Water Retention Beneficial Management Practices
Spatial targeting for phosphorus reduction in Canadian Prairie watersheds
The International Institute for Sustainable Development has developed and shared a strategy to perform spatial targeting of water retention projects on the Canadian Prairies. It was developed for an ungauged basin, which makes the strategy replicable in regions where measured water quality and quantity data may be limited or unavailable. A method for the identification of non-contributing areas was also tested, making the strategy more relevant to the Canadian Prairie landscape.
Key Messages
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Natural infrastructure such as wetlands or small naturalized dams reduces flood and drought risk and improves water quality, which is critical for climate change adaptation in the Canadian Prairies.
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Through spatial targeting, we can improve the position of water retention projects to intercept phosphorus, maximizing benefits and return on investment.
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Spatial targeting is possible today with models such as PTMApp that leverage publicly available datasets like Light Detection and Ranging–based digital elevation models.
The loss of natural water storage on Canadian Prairie landscapes over time has resulted in reduced water availability during dry years and greater flooding during wet years. With our changing climate, more frequent prolonged dry periods and more extreme rainfall events exacerbate these issues.
Natural infrastructure that promotes water retention, like wetlands or small naturalized dams, is widely recognized for providing a multitude of benefits that can help us adapt to our changing climate on the Canadian Prairies. These benefits include reducing the risks of both floods and droughts, improving water quality, creating habitats and improving biodiversity, and reducing atmospheric carbon, along with a variety of other economic benefits that make water retention an investment with a strong return. However, the wealth of benefits offered by water retention may only be achieved alongside careful site design, maintenance, and operation. Analytical practices that quantify flood mitigation for water retention site designs are common, but benefits like phosphorus reduction are often only qualitatively assessed.
Phosphorus reduction analyses and site selection for new water retention projects need to consider both the spatial variability of water quality across the landscape and the performance of potential sites in treating that water. These considerations allow us to better assess and maximize the water quality benefits at a given cost. Spatial targeting models like Prioritize, Target, and Measure Application (PTMApp) help us respond to this need, but strategies for developing and using these models that respect the unique characteristics of the Canadian Prairies are required.
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