Environmental regulations require the development and implementation of watershed plans to meet water quality
Environmental regulations require watershed plans that account for the full lifecycle of land development, from planning and construction through long-term water quality management. Engineers and regulators need modeling tools that trace how land-use changes propagate downstream to receiving water bodies.
EFDC+ is a leading platform for integrated watershed and hydrodynamic modeling, and pairs readily with watershed packages such as LSPC and HSPF to capture land-use-driven impacts. EEMS produces detailed visualizations of changes in temperature, salinity, sediment load, and water quality, giving program managers the insight to identify the most effective and cost-efficient strategies for reducing nonpoint source pollution.
In partnership with Alberta Environment and Parks, DSI developed a water quality model of the Little Bow River and ran scenarios examining flow management, reservoir operations, and wastewater treatment upgrades. The model now serves as an ongoing planning tool supporting water managers across the upper Little Bow watershed.
DSI provided calibration support to Alberta Environment for the North Saskatchewan River water quality model, addressing mixing, suspended solids, aquatic plants, algae, temperature, dissolved oxygen, and bacteria as part of a comprehensive water quality calibration. The result equips one of Alberta’s most vital rivers with a robust tool for long-term management.
DSI developed an EFDC+ model of this ecologically sensitive wetland complex north of Fort McMurray for Suncor, evaluating mitigation strategies for a proposed oil sands mine. The model coupled with a groundwater model, incorporated ice and snowmelt processes, and ran on nested grids at multiple scales — a technically innovative approach to safeguarding a complex and highly valued ecosystem.
