Current Studies

Management of Frazil Ice risks in Mississippi River in the context of Climate Change

Mississippi Valley Conservation is currently working in collaboration with the University of Ottawa to assess the risks associated with frazil ice generation in Mississippi River in a changing climate. The study will focus on how an integrated watershed approach manages the risks in terms of infrastructure damage, flooding, management costs, biological impacts due to scouring events, etc.  This study is a Master of Science project by Emilie-Jeanne Bercier under Prof. Robert Mcleman’s supervision.

Climate Modeling: Future Climate and Flow Generation with MNR guidelines

MVC will continue our climate change study following MNR’s guideline (Guide to Assessment of Hydrologic Effects of Climate Change in Ontario, 2010) to generate future climate data from the selected best 10 model outputs from more than 30 models that represent  historic climate in our watershed. Uncertainties from these model outputs will be added to the average future climate data to get the best representative future climate, which then will be used in further modeling exercise, hydrologic and hydraulic modeling, to project future flows, to test different water management scenarios or best management practices to address water quality issues with a changing climate, and to incorporate climate change effects/impacts in our water management plan.

Project Collaboration with Other Organizations

Weather & Water Information Gateway (Gateway Project)

MNR and Association for Canadian Educational Resources (ACER) are creating a web?based integrated Provincial weather and water information discovery and access service to facilitate decision? making the community level. Municipalities, conservation authorities and others can use this to assess their adaptation vulnerabilities to make more informed decisions. There are Local Adaptation Collaboratives (LACs) in five regions of the Province to lead demonstration projects to test and improve the value of the gateway in facilitating decision-making. Demonstrative case studies target unique community vulnerabilities (i.e. stormwater, source protection, flooding, and low water response) and will be used to refine the Gateway based on users’ experiences. It will facilitate community level decision-making related to climate change impacts on water including low water and drought management, flood water and stormwater management. It aims to provide timely access to the best available climate change impacts data and information at the local level through a web-based portal.

Mississippi Valley and Rideau Valley conservation authorities partake in the Weather and Water Information Gateway project.

From Farms to Regions: Climate Change in eastern Ontario - Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

Agri-environmental Services Branch`s Landscape Integration Unit is undertaking a work in eastern Ontario to examine the way that changes in climate or weather conditions may impact agriculture and environmental services in the region as a whole. Working with Carleton University and Environment Canada, the project is to connect and build on existing and ongoing work within the region by integrating information from a range of sectors and jurisdictions in the region.

This information will be used to examine the nature of changes and interactions in the region as a whole, and with the help of this stakeholder group, go one step further to identify a selection of potential land use options to help inform land use decisions.

These include (i) defining key influences of environmental changes on agriculture and agricultural practices within the region (eg. climate change and others); (ii) examining how different agricultural and non-agricultural activities interact with environmental changes, and (iii) examining agricultural policy options within the context of the larger region, notably regional activities, other sectoral policies and values.

Report: From Farms to Regions: Climate Change in eastern Ontario

Water Environment Strategy (WES) - City of Ottawa

The City of Ottawa is developing a Water Environment Strategy (WES) to guide the protection and enhancement of Ottawa’s water resources and supporting aquatic and terrestrial environments. Working closely with the Mississippi Valley, Rideau Valley and South Nation Conservation Authorities, the Strategy is being developed using an integrated watershed approach.

The Water Environment Strategy will benefit the community in several ways. It will:

• identify the full range of water environment issues that exist within the City’s boundaries such as preserving and restoring aquatic and terrestrial habitats, protecting water quality and flows, and safeguarding drinking water sources;
• clarify roles and responsibilities and strengthen collaboration amongst the various jurisdictions and parties responsible for water environment protection;
• set short, mid, and long-term goals, objectives and targets for improving delivery of water environment programs and services;
• secure funding; and
• institute a monitoring and reporting framework to ensure coordination and the timely communication of results to Council and the public.

For more information see http://ottawa.ca/env_water/tlg/alw/brs/orap/wes_en.html or contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Wetland Monitoring Program

Poole Creek wetland area experienced certain level of stress during the summer 2011 due to the dry weather and low snowfall amount received in the winter which might augment the water table level up. The exact causes of dry-up are unknown; the residents, City of Ottawa, Councillors, and MVC are concerned about the issue. With that, MVC planning to establish a monitoring program to understand the hydrology of the Poole Creek wetland. A public forum regarding this issue was conducted on October 2, 2011, the background documents and preliminary results of the existing/historic conditions are given on our website at  http://www.mvc.on.ca/monitoring/poole-creek.

Fish, Fisheries, and Water Resources: Adapting to Ontario’s Changing Climate (NRCan Project):  

Project Overview

Climate is changing, affecting fish, fisheries, and water resources. A study funded by Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) was conducted jointly by Queen’s University (Dr. John Casselman, principal investigator) and Mississippi Valley Conservation. The study designed to assist fisheries and resource managers in adapting and assessing adaptive capacity, with recommendations. The primary project, Fish, Fisheries, and Water Resources: Adapting to Ontario’s Changing Climate, has four interrelated subcomponents. These subprojects provide researches that contribute to our understanding of how changing climate and aquatic resources will affect our lives, finances, activities, and interests. We will need to understand adaptation and adaptive capacity if we are to continue to appreciate the undiminished benefits of these aquatic resources and take advantage of rapidly changing conditions.

The first research subproject, Fish and fisheries: adapting to a changing climate, is a complete review with examples of how aquatic environmental conditions are changing in the Great Lakes Basin as well as specifically in the Mississippi River watershed of eastern Ontario. It provides examples of how these changes are affecting fish and fisheries, how fish and fisheries, as well as their assessment and management, can be redirected advantageously. Risk and policy were being considered, with recommendations.

The second subproject, Stakeholder outreach and science transfer workshops, provided opportunity to discuss, with the assistance of the Mississippi Valley Field Naturalists, perceptions of resource users and their willingness to adapt their use of aquatic resources to maximize personal and financial return, yet conserve and sustain them.

Economics, consequences, and adapting to changing climate, the third subproject, engages fisheries-resource managers to identify incentives and barriers to adaptation, as well as to evaluate the ability of current management plans and policies to address future climate change. This phase considered financial aspects and draws on a broad comparison with past fish-resource use and value. This subproject involved a survey for groups knowledgeable about fish resources: anglers, fish resource businesses, and fish resource professionals. The survey was conducted across Ontario; specific regions include the Mississippi Valley Watershed, southern Ontario (south of Lake Nipissing) and northern Ontario (north of Lake Nipissing). Experience with fish and fishing can range from casual to avid. Click here to view survey page.

The fourth element dealt with Water Management Response. This study was conducted by Mississippi Valley Conservation and examined opportunities and constraints using integrated watershed hydrologic and hydraulic modelling of the Mississippi River watershed. The recently completed Mississippi River Water-Management Plan considered some aspects of fish resources but did not take climate change into account; this will be done, and the plan and policies will be revised. This integrated modelling approach investigated the influence of changes in stream discharge and water temperature to determine effects on spawning, growth, and production of fish of different thermal guilds (pike, walleye, bass), their fisheries, and the ecosystem. Field surveys and reservoir operation modelling were used to assess conflict between competing interests such as navigation and reservoir drawdown on success of cold-water fish (lake trout) and fisheries. Based on findings of this phase, opportunities and approaches available to incorporate climate-change considerations into current management plans and regulatory policies will be explored with affected stakeholders.

Through this integrated research, we achieved a better understanding of adaptation and the adaptive capacity associated with fish, fisheries, and water resources in a rapidly changing environment. This assisted us in enhancing our knowledge on minimizing risks, developing case studies involving adaptation, and making recommendations to policy and decision makers. Ultimately the project affords stakeholders the opportunity to better position themselves at both regional and local levels to take advantage of new opportunities associated with global climate change while reducing their impacts.

The most significant results were integrated with recommendations in a final research report:

Fish, Fisheries and Water Resources: Adapting to Ontario’s Changing Climate.

The project began in August 2007 and completed in April 2008. For details concerning background, specific research objectives, methodologies, investigators, partners and collaborators, stakeholders, status, reports and reporting, and workshops, go to Fish and fisheries: adapting to a changing climate

The project investigators gratefully acknowledges the support of Natural Resources Canada

 Report: Fish, Fisheries, and Water Resources: Adapting to Ontario’s Changing Climate

NRCAN report Part 1 of 2 submitted 20110330 Casselman et al. A1367
NRCAN report Part 2 of 2 submitted 20110330 Casselman et al. A1367

John M. Casselman, Principal Investigator, Department of Biology, Queen’s University
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it and Mississippi Valley Conservation

Public Workshop and Presentations

In 2007, Mississippi Valley Conservation initiated a climate change adaptation strategy to study how weather patterns will change in Eastern Ontario’s Mississippi watershed, the affect these changes will have and how best to adapt. The strategy will involve research on how precipitation and temperature changes may affect water distribution at a local level as well as the consideration of how MVC will respond from a water management perspective. Other components include:

• floodplain management
• aquatic and ecosystem impacts
• watershed management
• education and outreach

According to area residents we need to prepare for climate change. The “Almonte Communiqué” was drafted and unanimously endorsed by participants of the Saturday, September 22, 2007 “Weathering the Change: Adapting to Climate Change in the Mississippi Valley” workshop, a series hosted by Mississippi Valley Conservation and the Mississippi Valley Field Naturalists.

i) Weathering the Change: Adapting to Climate Change in the Mississippi Valley (click for details of the workshops). September 15 and 22, 2007 Mississippi Valley Conservation and the Mississippi Valley Field Naturalists hosted a workshop series entitled The workshops, funded by Natural Resources Canada, were designed to engage and communicate with the public. It also served as a forum for information exchange on this important issue and a positive first step toward adaptation.

Ten speakers, all experts in their fields, led discussions over the course of the two day event. Invited speakers included: scientists associated with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reports; chapter leads associated with Canada’s National Assessment on Climate Change, a researcher from Health Canada with responsibility for the Health Assessment; and the Climate Change Coordinator for the Ministry of Natural Resources, Ontario.

The speakers communicated a summary of the impacts of climate change from their area of expertise and messages of optimism and inspiration. Following these presentations, participants had an opportunity to explore local concerns at breakout sessions where discussions focused on potential adaptation options and barriers to taking action.

Report: From impacts towards adaptation: Mississippi Watershed in a changing climate, by Paul Egginton & Beth Lavender

The report is authored by Paul Egginton and Beth Lavender, both residents and or users of the Mississippi Valley. It is based in part on their broad experience in addressing climate change impacts and adaptation issues and on a stakeholder workshop held in the fall of 2007 in the Town of Almonte, Ontario. This event was co-sponsored by Mississippi Valley Conservation (MVC) and Mississippi Valley Field Naturalists (MFVN).

ii) Interagency Meeting on Climate Change (January 31, 2008) click for details

On Thursday, January 31 a number of representatives from our local municipalities, the provincial government, the health unit, and Mississippi Valley Conservation staff met at the Mill of Kintail near Almonte to discussion climate change in the Mississippi Valley. Keynote speaker for the event was Dr. Don Lemmen of Natural Resources Canada.

iii) Climate Change Effects on Reservoir Operation Policies in the Mississippi River Watershed

 Project Overview

Mississippi Valley Conservation collaborated with University of Guelph to assess the climate change effects on reservoir operation policies in the Mississippi River Watershed. In the watershed, dams and reservoirs are operated by MVC and Ontario Power Generation (OPG) to achieve multiple objectives including flood control, water supply, recreation, and production of green energy. MVC regulates the water levels by replacing and removing stoplogs at the outlets of lakes based on operating guidelines. This project is to seek answers to some fundamental questions such as:
1.    Which Julian day of year should operators add or remove wooden stoplogs?
2.    How many logs must be placed in each bay?
3.    What is the best stoplog elevation setting and at what time interval with provisions to add or remove logs?