information. While ground water was out of scope for this project, it is notable

that there are no ground water monitoring wells in the region. Further work to integrate

surface and shallow subsurface water resources would require such information.

1.4.2 ANALYSIS OF EXISTING DATA

1. Review Pacific Climate Impacts Consortium (PCIC) data for the Peace River Watershed (to be

released spring 2011). Results of the PCIC study will include daily estimates of runoff for a

historical period as well as a future model. This data will be useful for considering the hydrology

of ungauged watersheds in the Montney region and also for considering future trends in timing

and quantity throughout the region.

2. Investigate coupling of monthly precipitation patterns from ClimateWNA with hydrometric

information for gauged watersheds. ClimateWNA provides access to yearly records of climate

and allows for monthly variables to be derived. Analyzing these variables with associated

hydrometric data may provide insight into climatic conditions causing drought or peak flow

events in the hydrometric record. At a larger temporal scale, time‐series analysis of annual

precipitation amounts in relation to total annual discharge may be instructive.

3. Develop more effective relationships for estimating hydrologic factors in ungauged

watersheds. Factors for estimating hydrologic parameters in ungauged watersheds were

produced in this report by correlation with watershed size. More effective relationships may be

developed, in particular for total annual discharge, through the addition of a climatic input

factor such as mean annual precipitation in the watersheds.

4. Unit hydrographic analysis may be performed to evaluate the response of select watersheds

to precipitation events, and to identify contribution of runoff from ground water.

Additionally, instantaneous or geomorphologic instantaneous unit hydrographs may provide

insight into conditions in ungauged watersheds.


5. Spatial analysis of precipitation, evapotranspiration, and runoff may allow for identification of

areas, timing and amount of ground water recharge (Riddell and Slattery, 2010).

1.5 CONCLUSIONS

Understanding the various components of the hydrologic cycle is an important first step in evaluating

potential sources of water for extraction and use. Significant volumes of water move across the surface

of the watersheds that were evaluated on an annual basis, and large inter‐annual differences in these

volumes exist, as a result of multi‐year precipitation patterns and amounts. Ease of access to sufficient

sources of water at surface, in shallow aquifers, and in deep saline aquifers will vary in an extreme

manner geographically across the Montney play, and also seasonally throughout the year.

For long term viability of the development in the Montney play, and to ensure the economic benefits of

the natural gas resource are realized by all stakeholders, access to surface water resources for use in oil

and gas development must be regulated by clear, science‐based policies. Acknowledging that ecologic

and human consumptive uses take priority in times of drought, outside of these times access to surface

water for use in oil and gas development should be allocated in a fair and equitable manner. Various

methods exist to store surface water. These may merit investigation, to retain a portion of spring runoff

for use later in the year.


2 METHODS

2.1 STUDY AREA

The extent of the surface water component of the Montney Water Project was influenced by the

delineation of the potential Montney play (BC Ministry of Energy, 2010). The study area was defined by

the upstream extents of watersheds for rivers passing through the potential Montney play area (Figure

2). The entire study area is within the Peace River watershed, but does not include contributing areas to

the Peace River upstream of the W.A.C. Bennett Dam.

Figure 2. Montney Water Project Study Area.


2.2 GIS AND DATABASE FRAMEWORK

The data requirements for the GIS and database framework were defined through a survey of existing

hydrologic and hydrogeologic models (Kerr, 2010). A spatial data inventory, organized as a matrix listing

data source name, category, description, source, date of access and online metadata reference is

provided in Appendix 1. Several of the data themes collected are published products and not updated

regularly. Others, in particular licensing data, are updated as frequently as daily. Analysis requiring

current information of this type should be performed on updated data sets acquired from the links

provided in Appendix 1.

An entity‐relationship diagram was created describing the attribute characteristics of each data theme

collected, and relationships between tables as appropriate (Appendix 2). The majority of the

relationships between data themes are defined by their spatial relationships and are not implicitly

defined within a traditional database context.

Some specific characteristics of data themes were not available, but may be derived from data that has

been collected based on expert, topic specific knowledge. An example of this type of information is

seasonal trends in leaf area index (LAI) for specific tree species. Spatial estimates for LAI could be

derived using the stand level mapping (VRI) from the B.C. Ministry of Forests.

2.3 WATERSHEDS

The hydrologic analysis of surface water characteristics was broken down by watershed or watershed

groupings within the study area. The Beatton River watershed was excluded from analysis as the

majority of the watershed is outside of the Montney Trend. Watershed size, stream order and

magnitude are shown in Table 1.

Table 1. Watersheds in the Montney Water Project Area.

Watershed Area (km2) Stream Order * Stream Magnitude **

Beatton River 14274 8 13592

Pine River 13497 8 23052

Halfway River 9358 8 18334

Kiskatinaw River 4053 6 3163

Moberly River 1897 6 2142

Pouce Coupe River 1633 6 1794

Cache Creek 935 6 850

Alces River 841 5 544

Farrell Creek 643 5 597

Gething Creek 349 6 552

Lynx Creek 320 5 220

Maurice Creek 262 5 226

Johnson Creek 210 5 324

Wilder Creek 100 4 119


Watershed Area (km2) Stream Order * Stream Magnitude ** Eight Mile Creek 96 4 50

Portage Creek 81 4 50

Six Mile Creek 74 4 54

Little Clear River 59 6 406

Dry Creek 58 3 29

Golata Creek 54 3 24

Pingel Creek 41 4 48

Rudyk Coulee 40 3 18

Stott Creek 34 4 71

Tea Creek 33 3 26

Moonlight Creek 32 3 23

Merlin Creek 16 3 18

Moosebar Creek 16 3 13

Starfish Creek 13 3 21

Four Mile Creek 12 3 10

Elizabeth Creek 8 2 7

Mogul Creek 4 3 7

Island Creek 3 1 1

* Modified Strahler order, the number of upstream branches in the watershed.

** Modified Shreves magnitude, the number of stream segments contributing to the outlet of the watershed.

2.3.1 FARRELL / CACHE The Farrell and Cache Creek watersheds are located on the north side of the Peace River on either side

of the Halfway River watershed (Figure 2). These two watersheds contain scattered settlements and

farmsteads.

Cache Creek watershed is directly east of the Halfway River watershed and is 901 km2 in size. The

watershed is roughly 75 % forested, with the majority of the remaining land cover being comprised of

farm and ranch lands. The main economic activities in the watershed include logging, natural gas

exploration and development, and agriculture. Coal tenures are located in the western border of the

watershed.

Farrell Creek watershed is directly west of the Halfway River watershed and is 609 km2 in size. Almost

80% of the watershed is forested. This watershed is comprised of more wetland areas than Cache Creek

watershed and fewer areas suitable for agriculture. Natural gas and forest activities occur throughout

the watershed.

2.3.2 HALFWAY RIVER

The Halfway River originates in the Muskwa Ranges of the Rocky Mountains and flows from Robb Lake

east to Pink Mountain continuing south and south‐east until emptying into the Peace River downstream

of Hudson's Hope (Figure 2). The Halfway River watershed covers approximately 9,400 km2 and is


substantially covered by forested lands with the remaining area consisting of alpine areas and wetlands.

Several major watercourses flow into the main stem of the Halfway, including the Graham, Chowade

and Cameron Rivers and Cypress Creek.

Oil and gas activity is scattered throughout the eastern half of the watershed, with several conventional

fields including Beg, Town, Gundy and Blueberry on the watershed’s eastern border with the Beatton

River watershed. Forestry operations also occur in the watershed as well as guide‐outfitting, ranching

and tourism.

The Halfway River watershed is home to the Upper Halfway First Nations Reserve with a population of

approximately 225 band members. There are also about a dozen ranches scattered along the Halfway

River just north of the Upper Halfway Reserve.

2.3.3 KISKATINAW RIVER

The Kiskatinaw River originates in B.C.’s Rocky Mountain foothills at Bearhole Lake and flows into the

Peace River just west of the B.C. – Alberta border (Figure 2). The river drains an area roughly 4,000 km2

in size. Almost one‐quarter of the watershed is covered by crop or rangeland with the majority of the

remaining lands being forested. Its major tributaries include Hourglass, Jackpine, Sundown and Burial

creeks which flow into the West Kiskatinaw River; Sunderman, Borden and Ministik creeks which flow

into the East Kiskatinaw River; and Oetata, Brassey, Tremblay, Norrie and Coal creeks which flow into

the main stem.

A distinguishing feature of the Kiskatinaw watershed is that it contains no major urban centers. The

watershed boasts a healthy ranching and farming area with a significant amount of forestry and natural

gas exploration and development activity. Coal resources are concentrated in the headwaters of the

West Kiskatinaw, while natural gas exploration and development activity is scattered throughout the

watershed. The City of Dawson Creek and the Town of Pouce Coupe, just outside the watershed to the

east, utilize the Kiskatinaw River for their water supply. Recreation and tourism are popular activities in

the watershed.

2.3.4 MOBERLY RIVER

The headwaters of the Moberly River originate in the Rocky Mountains and flow eastward through the

foothills into Moberly Lake (Figure 2). Moberly Lake, the watershed’s largest, is drained by the

continuation of the Moberly River which flows northeast through the Peace plateau where it empties

into the Peace River, just south of Fort St. John. The watershed comprises an area of 1,850 km2, the

majority of which is forested.

The Saulteau and West Moberly Lake First Nations each have communities on the eastern and western

shores of Moberly Lake. Economic activity in the area has been primarily in the forest sector, agriculture

sector, retail trade, coal mining and natural gas exploration. Agriculture and tourism are both important

as are trapping, hunting and fishing activities. Coal resources are concentrated in the headwaters while

gas exploration and development activities are focused in the northeastern portion of the watershed.


2.3.5 PEACE RIVER VALLEY

The Peace River valley is a broad plain from the W.A.C. Bennett Dam in the west to the B.C./Alberta

border in the east (Figure 2). Four main tributaries flow north into the Peace River (Maurice, Pingel, Six

Mile and Eight Mile Creeks); six tributaries flow south into the Peace (Lynx, Dry, Wilder, Tea, Four Mile

Creeks and Rudyk Coulee) and one tributary occurs partially in B.C. but empties into the Peace River east

of the B.C./Alberta border (Merlin Creek).

The communities of Fort St. John (population 19,000), Taylor (population 1,300) and Hudson’s Hope

(population 1,000) are all located in the valley. The City of Fort St. John is the largest regional service

center in northeastern BC, servicing 60,000 people in the area.

The south‐western most arm of the watershed including the banks of the Peace River from the W.A.C.

Bennett Dam to Dinosaur Lake, and Maurice Creek watershed, is largely forested and uninhabited. Lynx

and Dry Creek, on the north side of the Peace River are still generally forested but contain more rural

areas and farmland. Traveling east from Hudson’s Hope to the B.C./Alberta border the watershed is

dominated by settlements, farm and ranch land on the north side of the river. The watershed areas

south of the Peace River from Hudson’s Hope to Taylor are generally forested. Tributaries flowing north

into the Peace River east of Taylor (Pingel, Six Mile and Eight Mile Creeks) change from forested to

mostly agricultural in the rolling lowland areas.

The W.A.C. Bennett Dam is located in the most westerly part of this watershed with a second, The Peace

Canyon Dam, located 16km downstream. These dams together contribute to one third of the electrical

power generated in the province. In addition, the valley hosts natural gas, forestry, coal, tourism and

agriculture resources and related activities.

2.3.6 PINE RIVER

The Pine River originates in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia and flows into the Peace River near

the community of Taylor (Figure 2). The river drains an area roughly 13,500 km2 in size and has a total

length of 290 km. The majority of the watershed is forested and its major tributaries include the

Murray, Sukunka and Wolverine Rivers. Gwillim Lake is the watershed’s largest lake, located in the

foothills of the Rocky Mountains.

The watershed is home to the communities of Chetwynd and Tumbler Ridge, both of which are service

centres for a diverse range of industries – logging, sawmills and pulping, natural gas development,

production and transportation, coal mining, wind generated power, ranching and farming. Other

activities include those related to recreation and tourism. Coal mining is concentrated in the

headwaters, while natural gas exploration and development activity is scattered throughout the

watershed, with specific concentrations of interest in the lower portion where the Pine borders the

Kiskatinaw and Moberly River watersheds.


The Pine River is the primary water source for Chetwynd, while Tumbler Ridge draws its water from

wells. Within the watershed, Highways 29 and 97 intersect Chetwynd and a rail line branches off in

three directions: north to Fort St. John, east to Dawson Creek and west to Prince George.

2.3.7 POUCE COUPE RIVER

The information below relates to the B.C. portion of the Pouce Coupe watershed, unless otherwise

stated. This is the Peace River's most easterly major tributary in B.C. and is characterized by rolling hills

and crop land (approximately 60%) as well as forested land in the southern portion of the watershed.

The headwaters of the Pouce Coupe River originate in Alberta where they flow west into B.C. and then

meander in a northerly direction before returning to Alberta to empty into the Peace River (Figure 2).

The watershed is approximately 1600km2 in size, of which 1150km2 is within the Agricultural Land

Reserve. The largest lake in the watershed is Swan Lake.

Major tributaries in the B.C. portion of the watershed include the Tupper River, Dawson Creek,

Saskatoon Creek and Bissette Creek. Agricultural, oil and gas development, timber harvesting and

energy production dominate the resource activities within the watershed. The City of Dawson Creek

and the Village of Pouce Coupe are located in this watershed, although both draw water from the

adjacent Kiskatinaw River watershed. The first wind farm in B.C., Bear Mountain Wind Park is located in

the Pouce Coupe watershed, less than 15km southwest of Dawson Creek, B.C. on top of Bear Mountain.

2.4 DATA SOURCES

Hydrologic analysis, as described in Section 3, was performed on several key themes of the hydrologic

cycle. This analysis should be considered as an initial investigation, suitable for determining broad

watershed characteristics for selected components of the hydrologic cycle. Additional analysis may be

completed on the same data used here, and also on other data compiled as part of this project and

other components of the Montney Water Project. Further evaluation of the suitability of specific water

courses or bodies as sources for industrial use may be performed using data provided by this component

of the Montney Water Project and may also require the collection of additional data. Final evaluation of

when, where, from what source, and how much water may be used, rests with the regulator.

2.4.1 STREAMFLOW

Water Survey of Canada hydrometric data was used for all stream flow analysis. Data was accessed

from the most recent version of the HYDAT database released October 18, 2010, using the Green Kenue

software provided by the Canadian Hydraulics Centre / National Research Council.

2.4.2 LAKES

Lake sizes, locations and volumes were determined using the BC Freshwater Atlas and bathymetric maps

from the B.C. Ministry of Environment.


ClimateBC was developed by researchers at the University of British Columbia in collaboration with the BC

Ministry of Forests, in order to provide high resolution climate data for resource management in Western

Canada. Recent updates have expanded the scope of the project to Western North America in

ClimateWNA. These products are based on PRISM Climate Data developed by Oregon State University,

with improved elevation related variations, additional modelled parameters, and the introduction of

forward looking climate predictions based on a variety of global circulation models.

ClimateWNA provides ready access to historical and future climate data at any resolution. However, that

there are important limitations. The data represent weather station climate. Thus, features such as rain

shadows, temperature inversions, and slope and aspect effects are modeled at a scale of several

kilometers, while lapse‐rate driven temperature differences are represented at the scale hundreds of

metres. Small‐scale climate features such as frost pockets or local slope and aspect effects are not

represented. The shorter the historical time interval of interest, the less reliable the climate surfaces

(http://www.pacificclimate.org/docs/publications/F090116_ExecutiveSummary.pdf)

The latest release of the ClimateBC project, ClimateWNA, provides estimates of annual potential

evaporation and climatic moisture deficit based on climate stations with monthly normals of sunshine

hours, air temperature and precipitation. This is reference evaporation, and does not consider vegetative

or soil moisture conditions.

The ClimateWNA project does not provide grids of data but rather a program which allows users to

generate based on their specifications (time period, scale, climate change scenario, etc).

2.4.3 WATER BALANCE

Water balances were calculated using precipitation inputs from the ClimateBC and ClimateWNA models

(see 2.4.6), and discharges from Water Survey of Canada hydrometric stations.

2.4.4 SURFICIAL MATERIALS AND LAND USE

Surficial material, land use and vegetation characteristics were determined from surficial maps

published by the Geological Survey of Canada, the Baseline Thematic Mapping Program of the B.C.

Ministry of Environment and the Vegetation Resources Inventory of the B.C. Ministry of Forests.

2.4.5 GROUND WATER AND PALEOVALLEYS

Discussion of ground water and paleovalleys is based on ground water wells and aquifer mapping from

the B.C. Ministry of Environment and preliminary interpretation of potential paleovalleys by the B.C.

Ministry of Energy (further results to be delivered as part of the MWP partnership).

2.4.6 CLIMATE AND FUTURE CLIMATE MODEL (2010‐2039)

Analysis of historical and future climate is based on data generated using the ClimateBC and

ClimateWNA products published by the University of British Columbia. Historical climate is for the

reference period 1961‐1990 (Daly et al. 2002) and the future climate predictions are based on the

CGCM2‐A2x and CGCM3‐A2 climate models from the Canadian Centre for Climate Modelling and

Analysis.


3 ANALYSIS THEMES

3.1 STREAMFLOW

Hydrometric stations operated by the Water Survey of Canada were analyzed to identify several key

parameters of flow characteristics in the study area:

total annual flow volumes

inter‐annual variability

seasonal flow volumes

drought flows

peak flows

flow duration

These analyses provide information useful to understanding flow conditions in the associated

watersheds such as intra‐annual timing of peak flows, periods of low flow and magnitude of flood and

drought flow events.

Of the 25 stations with current or historical data available, 17 were analyzed. Stations on the Peace

River, lake outlet stations, stations with less than five years of record, and stations with only seasonal

records were omitted. Table 2 and Figure 3 show the list and location of the 21 stations.

Table 2. Water Survey of Canada Hydrometric Stations.

Station # Station Name

07FA001 HALFWAY RIVER NEAR FARRELL CREEK (LOWER STATION)

07FA003 HALFWAY RIVER ABOVE GRAHAM RIVER

07FA005 GRAHAM RIVER ABOVE COLT CREEK

07FA006 HALFWAY RIVER NEAR FARRELL CREEK

07FB001 PINE RIVER AT EAST PINE

07FB002 MURRAY RIVER NEAR THE MOUTH

07FB003 SUKUNKA RIVER NEAR THE MOUTH

07FB004 DICKEBUSCH CREEK NEAR THE MOUTH

07FB005 QUALITY CREEK NEAR THE MOUTH

07FB006 MURRAY RIVER ABOVE WOLVERINE RIVER

07FB007 SUKUNKA RIVER ABOVE CHAMBERLAIN CREEK

07FB008 MOBERLY RIVER NEAR FORT ST. JOHN

07FB009 FLATBED CREEK AT KILOMETRE 110 HERITAGE HIGHWAY

07FB011 WINDREM CREEK NEAR CHETWYND

07FC001 BEATTON RIVER NEAR FORT ST. JOHN

07FC002 ST. JOHN CREEK NEAR MONTNEY

07FC003 BLUEBERRY RIVER BELOW AITKEN CREEK

07FD001 KISKATINAW RIVER NEAR FARMINGTON

07FD004 ALCES RIVER AT 22ND BASE LINE

07FD007 POUCE COUPE RIVER BELOW HENDERSON CREEK

07FD015 DAWSON CREEK ABOVE SOUTH DAWSON CREEK


Figure 3. Location of Water Survey of Canada Hydrometric Stations.

3.1.1 METHODS

Seasonal flow volumes were characterized using box‐plots which provide an effective means of

visualizing the range of values and distribution around the median, for flow conditions on a monthly

basis.

Flow duration curves were created which provide information on the ability of the watershed to provide

flows of varying magnitudes. The high flow region of the curve provides information on the flood


regime of the basin, and differs greatly for rainfall and snow‐melt dominated watersheds. Snow

dominated watersheds have significant flows during the spring melt, and during this time flows are

sustained at high levels. In rainfall dominated watersheds, supply to channel flow is not limited by the

rate of snow melt, and large volumes of water can pass through the river system during storm events

where soil becomes saturated and runoff occurs as overland flow. The low flow region of the curve

indicates the ability of the stream to sustain flow during dry seasons which, on un‐regulated drainages,

is provided by storage reservoirs in the watershed (lakes, wetlands, ground water). The 50th percentile

is the mean daily stream flow.

Peak flows were calculated using log‐Pearson Type III Distributions and skew coefficients (Haan 1977,

Table 7.7) and are based on daily maximum discharges. This data provided a more complete record

than maximum instantaneous discharges but will provide lower estimates than had instantaneous

values been used.

Total Annual flows were generated from mean monthly flows and only considered for years with

complete monitoring records.

All charts for stream flow are located in Supplement 1.

Low flow characteristics at monitoring stations were determined using the 7 day low flow period with 10

year recurrence interval, which is commonly used as a general indicator of drought conditions. These

values were calculated using the hydrologic analysis program DFLOW (USGS) for the majority of stations

and compared with other published values for these stations where available.

All temporal type analyses of stream flow assume stationarity in the data ‐ that stream flow is not

trending. This is likely not the case. Long range flood recurrence predictions (50, 100, 200 year) should

be considered in this context and should also be treated carefully as these projections are much longer

than periods of available monitoring information. Results from the peak, total, and drought flow

analyses are available in Table 3.

The Farrell and Cache Creek watersheds do not have any hydrometric data available for analysis. All of

the smaller tributaries along the Peace River Valley likewise do not have any hydrometric monitoring

data. These watersheds are part of the Southern Interior Plains hydrologic zone and also the Northeast

Plains low flow zone as identified by the B.C. Streamflow Inventory Report (Coulson and Obedkoff,

1998). The hydrologic monitoring stations on the Alces River (07FD004) and the Blueberry River

(07FC003) are likely the most suitable references for hydrologic conditions in these ungauged

watersheds, based on physiographic setting and climatic conditions.

Recent research in the western Sierra Nevada range in the USA found inter‐watershed differences in

mean annual stream flow nearly completely accounted for by inter‐watershed differences in mean April

1 snow covered area and annual precipitation mean and skew (Trask and Fogg, 2009). The importance

of understanding maximum winter snowfall accumulation when modelling hydrology has also been

identified by the lead modeller on the Peace River hydrology project at the Pacific Climate Impacts

Consortium (M. Schnorbus, pers. comm., Nov. 2010).


Table 3. Results of hydrologic analysis.

STATION NUMBER

STATION NAME 7Q10 (m3/s)

2 YR FLOOD (m3/s)

10 YR FLOOD (m3/s)

MEDIAN ANNUAL

DISCHARGE (dam3)

Period of Record*

07FA001 HALFWAY RIVER NEAR FARRELL CREEK (LOWER STATION)

4.43 609.4 1312 2096067.04 1965‐1983

07FA003 HALFWAY RIVER ABOVE GRAHAM RIVER

2.71 331.6 621.5 1067314.10 1978‐1995

07FA005 GRAHAM RIVER ABOVE COLT CREEK 3.23 158.2 292.3 791329.07 1981‐2008

07FA006 HALFWAY RIVER NEAR FARRELL CREEK

7.29 615.2 1440 2330806.54 1984‐2008

07FB001 PINE RIVER AT EAST PINE 17.6 1358 2462 5873450.40 1965‐2008

07FB003 SUKUNKA RIVER NEAR THE MOUTH 4.22 451.4 642.8 2640114.01 1978‐2008

07FB004 DICKEBUSCH CREEK NEAR THE MOUTH

6.64 32.53 17492.85 1978‐2008

07FB005 QUALITY CREEK NEAR THE MOUTH 2.56 6.44 5667.61 1978‐2000

07FB006 MURRAY RIVER ABOVE WOLVERINE RIVER

351.6 565.8 1815350.40 1978‐2008

07FB007 SUKUNKA RIVER ABOVE CHAMBERLAIN CREEK

187.5 250.7 749033.47 1978‐1985

07FB008 MOBERLY RIVER NEAR FORT ST. JOHN 0.455 67.26 107.1 375695.71 1980‐2008

07FB009 FLATBED CREEK AT KILOMETRE 110 HERITAGE HIGHWAY

0.15 40.86 105.4 127908.85 1983‐2008

07FC001 BEATTON RIVER NEAR FORT ST. JOHN 682.9 1239 1688804.97 1966‐2008

07FC003 BLUEBERRY RIVER BELOW AITKEN CREEK

107.1 281.6 149391.22 1965‐2007

07FD001 KISKATINAW RIVER NEAR FARMINGTON

0.0883 226.4 630.6 310584.97 1966‐2008

07FD004 ALCES RIVER AT 22ND BASE LINE 6.82 19.75 15513.33 1985‐2008

07FD007 POUCE COUPE RIVER BELOW HENDERSON CREEK

0.005 105.23 259.55 183877.73 1972‐2008

*Period of record refers to continuous, year round data.

7Q10 = 7 day low flow, recurrence interval 10 years (calculated using DFLOW, USGS).

2 YR FLOOD = Maximum daily discharge, recurrence interval 2 years (Log‐Pearson Type III distribution).

10 YR FLOOD = Maximum daily discharge, recurrence interval 10 years (Log‐Pearson Type III

distribution).


1

10

100

1000

10000

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

Discharge

(m3/s)

Percent of time that indicated discharge was equaled or exceeded

07FA006 Halfway River near Farrell CreekFlow Duration Curve (1984 ‐ 2008)

DATA SOURCE: Water Survey of Canada

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec

Mean

Montly Discharge

m3/s

07FA006 Halfway River near Farrell CreekMean Monthly Discharge

DATA SOURCE: WaterSurvey of Canada

3.1.2 HALFWAY RIVER

There are two active and three inactive hydrometric stations in the Halfway River watershed. Four of

these have periods of record suitable for annual comparisons.

The Halfway is a large river system with an average discharge of 40m3/s near its confluence with the

Peace. The largest volume of water regularly passes through the system in June. Large maximums for

mean monthly flows during the spring freshet (Figure 4) and a steeply sloped flow duration curve for

large discharges (Figure 5) emphasize the magnitude of flood events this system experiences.

Discharge in the Halfway and its tributaries is not significantly impacted during drought conditions

(Figure 5). This is especially true for the Graham River, the southern‐most major tributary with

headwaters deep in the Rockies (Figure 6).

Figure 4. Mean Monthly Discharge Halfway River near Farrell Creek.

Figure 5. Flow Duration Curve Halfway River near Farrell Creek 1984 – 2008).


0.001

0.01

0.1

1

10

100

1000

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

Discharge (m

3/s)


07FD001 Kiskatinaw River near FarmingtonFlow Duration Curve (1944 ‐ 2008)

DATA SOURCE: Water Surveyof Canada

1

10

100

1000

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

Discharge (m

3/s)


07FA005 Graham River above Colt CreekFlow Duration Curve (1981 ‐ 2008)



In the Kiskatinaw River watershed, small probability flow occurrences (both large and small) are extreme

in relation to normal conditions (Figure 7). Average discharge over the year is approximately 2 m3/s, but

outside of May and June this may dwindle to a trickle (Figure 8). Very small minimum monthly

discharges for May and June suggest inter‐annual variations in snow accumulation and subsequent melt

significantly impact total

volumes of water flowing

through the river system.

High maximum values for

mean monthly flows in late

summer, due to storm

events, can contribute large

volumes of water to the

system, but the closeness of

P25, median and P75 values

to zero indicate base flow

contributed by reservoirs in

the watershed (lakes,

wetlands, ground water)

cannot sustain flow

conditions through

Figure 6. Flow Duration Curve Graham River above Colt Creek (1981 – 2008).

Figure 7. Flow Duration Curve Kiskatinaw River near Farmington (1944 – 2008).


0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90


Mean Monthly Discharge

m3/s

07FB008 Moberly River near Fort St. JohnMean Annual Discharge


extended periods of drought (Figure 8). This is further supported by the rapid decline in discharge

above the 95th exceedance probability percentile on the flow duration curve (Figure 7).

3.1.4 MOBERLY RIVER

The only hydrometric station in the Moberly River watershed (07FB008) is midway between Moberly

Lake and the Peace River (Figure 3). Moberly Lake acts as a buffer to large peak flows and limits the

magnitude of food events in comparison with other major river systems in the region (Figure 9 and Table

3). Similar to peak flow events, drought flows are buffered by Moberly Lake. The flow duration curve

exhibits a very low slope over the 60‐90th percentile flows.

Figure 8. Mean Monthly Discharge Kiskatinaw River near Farmington.

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

180


Mean Monthly Discharge m

3/s

07FD001 Kiskatinaw River near FarmingtonMean Monthly Discharge


Figure 9. Mean Annual Discharge Moberly River near Fort St. John.


0

100,000

200,000

300,000

400,000

500,000

600,000

700,000

1980

1981

1982

1983

1984

1985

1986

1987

1988

1989

1990

1991

1992

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

Annual Discharge

(dam

3 )

Year

Total Annual Discharge 07FB008 Moberly River near Fort St. John (1980 ‐ 2008)


Median peak flows occur in June and are driven by snow melt through the late spring (Figure 9). Total

annual flow volume in the Moberly River is relatively consistent with a decadal oscillation in peak

volumes (Figure 10).

3.1.5 PINE RIVER

Snow melt dominates contributions to stream flow at the whole watershed scale and for larger

tributaries with headwaters in mountains, with a May/June freshet (Figure 11). A long‐tail distribution

of late summer / early fall flows suggests strong base flow contributions (Figure 11). Median peak flows

have the same timing at stations on smaller watersheds such as 07FB005 and 07FB009, but extreme

high flows on a monthly basis are found later in the summer and are due to storm events (Figure 12 and

Figure 13).

Low flow years such as those in 1988 and 1992 are found at many of the stations within the watershed

but are not consistent comparatively or in magnitude in relation to other years (Figure 14).

Figure 10. Total Annual Discharge Moberly River near Fort St. John (1980 – 2008).


0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400



3/s

07FB001 Pine River at East PineMean Monthly Discharge


0.0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1.0

1.2

1.4

1.6

1.8


Mean

Monthly Discharge m

3/s

07FB005 Quality Creek near the MouthMean Monthly Flow


Figure 11. Mean Monthly Discharge Pine River at East Pine

Figure 13. Mean Monthly Discharge Flatbed Creek at Kilometre 110 Heritage Hwy.

Figure 12. Mean Monthly Discharge Quality Creek near the mouth.

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40


Mean

Monthly Discharge

m3/s

07FB009 Flatbed Creek at Kilometre 110 Heritage HighwayMean Monthly Discharge



0

1,000,000

2,000,000

3,000,000

4,000,000

5,000,000

6,000,000

7,000,000

8,000,000

9,000,000

1965

1966

1967

1968

1969

1970

1971

1972

1973

1974

1975

1976

1977

1978

1979

1980

1981

1982

1983

1984

1985

1986

1987

1988

1989

1990

1991

1992

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

Annual Discharge

(dam

3 )

Year

Total Annual Discharge07FB001 Pine River at East Pine (1965 ‐ 2008)

DATA SOURCE:Water Survey of Canada

0

100,000

200,000

300,000

400,000

500,000

600,000

700,000

1972

1973

1974

1975

1976

1977

1978

1979

1980

1981

1982

1983

1984

1985

1986

1987

1988

1989

1990

1991

1992

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

Annual Discharge

(dam

3 )

Year

Total Annual Discharge 07FD007 Pouce Coupe River below Henderson Creek (1972 ‐ 2008)


Figure 15. Total Annual Discharge Pouce Coupe River below Henderson Creek (1972 – 2008).


Flow conditions in the Pouce Coupe River are highly variable. Inter‐annual variability appears to be

largely due to differences in snow‐melt contribution to spring freshet (Figure 15). The maximum

discharge for the month of

April is larger than 50% of

the entire years of record

(Figure 16, Figure 15). Low

flow conditions typically

occur beginning in

November and continue

through to March. April to

July are the only months

where substantial discharge

regularly occurs (Figure 16).

Mean discharge in the river

is less than 1 m3/s.

Significant late summer

flows have been experienced

Figure 14. Total Annual Discharge Pine River at East Pine (1965 – 2008).


Figure 17. Flow Duration Curve Pouce Coupe River below Henderson Creek 1971 – 2008).

0.0001

0.001

0.01

0.1

1

10

100

1000

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

Discharge (m

3/s)


07FD007 Pouce Coupe RIver below Henderson CreekFlow Duration Curve (1971 ‐ 2008)

DATA SOURCE: Water Surveyof Canada

and are due to extreme storm events. Median, P25 and P75 late summer flows (Figure 16) as well as

the flow duration curve (Figure 17) suggest that small base flows are regularly supported by a storage

system (lake, wetland, or ground water) in communication with the Pouce Coupe River or a tributary.

The tight fit around the median suggests that usual conditions see summer precipitation evaporated or

transpired through vegetation.

0

20

40

60

80

100

120



3/s

07FD007 Pouce Coupe River below Henderson CreekMean Monthly Discharge


Figure 16. Mean Monthly Flow Pouce Coupe River below Henderson Creek.


3.2 LAKES

Several thousand lakes exist within the Montney Water Project area, of various sizes, shapes and

depths. Description of the location and size (area) of lakes has been defined by the B.C. Freshwater

Atlas, a mapping project at 1:20,000 scale. As a result of this large scale mapping, many features not

traditionally considered as lakes are included ‐ remnant oxbows, small ponds, etc. All bodies of

standing, open water, including those as small as 100m2 are included in this data set.

These small bodies of water will likely not prove useful as sources of water for industrial use, but their

distribution across the landscape along with wetlands may prove useful insight into understanding

ground conditions and potential operational issues in areas of interest, and are included in the database

for completeness.

Bathymetric maps have been collected by the BC Ministry of Environment and provide information such

as maximum and average depths, perimeter, area and volume. All bathymetric maps are available in the

database for this project.

3.2.1 METHODS

For each major watershed within the study area, a map has been produced showing the surface area of

lakes in each smaller, assessment watershed. Given current short‐term licensing standards by the

regulator, there is likely a minimum surface area below which withdrawal from lakes is not practical.

Considering the gross surface area at an assessment watershed scale provides a first pass at

understanding the amount of water present in lakes and the distribution of this water across the project

area. Lake areas are also presented as histograms based on surface area categories for each watershed.

Maps and histograms for all of the watersheds are available in Supplement 2.

3.2.2 FARRELL / CACHE

In the Cache Creek watershed, there are two lakes of significant size. Inga Lake (55 ha) forms the

headwaters of Cache Creek, which passes through a slightly smaller (42 ha), unnamed lake

approximately 15km downstream. Of the 201 other lakes in the watershed, all are under 3 ha

(Supplement 1 Figure XX). Chunamun [sic] Lake (46 ha) is the largest in the Farrell Creek watershed.

There are 3 other lakes greater than 10 ha, all located in the central to northern extent of the

watershed. All of the remaining 152 lakes are < 2 ha in size, and are generally located along or adjacent

to streams.

Bathymetric maps exist for one lake in each of the Farrell and Cache Creek watersheds. Chunamun Lake

is located in the far southwest of the Farrell Creek watershed, near Williston Lake. Inga Lake is in the far

northwest of the Cache Creek watershed, close to the Alaska Highway.


3.2.3 HALFWAY RIVER

The two largest lakes in the Halfway River watershed, Robb and Lady Laurier Lakes, are deep in the

Rocky Mountains and form the upper‐most headwaters of the Halfway and Graham Rivers. Davis Lake

(32 ha) is just south of the Halfway River near the confluence with the Graham River. 82 of the nearly

1900 lakes in the watershed are larger than 2 ha. The majority of the remainder are a fraction of a

hectare in size. Many of these are abandoned oxbows or ponds near to present drainages (Supplement

1 Figure XX).

There are no lakes with publically available bathymetric data.


There are close to 1500 lakes in the Kiskatinaw River watershed. Over 100 of these are larger than 2 ha.

Most of these larger lakes are in the southern, forested portion of the watershed, with Scott (58 ha) and

Norrie (30 ha) Lakes being notable exceptions, located on the Sunset Creek tributary in the northwest

part of the watershed.

Over 1000 very small (<1/3 ha) water bodies are distributed throughout the watershed, many of which

are in the northern portion which is heavily farmed. Some of these ponds may be man‐made but many

are connected by extensive dendritic drainage networks, most of which likely flow for a small portion of

the year.

Bathymetric maps are available for 7 lakes within the Kiskatinaw River watershed (Rat, Cutbank, One

Island, Boot, Blackhawk, Bearhole and Trout Lakes).

3.2.5 MOBERLY RIVER

At nearly 3000 ha, Moberly Lake is one of the biggest lakes in northeast B.C., and the largest lake in the

Montney Water Project area. Nearly 500 lakes are mapped in this watershed. Close to 400 of these are

smaller than 1 ha, many of which are abandoned oxbows or other channel segments upstream of

Moberly Lake and open water features in wetlands downstream near the Peace River. A number of

larger lakes are found in the lower portion of the watershed, including Boucher (124 ha), Rene (64 ha),

and several unnamed lakes. The Cameron Lakes are 60 and 70 ha in size and are located just north of

Moberly Lake.

Bathymetric maps are available for 4 lakes within the Moberly River watershed (Boucher, North and

South Cameron, and Moberly Lakes).


Approximately 800 lakes are mapped in the Peace River Valley and smaller tributary watersheds from

the W.A.C. Bennett Dam to the Alberta border. Only 26 of these lakes are greater than 2 ha in size. A

cluster of 5 larger lakes (> 20 ha) including Boudreau Lake are found on the south side of the Peace River

across from the confluence with the Halfway River. Dinosaur Lake is the largest lake in the valley and is


the reservoir for the Peace Canyon Dam just west of Hudson's Hope. Tower Lake is the largest lake in

the lower Peace and is located on Eight Mile Creek, on the south side of the Peace River between the

Pine and Kiskatinaw River watersheds.

There are no lakes with publically available bathymetric data.

3.2.7 PINE RIVER

Major lakes in the Pine River watershed include Gwillim and Moose Lakes on the Gwillim River system in

the centre of the watershed and Hook, Monkman and the Blue Lakes in the headwaters of the Murray

River system in the Rockies. Gwillim Lake is estimated to hold over 300 million m3 of water. The

majority of the over 3000 lakes in the watershed are very small (< 2ha). Few lakes are found near to the

major drainages in the watershed.

Bathymetric maps are available for 80 lakes within the watershed including 5 lakes within the Montney

play trend (Wasp, Sundance, Jackfish, Big and Stewart Lakes).


The largest lake in the Pouce Coupe watershed is Swan Lake, located along the border with Alberta.

Tom’s, McWaters, Klukas and Alcock Lakes are located to in the centre of the watershed and McQueen

Slough is the largest body of water in the northern portion of the watershed. The majority of the over

1300 lakes in the watershed are very small (1250 are < 1ha). These lakes are however fairly evenly

distributed throughout the watershed, and all assessment watersheds within the Pouce Coupe

watershed have at least 2ha of lakes.

Bathymetric maps are available for 2 lakes within the watershed ‐ Swan Lake and Tom’s Lake.


3.3 WATER BALANCE

Creating a water balance for the hydrologic cycle weighs input to the system against outputs.

Precipitation (rain and snowfall) are the only input to the system. Variations occur depending on when,

where and at what rate precipitation occurs but for this purpose all of the water that enters the

watershed leaves on an average annual basis. The three dominant processes that transport water out of

the watershed are evaporation, transpiration and channel flow. Water that passes through ground

water stores may take several years to exit the system. This complicates coupling water balances on a

year to year basis (Trask and Fogg, 2009). The assumption is made that intra‐annual losses or gains to

ground water storage average out when considering median or mean values over longer periods of

record. The relationship between ground water and surface water processes requires more in depth

investigation, and in this application only considers ground water in communication with streams.

Glacial melt water may contribute to historical stream flow but is not accounted for here. Figure 18

depicts the water balance as described above, Table 4 shows the water balances calculated for

watersheds associated with Water Survey of Canada hydrometric stations.

Figure 18. Conceptualized processes and storages in the hydrologic cycle.


3.3.1 METHODS

ClimateBC and ClimateWNA (see Climate and Future Climate section) are models which were used to

produce mean annual precipitation maps for the watersheds. These maps were summed to calculate

total volume of water input. Gauged stream flow records provide one output calculations, leaving

evaporation, transpiration, and loss to ground water (ET/GW) unknown.

The Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research estimate actual evapotranspiration to be

an average of 40 ‐ 50 cm per year (Trabucco and Zomer, 2010). Evapotranspiration rates are based on a

number of factors, including solar radiation, temperature, wind speed, and soil moisture availability.

Estimates of the yearly patterns of water surplus and deficit are available for Fort St John through the

Canadian Climate Impacts Scenarios website (Figures 5 and 6). Significant runoff only occurs at times in

the year when precipitation (or supply from snowmelt) is in excess of evapo‐transpirative requirements

(Eaton and Moore, 2010).

The timing, location and quantity of water moving deeper into the ground, replenishing shallow aquifers

merits further investigation. Continued effort may allow for regional ground water recharge zones or

time periods to be identified.

Table 4. Water balances calculated for watersheds associated with Water Survey of Canada hydrometric stations.

Watershed Station Area (km2)

Precip (cm/yr)

Runoff (cm/yr)

ET/GW (cm/yr)

% Runoff

Precip 2010‐2039 (cm)

Halfway 07FA003 3745.5 57.6 28.5 29.1 49.5 60

07FA005 2103.1 64.9 37.6 27.3 57.9 66.3

07FA006 9260.9 56.9 25.2 31.7 44.3 58.1

Kiskatinaw 07FD001 3655.2 59.8 8.5 51.3 14.2 60.5

Moberly 07FB008 1540.8 62.5 24.4 38.1 39.0 63.3

Pine 07FB001 11993.0 92.3 49 43.3 53.1 93.4

07FB003 2538.9 103.2 92.3 10.9 89.4 104.5

07FB004 87.7 74.1 20 54.1 27.0 74.9

07FB005 34.7 72.5 16.3 56.2 22.5 73.2

07FB006 2364.3 102 76.8 25.2 75.3 103

07FB009 502.6 77.4 25.5 51.9 32.9 78

Pouce Coupe 07FD007 2876.5 53 6.4 46.6 12.1 53.8

Beatton 07FC001 13746.4 49.9 12.3 37.6 24.6 n/a

07FC003 1774.2 49.5 8.4 41.1 17.0 n/a

Alces 07FD004 273.9 48.7 5.7 43.0 11.6 n/a


Figure 19. Water Surplus and Deficit, Fort St. John 1961‐1990.

SOURCE: Canadian Institute for Climate Studies (Sept. 2010).

Figure 20. Precipitation and evapotranspiration, Fort St. John 1961‐1990.

SOURCE: Canadian Institute for Climate Studies (Sept. 2010).



It was not possible to create a water balance for the Farrell and Cache Creek watersheds as there is no

hydrometric data available. Consideration of water balances created for other watersheds in the

Montney Water Project area, based on size and precipitation patterns may provide a starting point. The

water balances created for stations 07FC003 and 07FB008 are the closest analogues for the Cache and

Farrell Creek watersheds, respectively. Water balances for these watersheds are available in Table 4.

3.3.3 HALFWAY RIVER

Water balances were calculated for three watersheds within the Halfway River system. Stations

07FA003 and 07FA005 are located on the two main rivers in the watershed, the Halfway River and the

Graham River, and station 07FA006 is located on the Halfway downstream of the confluence with the

Graham River. All three watersheds have significant precipitation and runoff. Values for ET/GW are

similar for each, and lower than expected for the region. This may be due to the majority of

precipitation occurring during the winter, at which time evapotranspiration is low or zero. Precipitation

is also likely underestimated as the majority of the watershed is forest and ranchland which require

adequate levels of soil‐water. Late summer and winter stream flow indicate that ground water provides

sustained contributions to base flow. The future climate model from ClimateBC suggests that mean

annual precipitation will increase within the watershed. The intra‐annual timing and location of this

increase may affect the water balance as summer precipitation is more likely to be evaporated or

transpired than winter.


Characteristics of the water balances calculated for the Kiskatinaw and Pouce Coupe River watersheds

are different from the other watersheds within the Montney Water Project study area. Runoff, when

considered in relation to both watershed size (cm/yr) and to precipitation (% runoff), is lower than that

found in the Pine, Moberly, or Halfway River watersheds. This suggests that most of the Pouce Coupe

and Kiskatinaw River watersheds are within a prairie or northeast plains type hydrologic zone (Coulson

and Obedkoff, 1998), along with the Beatton and Alces River systems on the north side of the Peace

River. Precipitation in these watersheds mostly occurs during the summer, and may only be slightly in

excess of the evapotranspiration rates for the region. Two stations in the Pine River watershed,

07FB005 and 07FB009, are very close to the headwaters of the West Kiskatinaw River and may provide

insight into hydrologic conditions in this part of the Kiskatinaw River watershed.

3.3.5 MOBERLY RIVER

The water balance calculated for the Moberly River watershed is based on the upstream drainage area

from the Environment Canada station located halfway between Moberly Lake and the Peace River.

Calculations indicate a runoff ratio of 39% for precipitation on an annual basis. Values for runoff and

ET/GW fit with those calculated for other watersheds in the region. Much of the watershed is forested

and moderately sloped. The majority of precipitation that falls as rain, outside of summer storm events,


is likely evaporated or transpired by vegetation. Significant runoff is generated by melting of winter

snow accumulation in the late spring. In lower elevations in the watershed, lower runoff percentages

are likely as winter snow accumulation decreases.


It was not possible to create a water balance for the Peace River Valley watersheds as there is no

hydrometric data available. Consideration of water balances created for other watersheds in the

Montney Water Project area, based on size and precipitation patterns may provide insight into the

water balance in these watersheds. The water balances created for stations 07FC003 and 07FB008 are

the closest analogues for the Peace River valley watersheds. Water balances for these watersheds are

available in the accompanying report. Stations 07FB004 and 07FB005 in the Pine River watershed are

located on very small drainages (88 and 35 km2) and may also be useful; however these are located at

much higher elevation.

3.3.7 PINE RIVER

The water balance calculated for the most downstream station on the Pine River (07FB001) indicates a

runoff ratio of 53.1% for the watershed as a whole. Much smaller runoff percentages are found in the

smaller, mid‐elevation watersheds (07FB004, 005, 009) and high values for ET/GW suggest precipitation

is slightly overestimated. High elevation watersheds (07FB003, 006) have very high runoff coefficients,

due to the presence of barren land and de‐forested areas, and precipitation, especially winter snow

accumulation could be underestimated as ET/GW values are very low. This is almost certainly the case

in the watershed for station 07FB003 on the Sukunka River, as the P75 value for annual runoff was used

in the water balance calculation, to prevent runoff exceeding the annual average estimated

precipitation.

In moderately sloped, forested regions which is representative of much of the watershed, evapo‐

transpiration has first priority for water use for most of the year. Winter snow accumulation and

subsequent spring melt allows for replenishment of ground water stores as soil layers become saturated

to below root growth levels.


This gauged watershed extends into Alberta, and for calculating the water balance, precipitation in the

Alberta portion of the watershed was considered using the ClimateWNA model. The water balance

calculated for the only gauging station on the Pouce Coupe River (07FD007) indicates a runoff ratio of

12.1% for the watershed as a whole. The value solved for evapotranspiration fits with estimated values

for the region.

In the rolling hills and agricultural lands which comprise the majority of the watershed, evaporation and

transpiration from vegetation make first use of precipitation for most of the year. Winter snow

accumulation and subsequent spring melt usually results in channel flows which produce intra‐annual

highs for discharge. The pace of break‐up likely varies and may influence the amount of recharge to


ground water systems, with rapid warming in the spring preferentiating overland flow over soil and

ground water storage and transfer.


3.4 SURFICIAL MATERIALS, LAND USE AND VEGETATION

3.4.1 METHODS

3.4.1.1 SURFICIAL MATERIALS

A surficial materials map of Canada, 1880A, produced by the Geological Survey of Canada is available at

1:5,000,000 scale. Information from this map was used to create maps for the watersheds within the

study area, and forms the basis for discussion of surficial materials within the watersheds. As part of the

Montney Water Project more detailed mapping is being compiled into digital format. NTS Map Sheets

94A and 93P will be available at 1:250,000 and 94A/SE and 93P/NE will be available at 1:50,000.

3.4.1.2 VEGETATION AND LAND USE The BC Ministry of Forests Vegetation Resources Inventory provides detailed stand level mapping

including tree species, age and height estimates. Coverage of the Montney area is extensive but not

complete. GeoBC provides Baseline Thematic Mapping, which reflects current conditions as of the date

of imagery of the product (1992) which is out of date for time sensitive or transitional areas ‐ burned,

logged, etc. A third data set useful in characterizing vegetation characteristics is the Biogeoclimatic

Ecosystem Classification (BEC) Program which classifies the province into zones based on forest type,

moisture and temperature. All three data sets are available in the project database.


Glacial till is the dominant surficial material type in the Cache and Farrell Creek watersheds, with

substantial glaciofluvial and glaciolacustrine deposits near the confluence of the Halfway and Peace

Rivers.

Both watersheds are mostly forested, in the Cache by broadleaf trees such as aspen and poplar, and in

the Farrell by mixed stands of deciduous and evergreen. Significant agricultural lands are found in both

watersheds, and extensive wetlands exist in the Farrell Creek watershed.

3.4.3 HALFWAY RIVER

Approximately 60% of the Halfway River watershed is glacial till, with colluvium and alpine complexes

being found moving into the Rocky Mountains and a glaciofluvial plain buffering the Halfway River

downstream of the confluence with the Graham River.

Higher elevations are predominantly forested with coniferous trees moving into broadleaf stands and

agricultural and range lands in lower elevations. Substantial wetlands are scattered throughout the

watershed and comprise a fair portion of the landscape in the downstream reaches.


The Kiskatinaw River watershed is mostly glacial till with approximately 25% fine grained glaciolacustrine

sediments.


The southern portion of the watershed is mostly coniferous forest and wetland, and grades into

broadleaf forest and agricultural lands moving north. Forested areas in the northern portion of the

watershed are mostly restricted to along drainages, with agricultural land being the dominant land use.

3.4.5 MOBERLY RIVER

Much of the Moberly River watershed is glacial till, with lower elevations in the watershed composed of

fine grained glaciolacustrine materials.

Upstream in the watershed, much of the land is coniferous forest. Patches of shrubs/herbs/bryoids are

the result of extensive logging activities in the watershed. Downstream of Moberly Lake most of the

watershed is forested by aspen and poplar stands and substantial tracts of land are used for agriculture

or range.


Most of the Peace River valley is glaciolacustrine sediments, with the valley sides composed of colluvium

caused by slope failures.

The Peace River valley is mostly broadleaf forest in the west near Hudson's Hope, and is extensively

cultivated for agriculture moving eastwards towards and past Fort St. John. Scattered wetlands exist

especially in the western part of the valley.

3.4.7 PINE RIVER

Glacial sediments are the dominant surficial material type in the Pine River watershed. Lower elevations

in the watershed are mostly fine grained glaciolacustrine deposits, with glaciofluvial and morainal (till)

materials moving upland. Higher elevations are composed of colluvial rubble and alpine complexes.

The Pine River watershed is mostly forested, with broadleaf and mixed forests in lower elevations and

coniferous in the mountains. Wetlands are more prevalent in the downstream portion of the

watershed. There are significant alpine areas as the watershed extends well into the Rocky Mountains.

Extensive mining occurs near Tumbler Ridge for coal.


Surficial materials in the Pouce Coupe watershed are composed of glacial till and fine grained

glaciolacustrine sediments.

Pouce Coupe and Dawson Creek have a sizable footprint in the centre of the watershed, the latter of

which is intersected by wetlands. Most of the northern half of the watershed is agricultural land. There

is approximately an even mix of farmland and forest in the southern half of the watershed, the majority

of forest being broadleaf tree types. Some wetlands are interspersed throughout the forested areas.


3.5 CLIMATE

Researchers at the University of British Columbia, University of Alberta, and the B.C. Ministry of Forests

produced a program named ClimateBC (now ClimateWNA) to produce scale free climate data for British

Columbia (now Western North America). The program is based on historical, climate station based

climate models (Daly et al. 2002) and other historical observations (Mitchell and Jones, 2005; Mbogga et

al. 2009) and has been tested against Environment Canada and B.C. Ministry of Forests weather station

data.

The base historical observations (1961‐1990) used for consideration of climate for the Montney Water

Project were derived from the PRISM project at Oregon State University and interpolated using the

ClimateBC software. ClimateBC provides a vast amount of information on climate and derived variables

such as frost‐free days, growing degree‐days, and precipitation as snow and may be queried to generate

information on long‐term averages, specific years of interest, or future periods based on predictions of future global circulation models.

The recent update to ClimateWNA expands the scope of the project to Western North America and

notably includes variables for reference evaporation and climatic moisture deficit (CMD) which may

provide insight into hydrologic conditions in the Montney Water Project area. The climatic moisture

deficit is the difference between the monthly reference evaporation and monthly precipitation. During

periods of high CMD, stream flow will typically drop as solar radiation, air temperature, humidity and

wind speed create a higher evaporative demand than the available precipitation (Eaton et al. 2010).

The ClimateWNA program, and ClimateBC GIS data are available in the project database.

SNOW

At Pine Pass, an automated snow pillow collects information on snow accumulations. Peak

accumulation regularly occurs in April. Snow water equivalent (swe) is a standardized method of

communicating the water volume in snow pack considering depth and density. Values for swe at the

end of April vary from 800mm to 1800mm. Both minimum and maximum values appear to be greater

for the period of 2000‐2010 than for the remainder of record dating back to 1961. Median values

appear to be relatively consistent.

There are 14 other snow monitoring locations within or very near the study area, the majority of which

are high in the mountains in the headwaters of the watersheds. Records of snow accumulation at these

stations are available in the project database.

WEATHER STATIONS

The majority of weather stations within the Montney Water Project area are located along major

transportation corridors or at population centres. There are over 40 locations with active or historic

Environment Canada weather data. The B.C. Ministries of Transportation and Forests also have weather

data available. Weather records for all of these stations are available in the project database.


3.5.1 METHODS

ClimateBC and ClimateWNA allow a user to specify a geographic coordinate, with elevation above sea

level, and will respond with 20 annual, 16 seasonal and 4 monthly variables for a historical period of the

user. Climate grids can be derived by querying the programs at a regularly spaced interval which can

then be displayed and analyzed in a GIS.

Mean annual temperature and precipitation, winter (October ‐ March) and summer (April ‐ September)

precipitation, and January and July mean temperatures were either directly produced from the climate

software or combined from monthly variables. This analysis was performed using a 400m grid and

based on values for the period 1961‐1990.

Significant variations were found in precipitation across the region, ranging from 440mm to over

1800mm per year. Maps and charts illustrating the precipitation and temperature patterns listed above

and described for the watersheds below, can be found in Supplement 2.


In the Farrell and Cache Creek watersheds, intra‐annual timing and rate of precipitation is similar with

largest values occurring during the summer. In the Farrell Creek watershed, the greatest precipitation

occurs in the west during the summer and winter. In the Cache Creek watershed, winter precipitation is

greatest in the eastern portion and summer precipitation in the northern parts of the watershed.

January mean temperatures across the majority of the Farrell and Cache Creek watersheds are ‐15 to ‐

13 C, with slightly warmer values in the south and west portions of Farrell near the Peace River and

Williston Lake. Mean temperatures for July are higher at lower elevations with a range of 11 ‐ 16 C

through the watersheds.

3.5.3 HALFWAY RIVER

In the Halfway River watershed, highest precipitation occurs from May to September. Throughout the

year, precipitation is greater at higher elevations in the western portion of the watershed. This contrast

is more subtle during the winter.

January temperatures in the Halfway River watershed range from ‐9 to ‐14 C, with the majority of the

watershed in the middle of this range. Warmer temperatures are found in the front ranges of the Rocky

Mountains with coolest values in the westernmost headwaters of the Halfway River. Mean temperature

in July ranges from 6 to 16 C, with temperatures increasing moving eastward and lower in elevation.


In the Kiskatinaw River watershed, maximum precipitation occurs during the summer. Precipitation

decreases moving north‐eastward from the headwaters of the West Kiskatinaw River at the southern

end of the watershed.


Winter temperatures follow the same pattern within the watershed, with warmer mean January

temperatures in the southwestern portion of the watershed, cooling to the northeast with a range of

mean temperatures from ‐9 to ‐16 C. Mean July temperatures are more consistent, with the majority of

the watershed in the 13 ‐ 14 C range. Slightly higher temperatures can be expected near the confluence

with the Peace River.

3.5.5 MOBERLY RIVER

The Moberly River watershed is narrow and heads due west into the mountains from Moberly Lake.

This part of the watershed receives the majority of the precipitation, occurring at the greatest rate

during the early summer. Some significant winter accumulation occurs in the westernmost portion of

the watershed.

The front ranges of the Rocky Mountains are slightly warmer in the winter than the headwaters in the

centre ranges and lower elevations in the Moberly River watershed, with mean temperatures ranging

from ‐12 to ‐15 C. July mean temperatures range from 9 to 16 C, warming towards the outlet of the

watershed into the Peace River.


Along the Peace River Valley, the majority of precipitation occurs as rainfall during the summer. More

precipitation falls on the plains above the valley slopes and at the west end of the valley near the W.A.C.

Bennett Dam.

January mean temperatures range from ‐12 to ‐16 C, with the western end of the valley near Hudson's

Hope being slightly warmer than the east. July mean temperatures are higher in the valley bottom and

at the eastern end than at higher elevations on the surrounding plains and in the west near Williston

Lake.

3.5.7 PINE RIVER

In the Pine River watershed, precipitation is reasonably consistent over the year with lows during late

winter / early spring. Maximum precipitation occurs as rainfall in the mid‐summer and remains

consistent through the fall and early winter. Mountainous regions receive the majority of their

precipitation during the winter while more low lying areas receive significant summer rains due to

storms moving south from the Arctic (Eaton et al. 2009).

Mean temperatures in January in the Pine River watershed range from ‐8 to ‐15 C with warmer

conditions at higher elevations in the southern portion of the watershed. This pattern is reversed during

the summer, with highest temperatures in valley bottoms and the downstream portion of the

watershed. Average temperatures for July range from 8 to 16 C.



The Pouce Coupe River watershed receives the majority of precipitation as rain during the summer and

early fall. Winter precipitation, the majority of which would be snow, is relatively consistent during

months with mean temperatures below freezing.

January mean temperatures across the Pouce Coupe River watershed show little variation across the ‐14

‐ ‐16 C range. During July, mean temperatures are slightly higher in the northeast with a range of 15 ‐ 16

C.


3.6 FUTURE CLIMATE MODEL (2010 ‐2039)

ClimateBC and ClimateWNA (described previously in Section 2.4.6) also take knowledge of historic

climate data and project future conditions based on a wide selection of global circulation models. All

projections of future climate are based on these models. Specific models used for this study were

selected based on recommendations from staff at the University of Victoria's Pacific Climate Impacts

Consortium and are part of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's 3rd and 4th assessment

reports (CGCM2‐A2x and CGCM3‐A2) (T. Murdock, pers. comm., Nov. 2010). The period of normals

(1961‐1990) has been compared with predicted values for the period 2010‐2039, and is presented as

average values for 1975 and 2025 (the mid‐point of each period), as by ClimateBC researchers. The

regional, multi‐year average scale at which this analysis has been conducted should be reasonable given

the limitations of the data in modelling small geographic or temporal features (Spittlehouse et al. 2009).

Across BC the predicted increase in annual temperature between 1975 and 2025 has a mean of 1.16 C

and minimum and maximum values of 0.9 and 1.5 C. Mean annual temperature in the Peace Region is

predicted to increase by 1.2 to 1.3 C (Figure 21). Total annual precipitation is expected to increase on

the whole in BC, although some regions such as the Interior Plateau may experience a net loss.

Predictions for the Peace Region show an increase in precipitation of 1‐2% on an annual basis (Figure

22). Forest productivity will likely increase as a result of an increase in mean annual temperature.

Evapotranspiration will also increase, but at a rate not expected to exceed 15‐20mm/yr for warming up

to 2 C. (Karpechko and Bondarik, 2003).

Further analysis of the temporal distribution of precipitation suggests that winter precipitation

(October‐March) will increase across the entire Montney Water Project Area, at a rate of 5‐40 mm per

year (Figure 23). Summer precipitation (April‐September) is identified as decreasing across much of the

South Peace portion of the MWP area by 0‐4mm per year, while increasing in the North Peace by up to

8mm per year (Figure 24).

Atmospheric ‐ oceanic oscillations, such as El Nino‐Southern Oscillation, Pacific Decadal Oscillation,

Arctic Oscillation and Pacific North American Pattern have and continue to influence climate patterns

outside of the scope of any long‐term changes in climate that may be occurring. These complicate the

identification of long term trends as they may produce changes similar in magnitude (Rodenhuis et al.

2007). The timing and magnitude of extreme weather events (rainfall and drought in particular) have

significant effects on flow characteristics and channel form of drainage networks, and appear to be

changing as well (Zhang et al. 2000).

Researchers in B.C. and Alberta have been investigating the potential hydrological responses to a

changing climate at both small and large watershed scales (Forbes et al. 2010; Rodenhuis et al. 2007).

Early in 2011, the Pacific Climate Impacts Consortium will be releasing a report and data on future

hydrologic conditions predicted for the Peace River watershed, encompassing the drainage area for the

Peace watershed upstream of Taylor, B.C. This will include the Pine, Halfway, and Moberly watersheds

(but not the Kiskatinaw) (M. Schnorbus, pers. comm., Oct. 2010).


Figure 21. Modelled mean annual temperature increase for the period 2010‐2039 in relation to the period 1961‐1990, Montney Water Project area.


Figure 22. Modelled mean annual precipitation increase for the period 2010‐2039 in relation to the period 1961‐1990, Montney Water Project area.


Figure 23. Modelled mean annual winter (October ‐ March) precipitation increase for the period 2010‐2039 in relation to the period 1961‐1990, Montney Water Project area.


Figure 24. Modelled mean annual summer (April ‐ September) precipitation change for the period 2010‐2039 in relation to the period 1961‐1990, Montney Water Project area.


3.7 GROUND WATER AND PALEOVALLEYS

The majority of the Peace Region is covered by glacial and interglacial sediments deposited during

repeated glaciations in the Quaternary Period. These sediments vary significantly in thickness. In some

locations, bedrock is covered by a thin veneer of sediment or is exposed at surface. In others places,

such as in pre‐glacial buried paleovalleys, these sediments can be over 100 m thick. In many cases

modern rivers occupy pre‐glacial river valleys and the thick unconsolidated valley‐fill sediments may

host aquifers with significant volumes of water. Areas with thick Quaternary sediments are targets for

further aquifer evaluation. Figure 25 illustrates ground water wells, mapped aquifers and interpreted

paleovalleys.

The B.C Ministry of Environment maintains a database of water wells drilled in the province and

delineates ground water aquifers based on this database and other geologic and hydrogeological

information. Many of these aquifers have brief hydro‐geological reports which are available by request

from ministry staff.

As part of the Montney Water Project, geologic analysis is being performed by the B.C. Ministry of

Energy to more accurately map the thicknesses of Quaternary sediments that may have potential for

hosting water. The B.C. Ministry of Environment is collecting additional water well information, which is

being used to update the online water well database and refine mapping of aquifers in unconsolidated

sediments and bedrock.

Deliverables from the B.C. Ministry of Energy and Environment components of the Montney Water

Project will be available in winter/spring 2011.


Figure 25. Ground water wells, mapped aquifers and interpreted paleovalleys.


3.8 UNGAUGED WATERSHEDS

A regional approach to estimating seasonal and peak flow regimes is proposed by Eaton and Moore (in

Pike et al 2010) along with context for interpreting results. They suggest that while significant inter‐

annual differences may exist in magnitude, the shape of the annual hydrograph should be reasonably

consistent. As noted in the results of the hydrologic analysis section of this report, they also identify the

late timing of maximum monthly discharge and attribute this to rainfall generated by storm fronts

moving south from the Arctic Ocean (Eaton and Moore, 2010). Eaton et al. (2002) provide specific

values for estimating peak flows of varying recurrence intervals in British Columbia.

Hydrologic monitoring stations within the Peace region are in most cases located on major drainages.

This leaves many watersheds without gauged hydrologic information. Using regression analysis,

parameters identified at stations have been correlated with watershed size to develop sets of

coefficients for estimating the same parameters in ungauged watersheds, using upstream drainage area.

Regression analyses were performed on total annual flows, drought flows and peak flows to relate flow

characteristics to watershed size. This analysis was performed using similar methods to the BC

Streamflow Inventory Report (Coulson and Obedkoff, 1998), the subsequent Streamflow in the

Omineca‐Peace Region Report (Obedkoff, 2000) and other technical hydrologic reports performed in the

region (Wagner, 2010). Values calculated in this report for flow statistics vary from previous studies due

to differing periods of record for hydrologic monitoring data. Hydrologic zones delineated within the BC

Streamflow Inventory Report suggest that flow conditions for tributaries in the lower elevations of

watersheds and in the majority of the Montney area may be part of the Southern Interior Plains

hydrologic zone and thus may exhibit runoff characteristics more similar to those at the Kiskatinaw and

Pouce Coupe Water Survey of Canada stations than to those of the main stems of the watersheds they

are contained in (Figure 26). The hydrometric station on the Alces River (07FD004), which is outside of

the Montney trend may provide a useful reference for understanding flow conditions in watersheds of

similar elevation, size and physiographic setting (i.e. many of those along the Peace River Valley).

Consideration of both total annual precipitation and seasonal patterns should also be made when

investigating ungauged watersheds.


Figure 26. Hydrologic Zones in the Montney Area. Reference.


Flood frequency analysis using a log‐Pearson Type III distribution was conducted to determine the peak

daily discharge for 17 stations in the study area. Regression analysis suggests that both the 2 and 10

year peak daily discharges are strongly correlated to watershed size (Table 5). These values can thus be

estimated using the equation:

QTr = C x Ab

where

Q is the discharge in m3/s

Tr is the return period

C and b are coefficients, and

A is the area of the watershed in km2

Table 5. Flood return coefficients.

Flood Return Period Tr (years)

Coefficient R2

C b

2 0.0752 0.9974 0.9029

10 0.318 0.9067 0.9139

Total discharge was calculated on a median annual basis using monthly average discharge, for stations

with whole year records. Total volume of water flowing through drainages in the study area has a

moderate to strong correlation with watershed size. Variation exists due to large differences in

precipitation values between some of the watersheds moving from more mountainous regions to lower

plains settings, and also due to the large inherent variation in inter‐annual total discharge for all

watersheds in the region, evident in charts illustrating total annual discharge (See Supplement 1). Total

flow (Table 6) can be roughly estimated using the following equation:

V = C x Ab

where

V is the total annual discharge in dam3

C and b are coefficients

A is the watershed size in km2

Table 6. Total annual discharge coefficients.

Coefficient R2

C b

Total annual discharge (dam3) 156.97 1.05 0.8065

Low flow characteristics at monitoring stations were determined using the 7 day low flow period with 10

year recurrence interval, which is commonly used as a general indicator of drought conditions. These

values were calculated using DFLOW (USGS) for the majority of stations and compared with other


published values for these stations where available. No relationship was found (R2=0.2) when

correlating 7Q10 values with watershed size for all of the stations. Strong correlation (R2=0.8317) was

found when all stations other than those in the Kiskatinaw and Pouce Coupe River watersheds were

considered (Table 7). The Alces River hydrometric station was not included in the 7Q10 analysis as it is

an intermittent drainage from July to February. Drought discharge can be estimated in larger (>500km2)

watershed in the foothills region by the following equation:

7Q10 = C x Ab

where

7Q10 is the seven day low flow period with a 10 year recurrence

C and b are coefficients

A is the watershed size in km2

Table 7. Drought discharge coefficients.

Coefficient R2

C b

Drought discharge (7Q10) 0.00006 1.3146 0.8317

Allen et al (1994) provide a set of equations for estimating channel geometries based on discharge.

Their study looked at 674 sites on a wide spectrum of river types in mountainous and flat‐lying areas in

Canada and the US and found that channel depth and width were strongly related to the 2 year peak

discharge. The scope of this project did not allow for ground‐truthing of this equation but it may be

useful in predicting channel geometries in the Peace Region.

W=1.22 x Q0.557

D=0.34 x Q0.341

where

W is width in feet

D is depth in feet

Q is 2 year peak discharge in cubic feet / second


REFERENCES

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B.C. Ministry of Energy, 2010. Montney Activity/Production NE British Columbia (map). Available at: http://www.empr.gov.bc.ca/OG/oilandgas/petroleumgeology/UnconventionalGas/Documents/2010_November_Montney.pdf (accessed Dec. 27, 2010).

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Coulson, C. H. (Editor) 1991. Manual of Operational Hydrology in British Columbia. Ministry of Environment, Victoria, B.C. Available at: http://www.for.gov.bc.ca/hfd/library/documents/bib100015.pdf

Coulson C. H. and Obedkoff, W. 1998. B.C. British Columbia Streamflow Inventory Report. British Columbia Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks. Victoria, B.C.

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APPENDIX 1 (A) SPATIAL (GIS) DATA INVENTORY SPATIAL DATA

Data Source Name

Category Description Source Online Metadata Date

Collected

GW_AQUIFER Aquifer Ground water aquifers BC MoE

https://apps.gov.bc.ca/pub/geometadata/metadataDetail.do?recordUID=3841&recordSet=ISO19115

1‐Dec‐10 http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/wsd/plan_protect_sustain/groundwater/aquifers/reports/aquifer_maps.pdf

GWQFRVLNR1 Aquifer Intrinsic Aquifer Vulnerability ‐ EcoCat Reports Index (Note: no report exist within MWP)

BC MoE http://apps.gov.bc.ca/pub/geometadata/metadataDetail.do?recordUID=59999&recordSet=ISO19115

1‐Dec‐10

CLIMAT_STN Climate Location of climate observation stations Env Can https://apps.gov.bc.ca/pub/geometadata/metadataDetail.do?recordUID=7270&recordSet=ISO19115

16‐Jun‐10

2020_MAP Climate 2010‐2039 Mean Annual Precipitation (modeled)

UBC / BC MoF http://www.genetics.forestry.ubc.ca/cfcg/climate‐models.html 16‐Sep‐10

2020_MAT Climate 2010‐2039 Mean Annual Temperature (modeled)


MAP_Normals Climate 1961‐1990 Mean Annual Precipitation UBC / BC MoF http://www.genetics.forestry.ubc.ca/cfcg/climate‐models.html 16‐Sep‐10

MAT_Normals Climate 1961‐1990 Mean Annual Temperature UBC / BC MoF http://www.genetics.forestry.ubc.ca/cfcg/climate‐models.html 16‐Sep‐10

2020_PrecXX Climate 2010‐2039 Monthly (XX) Precipitation (modeled)


2020_TaveXX Climate 2010‐2039 Monthly (XX) Average Temperature (modeled)


2020_TmaxXX Climate 2010‐2039 Monthly (XX) Maximum Temperature (modeled)


2020_TminXX Climate 2010‐2039 Monthly (XX) Minimum Temperature (modeled)


PrecXX Climate 1961‐1990 Monthly Precipitation UBC / BC MoF http://www.genetics.forestry.ubc.ca/cfcg/climate‐models.html 16‐Sep‐10

TaveXX Climate 1961‐1990 Monthly Average Temperature UBC / BC MoF http://www.genetics.forestry.ubc.ca/cfcg/climate‐models.html 16‐Sep‐10

TmaxXX Climate 1961‐1990 Monthly Maximum Temperature UBC / BC MoF http://www.genetics.forestry.ubc.ca/cfcg/climate‐models.html 16‐Sep‐10

TminXX Climate 1961‐1990 Monthly Minimum Temperature UBC / BC MoF http://www.genetics.forestry.ubc.ca/cfcg/climate‐models.html 16‐Sep‐10

MOT_WEATHER_STN

Climate Ministry of Transportation weather data BC MoT https://pub‐apps.th.gov.bc.ca/saw‐paws/weatherstation 13‐Oct‐10

fire_weather_stations

Climate Weather Stations ‐ Prince George Fire Centre‐ Wildfire Management Branch

BC ‐Wildfire Management

Branch http://bcwildfire.ca/Weather/stations.htm 16‐Nov‐10

evapotran_polys Climate Average annual evapotranspiration (cm) National Atlas of Canada

http://atlas.nrcan.gc.ca/site/english/maps/archives/4thedition/environment/climate/049_50

9‐Nov‐10

soilwaterbalance Climate Monthly and yearly estimates of actual CGIAR http://www.cgiar‐csi.org/data/item/60‐global‐high‐resolution‐soil‐water‐balance 30‐Nov‐10


SPATIAL DATA

Data Source Name


Collected evapotranspiration

RSLT_FC_IN Forests Ministry of Forests harvesting and regeneration inventory

BC MoF https://apps.gov.bc.ca/pub/geometadata/metadataDetail.do?recordUID=52578&recordSet=ISO19115

27‐Oct‐10

HYD_10_PFL Hydrology 10 year peak flow isolines BC MoE

https://apps.gov.bc.ca/pub/geometadata/metadataDetail.do?recordUID=49254&recordSet=ISO19115 7‐Oct‐10

HYD_10_PFL_Attribute_Description.doc

HYD_NAR_LN Hydrology Normal Annual Runoff Isolines 1961‐1990 BC MoE


HYD_NAR_LN_Attribute_Description.doc

HYD_LFZ_PY Hydrology Low Flow Zones BC MoE


HYD_LFZ_PY_Attribute_Description.doc

HYDZ_SP Hydrology Ministry of Environment Hydrologic Zones BC MoE http://aardvark.gov.bc.ca/apps/metastar/metadataDetail.do?recordUID=5330&recordSet=ISO19115

27‐Oct‐10

ENVCAN_HYD Hydrology Active and discontinued hydrometric stations Env Can https://apps.gov.bc.ca/pub/geometadata/metadataDetail.do?recordUID=42051&recordSet=ISO19115

16‐Jun‐10

hydrometricLocations

Kiskatinaw Hydrometric / Piezometric monitoring locations ‐ UNBC project

UNBC ‐ F. Hirschfield

n/a 3‐Nov‐10

snowMonitoringLocations

Kiskatinaw Snow monitoring location ‐ UNBC project UNBC ‐ F. Hirschfield

n/a 3‐Nov‐10

kiskwatershed Kiskatinaw UNBC research project watershed boundary UNBC ‐ F. Hirschfield

n/a 3‐Nov‐10

DRA_LINESP_line Roads Digital Road Atlas (DRA), partially attributed BC ILMB / GeoBC


7‐Oct‐10

SSL_SPL_SV Snow Active Snow Pillow Locations BC MoE https://apps.gov.bc.ca/pub/geometadata/metadataDetail.do?recordUID=32670&recordSet=ISO19115

7‐Oct‐10

SSL_ISC_SV Snow Inactive Snow Course Locations BC MoE https://apps.gov.bc.ca/pub/geometadata/metadataDetail.do?recordUID=32690&recordSet=ISO19115

7‐Oct‐10

SSL_ASC_SV Snow Active Snow Course Locations BC MoE https://apps.gov.bc.ca/pub/geometadata/metadataDetail.do?recordUID=32650&recordSet=ISO19115

7‐Oct‐10

BC3DD Soils Soil Landscapes of Canada Ag Can

http://sis.agr.gc.ca/cansis/nsdb/slc/intro.html

1‐Jul‐10 http://sis.agr.gc.ca/cansis/nsdb/slc/v3.1.1/intro.html

http://sis.agr.gc.ca/cansis/nsdb/slc/v3.1.1/zip_files/slc3_1_1_metadata_en.xml

MWP_SRTM SRTM Shuttle Radar Topography Mission digital elevation model

NASA JPL http://www2.jpl.nasa.gov/srtm/ 16‐Sep‐10

MONTNEY_TREND

Study Areas Surface expression of Montney trend BC MEMPR http://www.empr.gov.bc.ca/OG/oilandgas/petroleumgeology/UnconventionalGas/Documents/2010_November_Montney.pdf

30‐Aug‐10


SPATIAL DATA

Data Source Name


Collected

PETREL_AREAS Study Areas Foothills and Plains study areas for PRCL / CDL Deep Aquifer project

PRCL / CDL n/a 24‐Jun‐10

MWP_SURFACEWATER

Study Areas Boundary for compilation of surface water information

FSL n/a 16‐Jun‐10

geo1880a_polygon

Surficial geology

Surficial geology units for entire Canada, 1995 ‐ 1880A

Geological Survey of Canada

http://apps1.gdr.nrcan.gc.ca/mirage/full_result_e.php?id=205040 3‐Nov‐10

mor1880a_polygon

Surficial geology

Moraines for entire Canada, 1995 ‐ 1880A Geological Survey of Canada

http://apps1.gdr.nrcan.gc.ca/mirage/full_result_e.php?id=205040 3‐Nov‐10

PTSA_PT_PY Tenure Petroleum Tenure BC MEMPR https://apps.gov.bc.ca/pub/geometadata/metadataDetail.do?recordUID=45934&recordSet=ISO19115

8‐Oct‐10

TA_CRT_SVW_polygon

Tenure Land Act tenure BC CRGB https://apps.gov.bc.ca/pub/geometadata/metadataDetail.do?recordUID=54099&recordSet=ISO19115

10‐Nov‐10

VEG_R1_PLY_093I

Vegetation Ministry of Forests vegetation composite polygons ‐ NTS 93I


27‐Oct‐10

VEG_R1_PLY_093J

Vegetation Ministry of Forests vegetation composite polygons ‐ NTS 93J


27‐Oct‐10

VEG_R1_PLY_093O

Vegetation Ministry of Forests vegetation composite polygons ‐ NTS 93O


27‐Oct‐10

VEG_R1_PLY_093P

Vegetation Ministry of Forests vegetation composite polygons ‐ NTS 93P


27‐Oct‐10

VEG_R1_PLY_094A

Vegetation Ministry of Forests vegetation composite polygons ‐ NTS 94A


27‐Oct‐10

VEG_R1_PLY_094B

Vegetation Ministry of Forests vegetation composite polygons ‐ NTS 94B


27‐Oct‐10

VEG_R1_PLY_094G

Vegetation Ministry of Forests vegetation composite polygons ‐ NTS 94G


27‐Oct‐10

VEG_R1_PLY_094H

Vegetation Ministry of Forests vegetation composite polygons ‐ NTS 94H


27‐Oct‐10

BS_MS_SVW Water Features

Bathymetric Maps BC MoE https://apps.gov.bc.ca/pub/geometadata/metadataDetail.do?recordUID=52458&recordSet=ISO19115

5‐Aug‐10

CWB_ISLAND Water Features

Freshwater Atlas ‐ Islands BC MoE


7‐Oct‐10 ftp://ftp.geobc.gov.bc.ca/pub/outgoing/FreshWaterAtlasDocuments/FWAv1.3‐SDE.WarehouseModelSpecification.rev3.doc

CWB_LAKES Water Features

Freshwater Atlas ‐ Lakes BC MoE




SPATIAL DATA

Data Source Name


Collected

CWB_RIVERS Water Features

Freshwater Atlas ‐ Rivers (Polygons) BC MoE



CWB_STRM_N Water Features

Freshwater Atlas ‐ Stream Network BC MoE



CWB_WETLND Water Features

Freshwater Atlas ‐ Wetlands BC MoE



bathymetricMaps

Water Features

Digitized Bathymetric Contours *** not georeferenced

BC MoE http://a100.gov.bc.ca/pub/fidq/bathyMapSelect.do;jsessionid=8e248a8d30d99640f918a25e4f7fb68a8c4e3db5bc09.e3uMah8KbhmLe3qSaN4Pc3aPe6fznA5Pp7ftolbGmkTy

22‐Jul‐10

WLS_LICSPR Water Use

Springs licensed for water use BC MoE https://apps.gov.bc.ca/pub/geometadata/metadataDetail.do?recordUID=50001&recordSet=ISO19115

7‐Oct‐10

WLS_PDL_SP Water Use

Water License Points of Diversion BC MoE https://apps.gov.bc.ca/pub/geometadata/metadataDetail.do?recordUID=47674&recordSet=ISO19115

21‐Jun‐10

BCHA_DW_EP Water Use

Water intakes for human drinking water systems

Northern Health / BC

MoE


16‐Jun‐10

AS8WA_BC Water Use

OGC Section 8 water permits BC OGC ftp://www.ogc.gov.bc.ca/outgoing/OGC_Data/Water/ 21‐Jun‐10

GW_WW_LITH Water Wells

Ground Water Wells Lithology BC MoE https://apps.gov.bc.ca/pub/geometadata/metadataDetail.do?recordUID=49999&recordSet=ISO19115

21‐Jun‐10

GW_WW_WRBC Water Wells

Ground Water Wells BC MoE https://apps.gov.bc.ca/pub/geometadata/metadataDetail.do?recordUID=49998&recordSet=ISO19115

21‐Jun‐10

HYD_WB_PLY Watersheds Watersheds for EC Hydrologic Stations BC MoE https://apps.gov.bc.ca/pub/geometadata/metadataDetail.do?recordUID=49501&recordSet=ISO19115

7‐Oct‐10

FWA_ASS_WS Watersheds Freshwater Atlas ‐ Assessment Watersheds BC MoE http://apps.gov.bc.ca/pub/geometadata/metadataDetail.do?recordUID=57079&recordSet=ISO19115

1‐Jul‐10

HIGHEST_ORDERWS_MWP

Watersheds Highest order named watersheds covering MWP surface water study area

FSL n/a 7‐Aug‐10

CWB_NAMWTR Watersheds Freshwater Atlas ‐ Named Watersheds BC MoE https://apps.gov.bc.ca/pub/geometadata/metadataDetail.do?recordUID=50644&recordSet=ISO19115

14‐Jun‐10

BTM_PLU_V1 Land Use Baseline Thematic Mapping ‐ Land Use / Land Cover

BC ILMB / GeoBC


19‐Nov‐10

ABGC_BC_ver7 Ecosystem Biogeoclimatic Ecosystem Classification mapping (BEC)

BC MoF http://www.for.gov.bc.ca/hre/becweb/index.html 3‐Jan‐11


APPENDIX 1 (B) NONSPATIAL DATA INVENTORY NONSPATIAL DATA

Data Source Name


Collected

inventory Bathymetry Scanned bathymetric survey maps BC MoE http://a100.gov.bc.ca/pub/fidq/bathyMapSelect.do;jsessionid=8e248a8d30d99640f918a25e4f7fb68a8c4e3db5bc09.e3uMah8KbhmLe3qSaN4Pc3aPe6fznA5Pp7ftolbGmkTy

22‐Jul‐10

049_50.jpg Climate Atlas of Canada evapotranspiration, water deficit and growing degree days

Natural Resources Canada

http://atlas.nrcan.gc.ca/site/english/maps/archives/4thedition/environment/climate/049_50

9‐Nov‐10

climatestation.xlsx Climate Environment Canada ‐Weather Stations and period of activity

FSL n/a 13‐Oct‐10

ClimateWNA_ v4.60

Climate Climate Western North America UBC / UoA / BC MoF

http://www.genetics.forestry.ubc.ca/cfcg/ClimateWNA/ClimateWNA.html 13‐Oct‐10

ecstationdata Climate Environment Canada monthly weather data Env Can http://www.climate.weatheroffice.gc.ca/advanceSearch/searchHistoricData_e.html

24‐Aug‐10

MoF_fireweather Climate Ministry of Forests fire weather data BC MoF http://bcwildfire.ca/Weather/ 16‐Nov‐10

MoT_Weather_ Data

Climate Ministry of Transportation weather data BC MoT https://pub‐apps.th.gov.bc.ca/saw‐paws/weatherstation 14‐Nov‐10

ECDE_EDEC_ Installer1.2.16.msi

EnvCanGreenKenue

Environment Canada ‐ Data Explorer / Green Kenue software

National Research Council Canada

http://www.nrc‐cnrc.gc.ca/eng/ibp/chc/software/kenue/green‐kenue.html 18‐Oct‐10

dailymeanflow Hydrology Selected hydrometric stations ‐ daily mean flow Water Survey of Canada

n/a * extracted from HYDAT.mdb using GreenKenue software n/a

HYDAT.mdb Hydrology Environment Canada archived hydrometric data

Env Can http://www.ec.gc.ca/rhc‐wsc/default.asp?lang=En&n=9018B5EC‐1 18‐Oct‐10

monthlymeanflow Hydrology Selected hydrometric stations ‐monthly mean flow

Water Survey of Canada


peakflow Hydrology Selected hydrometric stations ‐ peak flow Water Survey of Canada


Monitoring Network

Kiskatinaw UNBC field study locations UNBC ‐ F. Hirschfield

n/a 3‐Nov‐10

MWP_Snow_Station_History.mdb

Snow BC Ministry of Environment River Forecast Centre snow monitoring data

BC MoE http://bcrfc.env.gov.bc.ca/data/ 16‐Nov‐10

bchydro / Peace Region

Wind Wind Monitoring Data BC Hydro http://www.bchydro.com/planning_regulatory/energy_technologies/wind_energy/wind_monitoring.html

22‐Nov‐10

cwea / mif_XXX_50

Wind Wind Data Canadian

Wind Energy Atlas

http://www.windatlas.ca 22‐Nov‐10


APPENDIX 2 ENTITY RELATIONSHIP MODEL