Importance of Water Quantity on Modeling Using a Vulnerability Index for Northern Ontario Watersheds

Abstract

The 2007 Brisbane Declaration and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change have made recommendations for assessing the water resources of a hydrologic system as an integral part of hydrologic and hydraulic modeling. Considering these recommendations, it is necessary to understand the flow regime and available water resources. This paper describes the data sources and methods used to create a water quantity vulnerability index for the Southwestern Hudson Bay and Nelson watersheds in Ontario, Canada. The index was generated for 71 gauged watersheds of the Water Survey of Canada across the project area with an impact matrix being constructed from a set of 27 scale weighted streamflow and climate impact variables. Variables were specifically selected to represent the dimensions of water quantity exposure by describing the magnitude, frequency, duration and timing of flows. Vulnerability index values ranged between 21 and 24 with hydrologic regions of Far North West being lowest at 21. A database of water quantity statistics, impact matrix variables and estimated vulnerability indices has been created to servewater policy, planning and management staff.