The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between urbanization (as characterized by changing land use) and storm water quality and quantity in the Humber basin.

This research is intended to facilitate and improve decision-making for sustainable development, as well as demonstrate an application of GIS technology. The project is in the process of being coordinated with the Humber Watershed Task Force Natural Heritage Sub-Committee.

WATER QUALITY

Water quality is degraded by increasing concentrations of chloride. We have chosen to focus on chloride because it is an important non-point source contaminant, associated with road salt, which has the potential to affect drinking water quality and the biotic community. Chlorides also act as an important indicator of other sources of contamination. Time series analysis of these concentrations are compared with changes in land use.

WATER QUANTITY

Water Quantity impacts are assessed in terms of increased storm water flow rates in relation to changing land cover. Flow rates are modelled and compared to changing urban settings. The Humber Watershed Natural Heritage Sub-Committee has indicated that an estimation of the impacts of inappropriate land and water uses on ground and surface water quantity is a key area that requires further study.

GIS

GIS was used in the project to associate spatial information for catchments, which was derived from multi-date remotely-sensed images (1975, 1985 and 1992 MSS/TM scenes), with point-source data (stream flow and water quality). Spatial data techniques focussed on Digital Elevation Model watershed conceptualisation to define the catchments for each stream monitoring station and the classification of multispectral remote sensed data for each catchment. Overlay analysis techniques were used to combine this information with soils data to generate the SCS Curve Number, an abstraction used in SCS hydrological modelling.

For more information on the methodology of the study see the section on Methodology.