A water project at the University of Lethbridge has obtained a $1 million Alberta government contribution to study how much water must be left in the river system to maintain healthy ecosystems.
The three-year, $2.5 million project is called Functional Flows and is organized through the university’s Water Institute for Sustainable Environments (WISE).
Principal researcher Stewart Rood will lead a team to study water flows and develop strategies to support healthy aquatic and riparian ecosystems while also providing enough water for human use and industrial expansion.
“It is critical for the environmental health of our aquatic ecosystems that we understand the ecological impacts from river damming and water diversions,” Rood said in an April 30 news release.
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“Further, we need to create and implement strategies for environmental flow regimes that will ensure that our rivers continue to sustain high water quality, as well as the fish and floodplain forests that we value.”
Rood has studied river flow patterns and riparian health for years. That research has led him to contend that management of river flow patterns at certain times of year could rejuvenate flood plain ecosystems.
The project will involve students, biologists, geographers and other scientists affiliated with WISE. Government researchers and others in conservation organizations will also be involved, the news release said.
The Functional Flows project has also received $250,000 from ConocoPhillips Canada.
