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If you have any questions on the information presented, or require additional report data or attachments, please contact the Report Contact
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Associated Environmental Consultants Inc. have developed a water budget model for the Similkameen Valley Aquifer (Aquifer #259) to support groundwater allocation decisions and to promote water sustainability within the Similkameen River watershed. The water budget model operates on a monthly time-step and requires the input of monthly data for estimated water demand, streamflows, groundwater geometry and levels, and climatic conditions.
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Author: Associated Environmental Consultants Inc.
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Date Published: Aug 2016
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Report ID: 50846
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Audience: Government and Public
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Water supply within the Similkameen River watershed is determined by rainfall and snowmelt and the storage capacity of reservoirs and aquifers. During dry years, water purveyors impose conservation measures to attempt to meet both human and environmental flow needs. However, with increased water demand in future, purveyors and private users will likely need to augment this demand through additional surface and groundwater withdrawals, reservoir storage, and management. Increasing water withdrawals and storage could impact environmental flows, aquifer levels, downstream water licences, and inflows into the Similkameen R.
Associated Environmental Consultants Inc. (Associated) have developed a water budget model for the Similkameen Valley Aquifer (Aquifer 259) to support groundwater allocation decisions and to promote water sustainability within the Similkameen River watershed.
Based on the conceptual model for Aquifer 259, a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet model was developed that allows decision makers to assess the influence of future water demand and climate variability on groundwater levels within Aquifer 259, as well as the Similkameen R streamflows at the downstream extent of Aquifer 259.
The water budget model operates on a monthly time-step and requires the input of monthly data for estimated water demand, streamflows, groundwater geometry and levels, and climatic conditions. In the absence of reliable streamflow information for Aquifer 259, Associated developed estimates of Similkameen R streamflow at the upstream and downstream boundaries of Aquifer 259, as well as estimates of tributary inflows at the aquifer boundary. Water use estimates were obtained from the Agriculture Water Demand Model developed by the Ministry of Agriculture. Estimates of domestic water demand from groundwater were developed from pumping records and surface water extraction licences. Associated also obtained and made use of spatially modelled estimates of precipitation and evapotranspiration across Aquifer 259.
Climate variability is an important factor which affects water availability within the Similkameen River watershed. Associated has integrated the ability to assess the water budget for Aquifer 259 under three different climate scenarios (i.e. average, dry, and wet).
Groundwater level data from Observation Well 75 (Keremeos), situated inside the Aquifer 259 boundary, was used to calibrate the water budget model under all three climate scenarios. During the calibration process, a number of model components were adjusted to provide the best estimates of each parameter within the calibrated water budget model.
A summary of model sensitivities and calibration adjustments is provided within the report. A key limitation of model calibration is the scarcity of groundwater observation wells in Aquifer 259.
The water budget model generates estimates of monthly surplus/deficit within the system, along with estimated changes in groundwater level. Understanding that there is uncertainty associated with the input data, it was qualitatively determined that the error associated with the water budget results is approximately 10-25 percent.
Understanding that the Similkameen River has high value fish and aquatic habitat, environmental flow needs (EFNs) are an important consideration for future water allocation. EFNs have not been defined for the Similkameen R at this time; therefore, the water budget model provides a comparison of future estimated Similkameen R streamflow conditions and to previously defined critical flow thresholds determined for the Similkameen R by Associated (2016).
The calibrated water budget model indicates that there are annual and monthly surpluses/deficits within Aquifer 259 and the Similkameen R depending on climate conditions. In addition, a function was added to the water budget model to calculate the potential available groundwater volume for water allocation after defining a groundwater level allocation threshold.
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Report Type
Subject
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Region - Okanagan |
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Water Information - Groundwater |
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