Promoting Sustainable Ice-Jam Flood Management along the Peace River and Peace-Athabasca Delta
Publication: Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management
Volume 145, Issue 1
Abstract
The regulation of rivers has always been a controversial issue, with potential benefits but also environmental impacts. In western Canada, the construction of W.A.C. Bennett Dam in the headwaters of the Peace River has raised concerns over the ecological health of the Peace-Athabasca Delta (PAD), a socioeconomically and ecologically important delta with national and international significance. The major concern is the reduced frequency of ice-jam floods, which are particularly effective in replenishing the high-elevation basins of the PAD. Previous studies have suggested that releasing water at opportune times from the dam could promote ice-jam flooding of the delta; however, ice-jam flood events can also be severe and devastating to riverside communities and economies. Thus, a critical and challenging question is how to promote flooding in the downstream deltaic ecosystem where it is essential without necessarily increasing the flood risk in upstream communities of the Peace River. This study reviews previous approaches and explores possible reservoir operation schemes with an integrated hydrologic and hydraulic river ice modeling framework to minimize flood risk and maximize flood potential at desired locations. It is demonstrated that by increasing reservoir release in the breakup period, it is possible to increase the likelihood of ice-jam flooding in the PAD without necessarily causing ice-jam floods in the upstream communities. However, the timing of the flow release, taking into account the receding ice front and local hydrometeorological conditions, is critical.
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Acknowledgments
The authors are grateful to Dennis Lazowski from Water Survey of Canada in Alberta and Angus Pippy from Water Survey of Canada in Northwest Territories for providing water level and ice thickness data. Dr. Spyros Beltaos and Tom Carter from Environment and Climate Change Canada kindly provided cross sections and some measured water-level data. Gratitude is also expressed to Martin Jasek from BC Hydro, who kindly shared ice front progression and recession data as well as some relevant literature. The constructive comments and suggestions from anonymous reviewers, editor, and Dr. Daniel Peters from Environment and Climate Change Canada helped to substantially improve the manuscript. Last but not least, the authors would also like to thank the attendees of 19th Workshop on the Hydraulics of Ice Covered Rivers of CGU HS Committee on River Ice Processes and the Environment for their valuable feedback on preliminary results. This work is supported by the Canadian Excellence Research Chair in Water Security through the Global Institute for Water Security, University of Saskatchewan.
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Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management
Volume 145 • Issue 1 • January 2019
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©2018 American Society of Civil Engineers.
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Received: Dec 4, 2017
Accepted: Jul 10, 2018
Published online: Oct 30, 2018
Published in print: Jan 1, 2019
Discussion open until: Mar 30, 2019
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