UNews - Stewart Rood

Research study to focus on the environmental impacts of effluent release

caroline.zentner — Mon, 08 Aug 2022 22:37:12 +0000

This overview of Frank Lake shows the effluent outflow.

Around the world, people use wetlands to help treat wastewater. ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge researchers will look to better understand how these complex systems work by studying the Frank Lake wetland and its watershed near High River, Alberta.

With base funding from Cargill Limited and matching funds from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) of Canada Alliance program totalling approximately $1.5 million, the research team will embark on a five-year project.

Drs. Matt Bogard, Steve Wiseman and Larry Flanagan from ULethbridge will be joined by two researchers, Drs. Kerri Finlay from the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Regina and Markus Brinkmann from the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Saskatchewan. Partners in the project include Cargill Limited and the Highwood Management Plan Public Advisory Committee, with support from ULethbridge Professor Emeritus Dr. Stewart Rood and Dr. Peter Leavitt from the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Regina.

“The goal of this project is to understand the impacts of land use on the health of the Little Bow watershed, with a focus on the role that the Frank Lake wetland plays in processing effluent in this economically important region,” says Bogard, an assistant professor of biology and Canada Research Chair. “We want to provide all stakeholders with scientific knowledge and data to help manage the watershed as best as possible.”

ULethbridge graduate student Oshini Fernando uses a flux chamber to measure emissions, such as greenhouse gases, from the ground to the atmosphere.

Frank Lake is a restored wetland six kilometres east of High River. Managed by Ducks Unlimited Canada, the wetland is listed as an Important Bird Area. Treated effluent from both the Town of High River and Cargill Limited is released into Frank Lake to maintain water levels. Not only does the wetland provide habitat for birds, it adds another level of effluent treatment by further removing nutrients, salts and other chemicals. The concern for stakeholders is how long it can sustain current levels of treatment, and whether actions can be taken to enhance its functioning.

The wetland is also part of a larger watershed. Frank Lake flows periodically into the Little Bow River, which begins near High River and eventually joins the Oldman River. Along the way, other communities located within the watershed add effluent, and surrounding land uses include feedlot operations. By studying the whole basin, the researchers hope to gain an understanding of how the entire system works. The researchers will examine nutrient cycling in the watershed, water quality, aquatic ecology, health of the wetland and surrounding vegetation, and effluent toxicity.

“Part of the goal of this project is to tease apart the influence of different land uses on watershed health, so that future management decisions can better evaluate impacts of individual land uses,” says Bogard. “Much of the water used by humanity is released back into the environment as wastewater, so this project has major implications for watershed and wastewater management worldwide.”

The Research Support Fund supports a portion of the costs associated with managing the research funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council and Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, such as salaries for staff who provide administration support, training costs for workplace health and safety, maintenance of libraries and laboratories, and administrative costs associated with obtaining patents for inventions.

Healthy river systems depend on protected headwaters

caroline.zentner — Thu, 07 Apr 2022 21:18:39 +0000

Using measurements collected by the governments of Alberta, Saskatchewan and Canada over the last 20 to 40 years, Dr. Sarah Ellen Johnston, a post-doctoral fellow at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge, and Canada Research Chair Dr. Matthew Bogard have mapped out changes in the flow of carbon through the South Saskatchewan River Basin (SSRB) in a study that was recently published in Geophysical Research Letters.

“What happens in the mountain headwaters has huge implications for us down here in the prairies,” says Johnston. “Our big takeaway from this study was that a lot of the carbon comes from the mountains, so we really need to consider those headwater sources of carbon as the main energy and fuel sources to the food webs in the rest of our watershed. If we don’t want to see big changes in organic carbon, we need to protect the headwaters.”

The organic form of carbon, the focus of this research, is an important indicator of the health of river systems. Too little carbon or a rapid decline in carbon content lowers the ability of a river to sustain life, while too much carbon or a rapid increase has ramifications for drinking water and other important ecosystem services. While some carbon sources come from within a river system itself, such as bacteria and algae, carbon also enters river systems from the landscape, through trees, plants and soils. For rivers in the SSRB, including the Bow, Oldman and Red Deer sub-basins, the typical pattern is a surge in carbon during the spring snow melt.

“An exciting discovery in recent decades is that rivers and lakes intercept an enormous amount of the carbon moving off the land toward the oceans,” says Bogard. “What happens in Canada’s rivers impacts the balance of carbon in our atmosphere. Our study adds new numbers to this, which is like adding a piece to help solve the global carbon budget puzzle. The better we understand the global carbon cycle, the better we can help guide society in terms of cost-effective climate-change mitigation strategies.”

“In general, Alberta is doing quite a good job of protecting the headwaters by having them designated as parkland,” Johnston says. “There’s a push to change that, but maintaining the protection of these headwaters will help to maintain the energy source for the rest of the river systems.”

The SSRB originates in the Rocky Mountains and covers about 146,000 square kilometres of southern Alberta, Montana and Saskatchewan. The region shows large shifts in land cover and development, as well as in water usage and allocation. For example, southern Alberta, with its agricultural base, has high proportions of water withdrawal from its rivers.

“We wanted to determine whether there have been changes over time in the flow of organic carbon through these river systems,” she says. “If humans are causing particular decreases or increases, then that’s really where we start to see issues. So, if we start having things like coal mines, for instance, up in the mountains, then mine waste and disturbances to the pristine watersheds can have cascading effects in the rivers and affect downstream ecosystems.”

Along with Johnston, a U.S. National Science Foundation Earth Sciences-funded post-doctoral research fellow, and Bogard, the research team included graduate student Panditha Gunawardana and professor emeritus Dr. Stewart Rood. They used publicly available measurements of both organic carbon content and the amount of water flowing through the SSRB rivers. Their goal was to model how much carbon moves through these systems and whether those patterns have changed over the years. The data captured the extremes of river conditions, including severe droughts and flooding.

“What we found is that, through time, carbon fluxes, or the movement of carbon, hasn’t really changed directionally,” says Johnston. “Unlike in many other regions of the world, it’s not going up or down. We found that the land cover — whether it’s forested, or prairie or agricultural land — is really what determined how much carbon we saw moving through the rivers.”

In more forested systems, such as in the mountains, a lot more carbon and water were present than in grasslands and agricultural systems. The researchers also examined differences between years and found that climate oscillations, such as El Niño, have a large impact on the flow of carbon through the SSRB.

“We found that climate oscillations are really important in determining how much carbon is moving through our rivers each year,” says Johnston. “It’s linked to larger climate processes, which are getting more erratic with climate change.”

The findings could have implications for understanding mountain-to-grassland transitional ecosystems around the world. The research was funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, the Canada Research Chairs program, the U of L and Alberta Innovates.

U of L researchers awarded more than $1.8 million in NSERC funding

caroline.zentner — Mon, 22 Jul 2019 16:47:48 +0000

Eleven ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge researchers have been awarded Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) Discovery Grants worth approximately $1.8 million, payable in instalments of anywhere from one to five years.

“��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge researchers were very successful this year, with 11 out of 14 applications being awarded funding,” says Dr. Erasmus Okine, U of L vice-president (Research). “This funding of almost $2 million demonstrates the calibre of research our scientists are engaged in and I congratulate each one of them.”

Dr. Gerlinde Metz, a neuroscience professor, received the U of L’s largest grant worth a total of $510,000. She and her research team will continue exploring early life stress and its effects on brain plasticity. They’ll examine how early life stress alters brain development, connections between neurons, and behaviour. They’ll also look at whether factors such as age and sex determine the response to early life stress and whether early life stress affects subsequent generations.

Dr. Theresa Burg, a biology professor, studies how the evolution of high-latitude species is linked to historical and present-day environmental changes. Examining how landscape features and past climate changes have shaped today’s populations can further the understanding of population dynamics and help predict how these species might respond to future climate change.

Dr. Dmytro Yevtushenko, a professor in the Department of Biology and Research Chair in Potato Science, was awarded an early career researcher supplement in addition to a Discovery Grant. Yevtushenko will conduct research into the natural defense mechanisms of potato plants. His work could lead to higher crop yields, less crop loss, increased food safety and could help point the way to improving disease resistance in other crops.

Dr. Borries Demeler, Canada 150 Research Chair and a professor in the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, is a leading biophysics scientist with expertise in analytical ultracentrifugation (AUC). AUC is used to analyze molecules in solution. He has established the Canadian Center for Hydrodynamics, which is equipped with three unique AUC instruments to accelerate biophysical research in Canada. He hopes to develop new analysis protocols and software tools that will benefit basic research in biochemistry, physics and material science.

Other U of L researchers who received grants include Dr. Jon Doan (kinesiology and physical education), Dr. Stewart Rood (biology), Dr. Lawrence Flanagan (biology), Dr. Anthony Russell (biology), Dr. Hadi Kharaghani (mathematics and computer science), Dr. Matthew Tata (neuroscience) and Dr. Saurya Das (physics and astronomy).

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ signs Oldman Watershed Council's Southern Alberta Water Charter

trevor.kenney — Fri, 07 Apr 2017 17:55:41 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge joined a host of individuals and organizations from throughout southern Alberta today in signing the Oldman Watershed Council’s (OWC) Southern Alberta Water Charter, lending its support to the charter’s vision of a healthy, resilient watershed where people, wildlife and habitat thrive.

“The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge is proud to support the Oldman Watershed Council and sign the Southern Alberta Water Charter,” says U of L President and Vice-Chancellor Dr. Mike Mahon. “Over the last 50 years, our students, faculty and staff have played a very active role in promoting the importance of sustainability in our water supply. Whether it be through advocacy, work in the lab or in the waters of southern Alberta, the U of L has established itself as a leader in water research through the Water Institute for Sustainable Environments (WISE).”

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge President and Vice-Chancellor Dr. Mike Mahon addresses an assembled crowd at the singing ceremony for the Southern Alberta Water Charter.

The Water Charter is a voluntary pact encouraging individuals and organizations in the region to plan and perform their own watershed protection initiatives. Each signatory pledges to undertake a specific action in support of the charter’s goals and vision.

The U of L, under the guidance of Dr. Joseph Rasmussen, Tier I Board of Governors Research Chair in Biological Sciences, has initiated a new research study as its specific action in support of the Charter. Rasmussen and his team are developing a drone-based approach to characterizing stream water temperatures relative to the requirements of trout. This study includes the use of a thermal, infrared camera mounted on a small drone that will allow researchers to identify cooler or warmer water zones within the watershed. These zones are related to aspects such as spawning and summer survival of trout species.

“This is a cutting-edge strategy to inventory stream water temperatures that are critical to trout and the health of our aquatic ecosystems,” says Dr. Stewart Rood, a biological sciences professor and researcher on the project. “It provides a novel approach that could be applicable across Alberta and worldwide, and will be doubly useful with the likely warming from climate change.”

This study is one of many ongoing U of L initiatives related to maintaining the health of the Oldman Watershed. Another action is the work of the Global Citizenship for Oldman Watershed Cohort. This group of six students, working with Dr. Shelly Wismath of the Liberal Education Program, is currently volunteering for the OWC and has been a key contributor in spreading the message about the charter and encouraging groups to sign the accord.

The group is also initiating its own project, Adopt a River, whereby they will work for eight hours on their designated section of the Oldman River near Taber, collecting garbage, conducting soil and water tests, documenting plants and taking note of any vandalism.

“We’re doing what we can to clean it up and help in whatever way possible,” says 20-year-old student Antoine Gendron. “We’re hoping our project will help bring awareness of local watershed issues to people in the region so they might become more careful in their use of water at home, at work and in their recreational activities.”

As well, Dr. Andrew Hurly, professor emeritus of biological sciences, has been on the OWC board for 12 years and currently serves as the Vice-Chair.

Activities associated with the Southern Alberta Water Charter will commence May long weekend and continue throughout the summer.

For more information on the Oldman Watershed Council, visit oldmanwatershed.ca.

For more on the U of L’s commitment to the Water Charter, visit http://www.uleth.ca/vp-research/oldman-watershed-council.

Shell Canada gift helps ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ revitalize Westcastle Field Station

trevor.kenney — Thu, 26 May 2016 17:18:12 +0000

A group of determined researchers, an innovative project manager and a $100,000 donation from Shell Canada have combined to enhance the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge’s Westcastle Field Station, creating opportunities for expanded research, student training and community outreach initiatives for years to come.

The Westcastle Field Station can now host numerous students and researchers and has the capacity for community outreach initiatives.

“There was always the view that we really wanted to improve this facility so that we could make the most of its outstanding location and the research opportunities it provided,” says Dr. Stewart Rood, a faculty member in the Department of Biology. “Now we have a field station that will allow for those activities.”

Established in the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ’s initial days, the original field station was constructed in 1970 on a five-acre parcel of land in Castle Provincial Park, just five kilometres from Castle Mountain Ski Resort. It began with a pre-fabricated wood cabin with adjacent wooden pads for canvas tents that were meant to serve as dormitories.

Over the years, safety (bears aren’t easily deterred by canvas) and practicality (generators were replaced with line electricity) led to a number of changes to the site. An ATCO-style trailer was added as a lab to free up dorm space in the cabin and eventually various trailers and campers made their way on site to meet space demands – but they were all seen as stop-gap measures.

The scope of research being conducted at the field station is vast, and the natural setting is inspiring.

“We saw an opportunity to be involved in creating long-term sustainable infrastructure that would benefit both the community in and around Waterton and also those who conduct research in the Castle,” says Ryan C. Smith, senior environmental planner with Shell Canada. “These types of opportunities are very important to us. They help us meet the commitments we make to local stakeholders as well as improve our connection to the surrounding communities where we operate.”

Former psychology professor Dr. Drew Rendall first approached Shell with a funding proposal. The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ then stepped in, and through then Executive Director of Facilities, Doug Parker, secured infrastructure revitalization grant money from the provincial government. A project was born.

The field station now features a second building (Shell Dormitory), accommodates 23 beds and three bathrooms, an expanded kitchen facility, increased lab space, exterior storage, new water storage, a fire alarm system and better road access. The end result is a station that can now host numerous students and researchers and has the capacity for community outreach initiatives.

“We’ve been running field courses in geography, environmental science and biology that were dispersed and scattered around because we had no core facility,” says Rood. “Now we have a viable field station in a prime and accessible location.”

The scope of research being conducted at the field station is vast. From Dr. Andrew Hurly’s study of hummingbirds and memory to Dr. Chris Hopkinson’s work on climate systems and climate change to Rood’s water studies and more, the Castle area offers an extremely valuable environment. Couple that with Shell’s interests in resource extraction and its associated environmental sensitivities and like interests emerge.

“Protecting the environment requires new technologies, new partnerships and new ways of operating,” says Smith. “This partnership with the U of L is a great example of how we can work with an academic institution and also involve those from the NGO world and surrounding communities and come together for a common goal.”

Rood says the industry partnership is extremely beneficial to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ and its students.

“If you asked my students a decade after they graduate what they remember, a high proportion of them will remember the field experiences,” says Rood. “Ironically, it’s a very inefficient way to get content across. It’s much easier to present bullet points on a screen in a classroom but those lessons don’t become embedded in the students, they don’t really become a part of who they are. To actually go out and see something and discover its natural place is invaluable.”

U of L researchers benefit from Canada Foundation for Innovation funding

caroline.zentner — Wed, 29 Jul 2015 17:06:33 +0000

Projects that involve the quest for new cancer-fighting drugs, the preservation of floodplain forests, and the creation of a digital library to support thousand-year-old crosses got a boost today with the Canada Foundation for Innovation’s John R. Evans Leaders Fund announcement.

The Honourable Ed Holder, Minister of State (Science and Technology), announced $30 million for research infrastructure in support of projects across the country, which is allowing scientists to expand their knowledge in aquaculture and other areas as diverse as architectural history and chronic pain. At the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge, more than $200,000 will go to three research projects.

Drs. Larry Flanagan and Stewart Rood, both biology professors, will receive more than $81,000 to establish an ecosystem-scale flux system to make long-term measurements of water vapour, carbon dioxide and methane fluxes in cottonwood riparian forests. The measurements will help them define how much river water is used by cottonwood trees in the extensive floodplain forests that line southern Alberta rivers. River waters are facing increased demands from a growing population, more economic development and for agricultural irrigation. Flanagan and Rood want to determine how much water needs to be left in southern Alberta rivers to sustain a healthy aquatic and riparian ecosystem.

“Proper management of river water resources is of fundamental importance to our citizens because most of Canada’s municipal areas are located along rivers. Effective management of river flows to allow removal of water for agricultural and industrial activities, while still leaving enough water to sustain our aquatic and riparian ecosystems is a high priority for all citizens,” says Flanagan.

Dr. Roy Golsteyn, a biochemistry professor and cancer researcher, will receive slightly more than $91,000 for laboratory infrastructure for his Prairie to Pharmacy research program dedicated to investigating the cancer-fighting properties of prairie plants such as the buffalo bean. The plant has shown promising signs of medicinal properties and, this summer, Golsteyn and his team identified six other prairie plants to investigate for anti-cancer effects.

“The award includes a new cancer cell imaging system that will watch hundreds of cells around the clock as they are treated with prairie plant extracts,” says Golsteyn. “It will be great for training students as they will have access to leading-edge equipment.”

Combined with gifts-in-kind from suppliers and a commitment from the province for matching funding, the award could total $250,000. Golsteyn says early support from the U of L allowed his lab to reach the level necessary to be selected for a national award. Now, the new equipment will help attract international research companies to work with Golsteyn and his team. Local donors, whether organizations or private individuals, who would like to help advance Golsteyn’s work are always welcome.

Dr. Daniel Paul O’Donnell, an English professor with expertise in Digital Humanities and Old and Middle English language and literature, will continue research on the Visionary Cross Project thanks to an infrastructure support award worth slightly more than $28,000. The award was the only one of its kind in Canada this year under the Canada Foundation for Innovation’s John R. Evans Leaders Fund (JELF) competition in association with the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC). This is the third award the project has earned this year. O’Donnell has also been awarded a four-year, $233,000 Insight award from SSHRC and a one-year $9,000 allotment from the Graphics, Animation and New Media (GRAND) National Centre of Excellence.

Dr. Daniel Paul O'Donnell, right, and James Graham scan a fragment from the Ruthwell Cross in April, 2012. (c)Visionary Cross Project, 2012, CC-BY.

“These funds will be used in the development of a digital library to support the cultural and textual heritage and multidisciplinary research on objects belonging to the Visionary Cross tradition in Anglo-Saxon England,” says O’Donnell.

The Visionary Cross Project focuses on the Ruthwell and Bewcastle stone crosses in Northern England and Scotland, the Brussels reliquary cross in Belgium, and the ‘Dream of the Rood’ and ‘Elene’ poems from the Anglo-Saxon Vercelli Book manuscript in Italy. These objects are all more than a thousand years old and are closely related to each other. The crosses have carved panels that depict scriptural scenes, and are bordered by inscriptions in Latin, Runic and Old English. These inscriptions have similar wording to that found in the Vercelli book.

Combining technology such as 3D modeling and gaming, the Visionary Cross Project will give scholars the chance to study these artifacts in a unique way and advance knowledge in the Digital Humanities and Anglo-Saxon studies. U of L professors Wendy Osborn and James Graham were co-applicants on the grants. Osborn will be responsible for developing the digital library, including metadata, cataloguing and organization of 2D and 3D data for user-centered retrieval. Graham is developing online and interactive virtual environments.The Visionary Cross team has been collecting digital representations of these objects over the last eight years.

“We would like to bring these diverse and informally catalogued collections together to form an organized, multimedia Digital Library accessible to all and able to be expanded in the future,” says O’Donnell.

Functional Flows

trevor.kenney — Thu, 19 Sep 2013 21:54:04 +0000

Standing knee-deep in a crisp, clear mountain stream, casting a fly as a rainbow trout flashes by, it’s hard to imagine the province’s water supply in jeopardy. We take for granted that when we turn the tap for a glass of water, it will be there, that when we flip the switch for our sprinkler, water will flow.

Alberta is fortunate – its rivers are fed by rain and blessed with mountain snowmelt and water that cascades down to the drier regions of the prairie and parkland zones. It is there where the majority of Albertans live and work, consuming water that has been dammed, stored and diverted off-stream for agricultural irrigation, municipal and domestic use, and to support industrial practices, including vital industries such as oil and gas production.

None of this exists without water, and researchers like Dr. Stewart Rood from the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge’s Water Institute for Sustainable Environments (WISE) are developing strategies to keep our water flowing in a responsible and sustainable manner.

Dr. Stewart Rood and his team of researchers, many of whom are undergraduate and graduate students at the u of L, are in the midst of a critical study investigating Alberta's water supply.

Rood and his team of researchers, many of whom are undergraduate and graduate students at the U of L, are in the midst of a critical study – titled Functional Flows – of the province’s water sources as they come under increased demand from growing human populations and industrial expansion.

“It’s critical for the environmental health of our aquatic ecosystems that we understand the ecological impacts from river damming and water diversions,” says Rood, who is a U of L Board of Governors Research Chair in Environmental Science and a professor in the Department of Biological Sciences. “We need to create and implement strategies for environmental flow regimes that will ensure that our rivers continue to sustain high water quality, as well as the fish and floodplain forests that we value.”

As the human population grows and industrial expansion continues, the demand for Alberta’s surface water progressively increases. This raises fundamental questions: how much water must be left in our rivers to ensure healthy environments; and how can we manage our limited water resources to provide economic prosperity without sacrificing healthy natural environments?

“The focus of this project is to define the instream flow needs, or environmental flows, for Alberta’s rivers and further to develop strategies to deliver these environmental flow regimes, and thus prevent further overuse of our most critical of resources, water,” says U of L Vice-President (Research) Dr. Dan Weeks.

The research projects associated with Functional Flows bring together biologists, geographers and other natural and social scientists affiliated with WISE, working in collaboration with other academic and government researchers. The collaborations also engage regional agencies such as Alberta Environment, the Alberta Conservation Association and the public Watershed Planning and Advisory Councils.

In addition, the research activities also involve a substantial student-training component. Combining classroom work with practical field experience that supports vital research in an area of great need for Albertans is a win-win scenario for the project. It’s also a key reason why ConocoPhillips Canada (CPC) supported the project with an initial $250,000 contribution.

A leading global exploration and production company, CPC looks to support not only the economic vitality of the province, but add to the development of the next generation of environmental researchers. CPC has been a strong supporter of the U of L for more than 15 years through extensive participation in the co-operative education program as an employer. As well, since 2008, CPC has funded 126 U of L scholarships that have recognized the academic achievements of management, arts and science, and Aboriginal students. The company has also provided financial support for students gaining work experience through international placements or in the non-profit sector.

“We see this as an opportunity to engage the research expertise at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge in a manner that will benefit everyone from students and faculty members involved in the research, to industry, agriculture, municipalities, Aboriginal communities and end users of Alberta’s water resources,” says Lloyd Visser, VP, Environment and Sustainable Development, CPC.

The Government of Alberta also sees Functional Flows as a critical study that could eventually shape how the province manages its water sources, adding a $1 million funding boost to the project through Alberta Innovates – Energy and Environment Solutions (AIEES).

The Functional Flows program is an opportunity to engage research expertise across campus.

The Functional Flows project was one of 18 provincial projects selected for the Water Resource Sustainability Program that will support the Government of Alberta’s Water for Life strategy.

“With a growing population and expanding economy, it is critical that Alberta has accurate, reliable and useful information and a suite of practical approaches for managing our water resources,” says Eddy Isaacs, CEO of AIEES. “These projects will provide the crucial information we need to support an actionable strategy for safe, secure and sustainable water for Albertans.”

For Rood and his research team, they are already starting to see exciting results from the project. In 2011, a convergence of favourable conditions allowed for the deliberate implementation of Functional Flows for the three dammed rivers of the Oldman Basin, and the Oldman, Waterton and St. Mary rivers. The prior summer had been wet and consequently crop fields had abundant soil moisture. Winter snows were heavy, creating deep snowpacks and spring rains provided more water.

Following the approval of the major irrigation districts that hold the oldest and largest water licenses, Rood and his team worked with Alberta Environment to prescribe and implement flows regimes intended to benefit trout and whitefish and enable the reproduction of cottonwoods and willows.

“The 2011 implementation was very successful as the late spring flow pattern allowed for the seedling establishment of millions of new cottonwoods and willows and there were abundant flows through the warm weeks of summer to benefit the fish,” explains Rood. “There was also abundant water for irrigation and other human uses, and thus no reduction in the economic objectives.”

By connecting industry and leading water researchers, Functional Flows takes important steps to maintain Alberta’s growth and prosperity while ensuring our most valuable resource continues to flow.

Functional Flows gets funding boost

trevor.kenney — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 17:58:56 +0000

A critical study by the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge's Water Institute for Sustainable Environments (WISE) that could shape how the province manages its water sources is being given a $1 million boost by the Alberta government.

Alberta Innovates – Energy and Environment Solutions is contributing $1 million toward a proposed $2.5 million project that will take place over the next three years.

Functional Flows, headed by principal researcher Dr. Stewart Rood of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ's Department of Biological Sciences, will attempt to answer the question of how much water needs to be left in our rivers to sustain healthy aquatic and riparian ecosystems, all the while developing strategies to provide sufficient water to support growing human populations and industrial expansion.

"It is critical for the environmental health of our aquatic ecosystems that we understand the ecological impacts from river damming and water diversions," says Rood.

"Further, we need to create and implement strategies for environmental flow regimes that will ensure that our rivers continue to sustain high water quality, as well as the fish and floodplain forests that we value."

Alberta's rivers deliver mountain snow-melt and rainfall to the drier regions of the prairie and parkland zones, where most Albertans live and work.

Water is trapped by dams and reservoirs and diverted off-stream for agricultural irrigation, municipal and domestic use and industrial purposes.

As the human population grows and industrial expansion continues, the demand for Alberta's surface water will progressively increase.

Rood and his team support the notion of working rivers, whereby river regulation and water withdrawal continues, but in a strategic manner that both sustains environmental health and supports socio-economic uses.

Rood contends that deliberately artificial flow patterns can optimize water for environmental survival during low flow years, and capitalize on the opportunities provided in high flow years to rejuvenate the fish and floodplain forest ecosystems.

"One of the significant challenges identified in Alberta's Water for Life strategy is meeting the needs of healthy aquatic ecosystems. The work being undertaken by Dr. Rood and his team provides a scientific and evidence-based approach to improving environmental performance, even in Alberta's highly allocated river systems," says David Hill, director of Centres and Institutes and Research Advocacy at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge.

"This approach allows stakeholders and water managers to directly participate in building and improving environmental resilience through specific water management opportunities. The understanding gained through this research will be a critical component in ongoing integrated watershed management decision-making."

The research activities associated with Functional Flows involve substantial student training, contributing towards the next generation of environmental scientists and natural resource managers for Alberta and Canada. The research projects bring together biologists, geographers and other natural and social scientists affiliated with WISE, working in collaboration with other academic and government researchers.

The collaborations also engage regional agencies such as Alberta Environment, the Alberta Conservation Association and the public Watershed Planning and Advisory Councils.

"The U of L has a long history of research collaboration with the community. This is particularly the case in Dr. Rood's research. This program brings together the research team, with government operators and regulators and stakeholders of the community, ensuring that the science and research findings can be implemented to deliver improved environmental performance measures," says Hill.

"This project will contribute to Alberta being recognized not just for its forward looking water strategy – but for ongoing and improved watershed management operations."

Balancing environmental sensibilities with the future economic prosperity of the province was a driver of the Functional Flows project, which received an initial $250,000 contribution from ConocoPhillips Canada (CPC). Based in Calgary, CPC is part of ConocoPhillips, a leading global exploration and production company. "We see this as an opportunity to engage the research expertise at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge in a manner that will benefit everyone from students and faculty members involved in the research, to industry, agriculture, municipalities, Aboriginal communities and end users of Alberta's water resources," says Lloyd Visser, VP, Environment and Sustainable Development.

WISE researchers study Red Deer River spill

trevor.kenney — Thu, 14 Jun 2012 21:14:39 +0000

A recent pipeline rupture in the Red Deer River might have relatively short term environmental damage, but a larger concern is the vast number of older pipeline locations at river crossings and their vulnerability to floods, according to a leading expert in floodplain and river bank ecosystems.

Dr. Stewart Rood, a ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Environmental Science researcher and member of the Water Institute for Sustainable Environments, has already started on a study of the Red Deer River oil spill, looking at more than 30 km of river shoreline downstream from the spill site.

He and his colleagues are looking for opportunities to learn from this particular spill, and then turn their research findings into a set of guidelines for developing oil pipelines near, over or under waterways.

"River crossings are especially prone to pipeline breaks, since the banks are commonly eroded and stream channels shift, especially during flood events," says Rood. "While this specific pipeline break and oil spill was unfortunate, a study opportunity arises and this should be instructive relative to floodplain processes and environmental vulnerability."

The break, which occurred last week near Sundre, Alberta, northwest of Calgary, resulted in the release of up to an estimated half-million liters of light sour crude oil into the Red Deer River.

The release coincided with flood flows of the river and consequently the floating oil wove through the riparian (or streamside) vegetation, leaving what Rood describes as a 'bathtub ring' of oil deposits on the floodplain plants (photographs attached).

Despite decades of pipeline construction and occasional ruptures, Rood's team found there has been remarkably little scientific study on the environmental impacts of oil spills on river floodplains. Checking back almost 50 years the researchers found only 10 relevant journal papers.

"There have been studies on fish but very little on floodplain ecosystems," says Rood. "Since river floods can damage pipelines, we need to better understand how vulnerable floodplains are, and how quickly or slowly they'll recover.'

He added that pipeline breaks are more common than people think, and occur across the province, often in remote locations.

"In its 2010 field surveillance report, the industry-funded Energy Resources Conservation Board recorded 687 pipeline failures across the province, but most of these would have been very minor" says Rood.

Their new study sites have been positioned ('tagged' through GPS monitoring) at numerous locations within the spill zone to enable the detailed monitoring of the consequence of the oil spill on the trees and vegetation along the banks of the river (called the riparian zone).

As well, there will also be coordinated study of invertebrates in the shoreline zone, as well as investigation of impacts on fish.

The study group involves Rood and two colleagues, Dr. Alice Hontela and Dr. Joseph Rasmussen, all senior U of L researchers who have already been studying the Red Deer River and other rivers of southern Alberta for more than 25 years.

Numerous undergraduate and graduate students will also be involved in the research.

This brings world-class -- and independent -- expertise in river and floodplain ecology and aquatic toxicology to bear on the Red Deer River spill, and sets the stage for future projects.

Rood says he has communicated with pipeline owner Plains Midstream about the study project.

"Their representatives were pleased we were conducting this research independently, and have expressed a willingness to share technical data with us."

U of L uses recent minister visit to full advantage

trevor.kenney — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 21:23:52 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge is a key contributor to building Alberta's knowledge-based economy. Add that to its many specific contributions to the economy and social well-being of the citizens of southern Alberta, and it was only fitting that eight Alberta government cabinet ministers spent the vast majority of their recent Lethbridge visit on the U of L campus.

The visit, part of a province-wide initiative, saw Doug Horner (advanced education and technology), Dave Hancock (education), Mel Knight (sustainable resource development), Yvonne Fritz (children and youth services), Lindsay Blackett (culture and community service), Jonathan Denis (housing and urban affairs), Len Webber (aboriginal relations) and Heather Klimchuk (Service Alberta) all attend.

The morning began with a tour of Markin Hall – the future home of the Faculties of Health Sciences and Management. In the context that the province is looking to diversify its economy by serving more as a financial hub for Canada, Markin's Finance Trading Floor, and its educational possibilities, was a key element of particular interest. Similarly, the Nursing Skills Lab, currently under construction, will train nursing students in a uniquely hands-on, innovative setting. It was not lost on the visiting ministers that placing the Faculties of Management and Health Sciences in the same building would create more opportunities for collaboration between faculty members, yielding new approaches of better-managing an expensive health-care system.

The Alberta Water and Environmental Science Building (AWESB) was next on the schedule, with distinguished water researcher Stewart Rood welcoming the ministers with a tour of his lab. The government has mandated to "ensure the province has the quality and quantity of water needed now and into the future to support the environmental, economic and social needs of Albertans" and the research work being done at the AWESB promises to play a key part in fulfilling this policy.

The morning tour ended with provost Andrew Hakin addressing the ministers, detailing how the U of L has positioned itself to best serve the post-secondary needs of Albertans, all the while pursuing a research mandate that will improve the quality of life for people throughout the province.

The evening tour featured a reception and presentation about the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Art Gallery.

Dr. Josephine Mills, the director/creator of the gallery, explained the origin of the collection, its purpose in teaching and how the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ connects with the broader community by sharing the works through exhibitions, publications and the web. The gallery is an important asset to the U of L in that it is used for educational, research, advancement and cultural purposes on campus and beyond. The ministers were introduced to a range of important works that revealed the collection's breadth and significance.

The evening concluded with a meal on campus that invited the Board of Governors, senior administration, deans and others. It was an opportunity to further build links between the
U of L and the provincial government.

This was a significant opportunity for the U of L to showcase itself. There is great geographic distance between Lethbridge and Edmonton and access to government members often involves significant effort and travel. Having eight ministers on campus at the same time is a rare opportunity, and the U of L used the occasion to its full advantage. The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ also expressed a desire that similar visits would become of strategic importance to the Government of Alberta in the future.

Richard Westlund is the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ's director of government relations

UNews - Stewart Rood

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