4175 Hwy 511, RR#2 Lanark, ON, K0G 1K0 Tel: (613) 259-2421 Fax: (613) 259-3468 Email: info@mvc.on.ca

SPECIAL PROJECTS


Mississippi River Water Management Plan

Mississippi Valley Conservation (MVC), Waterpower producers and the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) have completed a new water management plan which establishes regulated water flows and levels for five waterpower facilities on the Mississippi River system.

During the preparation of the Mississippi River Water Management Plan much consideration was given to an integrated approach to maximize all uses of the river including waterpower, flood control, low flow augmentation, fish and wildlife, tourism and recreation.

A standing advisory committee will review and provide advice on the implementation of the water management plan. After ten years, the plan will go through a review process, which will include public consultation.
The Mississippi River Water Management Plan is a guideline for Waterpower producers to manage water flows and levels. Dam owners are obliged to comply with the enforceable provisions of their plans. The Mississippi River Water Management plan strikes a balance among various environmental, social and economic objectives, and takes into account the uses and users that are affected by changes in water levels and flows. After a five year process which took into consideration input and advice from all stakeholders, the water management plan will ensure the operating regime of facilities works to meet water management objectives that are unique to the Mississippi River.

For further information or if you have any questions, please contact:

Gord Mountenay, Water Management Supervisor
Mississippi Valley Conservation
(613) 259-2421, extension 233
gmountenay@mvc.on.ca

Sarah MacHardy
Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources
(613)-258-8386
sarah.machardy@ontario.ca

Mississippi River Water Management Plan
Download the report in PDF

Mississippi River Water Management Plan Section 1-6
Mississippi River Water Management Plan Section 7
Mississippi River Water Management Plan Section 8-9
Mississippi River Water Management Plan Appendices 1-4
Mississippi River Water Management Plan Appendix 5
Mississippi River Water Management Plan Appendix 6
Mississippi River Water Management Plan Appendix 7
Mississippi River Water Management Plan Appendix 8

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The Mississippi River Under Close Observation

For the past several years, the Mississippi River Watershed, located immediately west of Ottawa, has been under close observation. Collaborative efforts between the Canadian Center for Remote Sensing (CCRS), the Mississippi Valley Conservation Authority, Kije Sipi Ltd, a local High School and College have advanced the use of remotely sensed data in water resources management. The project demonstrates the use of integrating RADARSAT data with in-situ data to derive soil moisture conditions across the basin to aid water management operations.

The research basin encompasses over 4000 km2 of contributing surface area and is a major tributary to the Ottawa River. It is roughly rectangular in shape, stretching 100 km long by 40 km wide as outlined on the accompanying false color composite LandSat image. The river's main stem is over 200 km in length, drops 320 m in elevation and has five significant tributaries. There are more than 250 lakes scattered in the basin with numerous wetlands dotting a variety of land covers including a large expanse of forested lands with small tracks of agricultural and urban areas. The surface geology of the basin ranges from a thin veneer of till over Precambrian rock to thick Champlain Sea clays near the outlet.



Detailed physiographic information of the basin was compiled while a comprehensive field-level data collection program was undertaken to obtain approximately 2000 soil moisture samples with hydro-meteorological observations of air and ground temperature, rainfall, wind, radiation and streamflow being monitored from over a dozen stations throughout the basin. RADARSAT and LandSat imagery combined with weather radar coverage of the basin provided spatial representation of the key hydrological and meteorological parameters.

A distributed hydrological model serves as the main integration and evaluation platform for both point and spatial datasets. The model is subsequently being used to assess the best mix of in-situ and remotely-sensed data to aid water resources planning and operations. Developing reliable and cost-effective techniques to utilize remotely-sensed data in water resources management will assist water managers in overcoming the current deficiencies in spatial coverage from in-situ monitoring methods.