By Angela Brown

Research looking at ways to reduce drought, flooding impact

Dec 21, 2021 | 5:10 PM

NORTH BATTLEFORD, Sask. — Saskatchewan agricultural experts are looking into ways to protect the resiliency of the land in the event of extreme weather events.

Whether it was last summer’s drought on the Prairies that hurt crop production, or times of flooding from spring runoff, these events can threaten communities. However, work can be undertaken to mitigate these types of disasters through planning efforts.

Chris Spence, research scientist for Environment and Climate Change Canada, was involved in the recent online event, Citizens Environmental Alliance (CEA) Farmland Drainage and the Environment Conference: “The Wetlands and Their Role in the Resilience of Prairie Communities.”

He is part of the research team involved in an initiative known as The Prairie Water project. Based at the Global Institute for Water Security at the University of Saskatchewan, the project focuses on looking at concerns related to water security and management on the Prairies.

“Our program at its heart is about developing results and information to maybe eventually improve the resilience of Prairie communities for improved knowledge of the water cycle,” Spence said.

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He said a few years ago the team met with stakeholders, including producers, watershed groups and Indigenous groups, to gather feedback about their concerns.

“Multi-year drought and wetland drainage showed up as the most important,” he said.

The research project looks at addressing these concerns.

The Prairie Water initiative aims to address sustainable water management and improve “resilience to water stress” when faced with a changing climate by looking at three inter-related themes: hydrology, groundwater, wetlands and governance.

The federally-funded project will continue through 2023.

“People can experience water stress if there is not enough water or there is too much water, like a flood, or if it’s of a bad quality and you can’t drink it,” Spence said.

He noted the project hopes to look for possible solutions to landowners, and to “generate the information people need to make the decisions they are faced with.”

Katherine Finn, general manager of the North Saskatchewan River Basin Council based in Hafford, said researchers are looking for solutions for both drought and flooding affecting communities.

“The Prairies fluctuate between drought and flood cycles, or extreme moisture and dry cycles,” she said. “That has impacts both on the economy and people’s livelihoods. So with potential climate change providing either higher or more extremes in those two scales, we’ve been looking at ways for improved resiliency.”

To respond to flooding, researchers conducted a study on culvert size in the area outside Radisson. The investigation showed that by doubling the culvert size, flooding could be mitigated to a degree.

“We were able to arrive at a culvert size where no flooding would occur,” Finn said. “That is a tool where municipalities are looking to reduce their risk of flooding, and impact to infrastructure as in the loss of access of roads or surrounding buildings.”

She also discussed best land practices, to look at ways to respond to drought conditions.

By making changes to the topography of the land, landowners can help preserve wetlands to mitigate the impact of a drought. Creating higher land levels and alternatively lower land levels is one way to preserve wetlands from drying out.

Finn also recommends creating pockets for soil moisture to prepare for times of drought.

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Angela.Brown@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @battlefordsnow