The Canadian Water Network is supporting research in Tobacco Creek Model Watershed to design and use watershed level cumulative effects monitoring frameworks. These frameworks are designed to support decisions about land-use and land management. a regional monitoring network to monitor cumulative effects.
Tobacco Creek Model Watershed is one of 6 watershed consortia established across Canada.
After a competitive process, two teams of researchers were selected to undertake research in Tobacco Creek and received funding from CWN. Research got underway in April 2012, and the teams are due to complete their research in March 2015.
CWN funded teams:
- University of Saskatchewan - Howard Wheater, Jon Pomeroy, Helen Baulch
Carrying out an assessment of existing data from the Tobacco Creek catchment, and applying hydrological and process-based biogeochemical models to better understand drivers of spatial and temporal variation in water and nutrient fluxes, and the accuracy of current nutrient budgets. Development of a sampling strategy to monitor impacts of beneficial management practices.
- University of New Brunswick/Western - Joseph Culp, Patricia Chambers, Adam Yates
Developing biotic indicators within the context of annual trends and seasonal hydrological regime. These indices will allow monitoring and assessing of cumulative effects on aquatic biota resulting from both natural processes and management practices across multiple spatial and temporal scales in the TCMW and RRV regions of Southern Manitoba, Canada.
Consortium support:
- Deerwood Soil and Water Management Association - Les McEwan, Don Cruikshank
- University of Manitoba Watershed Systems Research Program - David Lobb, Genevieve Ali, Selena Randall
- IISD - Hank Venema