Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
In March of 2013, Greenland International Consulting Ltd. completed a study for Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada to estimate nutrient loading in small catchment of about 177 square kilometers in the La Salle River watershed in southern Manitoba using the CANWET 4 model. Given uncertainties in some input data and model parameters, the preliminary results using the CANWET 4 model for baseline conditions of stream discharge, nutrient concentrations and loads were satisfactory in our project team as simulated values were within the range of observed values during the validation period.
This study suggests the CANWET 4 modeling approach could be used to predict changes to nutrient loads from changing land use scenarios in watersheds of this region.
Jason Vanrobaeys
Senior Land Resource Specialist
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
Mississippi Valley Conservation Authority
On behalf of the Mississippi Valley Conservation Authority, we would like to thank you and your consulting firm for your technical capacity in completing the CANWET model with baseline conditions in our watershed.
I have worked closely with Greenland Consulting Engineers (Greenland) over the past two years as part of this project. We also value your staff’s ability to troubleshoot issues and respond on time. Greenland’s commitment, thoroughness, and professionalism have led to the success of this project with the addition of a new routine to the CANWET software.
It has been a great pleasure to work with Greenland and we look forward to using your expertise again in the near future.
Sobhalatha Kunjikutty, Ph.D, P.Eng.
Water Resources Engineer
Mississippi Valley Conservation Authority
February 19, 2015
University of Guelph
The reappearance of excessive nutrient loading in Lake Erie and the subsequent algae blooms is an extremely complex issue and is quite different in nature than the previous phosphorous loadings in the 1970s. Unlike the issue in the 1970s, there are far more sources adding nutrients to the late and these sources are diverse in nature ranging from rural to urban. In order to understand the nutrient loading, both in the temporal and spatial domains, more complex analytic and predictive tools are required in order to help policy make sound, science based, and defendable solutions.
The University of Guelph is uniquely positioned to help address the issues around Lake Erie with long standing core strengths in both the agricultural sector and the environmental field. In conjunction with our partner, Greenland Consulting Engineers, and their watershed evaluation tool (CANWETTM), we believe that we have the engineering and technology to extrapolate CANWETTM from the watershed level up to the lake basin level and provide decision-making support for the entire Lake Erie basin.
Hussein Abdullah, Ph.D., P. Eng.
Director, School of Engineering
University of Guelph
January, 26 2015
