BC Hydrometric ProgramHydrometric Network Review, 2011-13
Network Review,Play It Again Sam?
Hydrometric Program:B.C.-Canada Partnership
A Partnership to address water quantity issues common to all Provincial interests.
A Program with a Fixed Budget, set each year by respective governments.
Hydrometric Program:B.C.-Canada Partnership
Approximate Cost of operations in 2012: $6.8 Million provided:
• BC Ministry of Environment (approx 45%)• Environment Canada, WSC (approx 31%)• Major single 3rd party (approx 18%)• Other 3rd parties (Regional Water Boards, Communities,
industries, approx 6%)All Partners work together to operate best network possible.
Hydrometric Program requires network “planning and review evaluations”.
Phase 1: 2011-12, -To update network station details, relevant to Program Management (planning, budget support, future directions, etc.).-Undertaken by methods used in the past.Phase 2: 2013, Explore Functional Classification
455 stations Geographic, operational details
USE:R=regional hydrologyW=water management programsE=Environmental questions/leg.FOR=Forestry management Priority:1=High
Simplified Example of Station Inventory Spreadsheets(many collapsed/omitted columns and rows)
Use and priority
1900 1920 1940 1960 1980 2000 20200
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
900
1000HYDROMETRIC NETWORK SIZE IN B. C.
YEAR
Num
ber o
f Sta
tions
Area of BC: 950,000 km^2Network 2012: approx $7MTo operate 700 stations today: $11MTo meet WMO minimum today in BC: over $14M
WMO minimal standard for even terrain
NORTHERN COAST MOUNTAINSSTIKINE PLATEAU
NORTHERN ROCKY MOUNTAINSNORTHERN INTERIOR PLAINS
NORTHERN CENTRAL UPLANDSSOUTHERN INTERIOR PLAINS
SOUTHERN ROCKY MOUNTAIN FOOTHILLSNECHAKO PLATEAU
SOUTHERN HAZELTON MOUNTAINSCENTRAL COAST MOUNTAINS
QUEEN CHARLOTTE ISLANDSMCGREGOR BASIN
UPPER FRASER BASINNORTHERN COLUMBIA MOUNTAINS
FRASER PLATEAUSOUTHERN QUESNEL HIGHLAND
NORTHERN THOMPSON PLATEAUUPPER COLUMBIA BASINUPPER KOOTENAY BASIN
CENTRAL KOOTENAY BASINLOWER KOOTENAY BASINLOWER COLUMBIA BASIN
OKANAGAN HIGHLANDSOUTHERN THOMPSON PLATEAU
EASTERN SOUTH COAST MOUNTAINSCENTRAL SOUTH COAST MOUNTAINS
WESTERN SOUTH COAST MOUNTAINSEASTERN VANCOUVER ISLAND
WESTERN VANCOUVER ISLAND
0.0 5.0 10.0 15.0 20.0 25.0 30.0
Hydrometric Station Density in British Columbia, 2011
Number of stations per 10,000km^2 area
WMO guideline for mountainous terrain
WMO guidelines for even terrain
BC average
Hydrometric Program:B.C.-Canada Partnership
Constrained to a fixed budget each year:
How to accommodate request for additional hydrometric services??!!!
Budget completely committed to running existing network;Any additions to network must be balanced by equivalent deletion(e.g., # stations added = # stations deleted)
BC Hydrometric Network 2012Results from Phase 1:-Existing network achieves government’s core
mandates (public health & safety, economic & environmental interests);
-Both station densities and water needs differ geographically;
- Long term stable funding mechanism has proven illusive;
-Existing network not overly flexible in its ability to accommodate new and future needs.
Conclusions from 2012 Network Review:
Given that not all stations are presently effective (not many ineffective, but do exist)
And, in areas of high station density, redundant stations may exist
Then, stations that are currently either redundant or ineffective could be re-located to accommodate new hydrometric demands.
Considering a functional station classification.
Functional ClassificationRe-classify active station according to:
• Benchmark (BmS): a regional reference (zonally representative), will not be moved or discontinued;
• Strategic (StS): to fill hydrological gaps between BmS (due to spatial variability), operated until a statistical correlation established with best BmS, then relocated, typically 10+ years;
• Special (Sp): installed for specific research objective (e.g., Upper Penticton Creek, Carnation Creek, etc.).
Exploring and applying a FUNCTIONAL Classification to the BCHP network
Phase 2, Specific Objective:Develop 2 Station Lists:
-BmS (list of Benchmark Stations)
-StS (list of Strategic Stations)
BmS & StS Determinations:
BmS designation for three (3) reasons
B1: Restricted (third-party stations, legal, stage-only);
B2: Statistically unique (stations with r<0.8 for all pairs);
B3: Operational Criteria (half of all stations with r>0.8)
StS: Remainder of Operational Criteria (B3)
Designation of BmS and StS based on statistical similarity of paired stations.
Network serves multiple purposes
Cannot rely solely on one hydrograph characteristic to compare stations.
Used Nathan and McMahon (1990), for base flow recession analyses.
Recall from Phase 1 Network review:
Station “Use” and “Priority” of use included;For correlation of pairs, compare appropriate
hydrograph component.Examples:
Fish habitat (low flow)—base flowpeak flow needs—storm flow
Hydroelectric storage– total flow
Blue: McKale River near 940m contour Red: Dore River near McBride
Dore River near McBride
McK
ale
Rive
r nea
r 940
m c
onto
ur
Dore River near McBride
McK
ale
Rive
r nea
r 940
m c
onto
ur
Tsitika River below Catherine Creek
Gold
Riv
er b
elow
Uco
na R
iver
Tsitika River below Catherine Creek
Gold
Riv
er b
elow
Uco
na R
iver
Example:A – B: r = O.5 Both A & B included as BmS (not correlated, unique)A – C: r = 0.9 Both are candidates, subject to Operational Criteria
A B CA 1 0.5 0.9
B 0.5 1 0.75
C 0.9 0.75 1
Pearson Correlation Coefficient r for each Flow Component
If r>0.80 for a pair of stations, use operational criteria to distinguish
Of each pair, which:Longest Record Length BmS
Shorter Record StS
Least stable record StS
Most expensive operations StS
88.7
11.3
BC Hydrometric Network:Functional Classes, 2013.
BmS
StS
N = 436 Stations
%
%
Determining Functional Classifications for BC Hydrometric Network
First attempt:1) The list of all Benchmark Stations (BmS) accounts for just under 90% of the total network
2) The list of all Strategic Stations (StS) represents a pool of stations that are candidates for re-location, pool is approximately 11% of total network (50 stations).
StS Candidates IMPORTANT Conditions
StS re-location only after:-comprehensive scientific/hydrologic,
economic and business cases confirmed.
Summary
1) Hydrometric Network has a fixed budget-work with available funds
2) Functional Classification applied-in an effort to gain flexibility, this is:
3) To accommodate new hydrometric demands & fill hydrologic gaps by expanding the network in small, sustainable increments.
Play it again Sam?
Same old... ...hope notHave attempted to:
-Rectify network user issues;-Ensure that all stations are effective, efficient and
unique;-Add flexibility to alleviate future hydrometric
demands, in a timely, comprehensive and economically realistic manner. .