The Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority is working on a pilot project with the U. S. Corps of Engineers that looks at the hydrology of a specific watershed, to determine how easily that can be applied to another watershed.
ABCA Water and Planning Manager Alec Scott explains the authority was already in the process of updating its last study, which was done in 1992.
Scott says the study looks at land use, characteristics of the watershed and what kind of flows they get at various points in the watershed with a certain amount of rainfall.
But Scott says the equipment has changed since 1992 so the update was undertaken and because they were already doing that they were invited to take part in the pilot program which will determine if information collected by one model could be transferred to another model.
Scott adds what the information will do for the Ausable Bayfield watershed is help them predict flood potential based on things like land use and traditional flows and an anticipated amount of rain.
Scott adds it was because they were already doing their own hydrological study that they were able to take part in the pilot project which hopefully will result in a better flood predicting tool that can be used anywhere.
