Technical Training & Tours

The 2010 CWRA conference will offer a variety of opportunities to enhance your technical skills and see some results of the recent infrastructure boom driven by the 2010 Olympics, the Pacific Gateway program, and other initiatives.

Participants are welcome to sign-up for Technical Training Sessions and Tours before the conference (Tuesday, June 15th) and after the conference (Friday afternoon, June 18th). There are a limited number of spots available. Participation will be based on a first-come, first-served basis for registration.

Please note that some events will run concurrently. On Tuesday, participants can register for one full day event (Green Kenue, ADCP or the Sea-to-Sky Field Trip) or one or two half-day courses. On Friday, participants can register for any one of the field trips. See schedule for start and end times of courses and field trips. Lunch is included in the registration cost where indicated. If training sessions or trips are cancelled, a full refund will be provided.

Event Details

Green Kenue
Starts: 9:00 15 June 2010
Length: Full Day
Cost: $80, includes lunch

Green Kenue™ (formerly EnSimHydrologic) is a freely-available advanced data preparation, analysis and visualization tool for hydrologic modellers. It provides a state-of-the-art interface, integrating environmental databases and geo-spatial data with model input and results data. Green Kenue™ provides complete pre- and post-processing for the WATFLOOD and HBV-EC hydrologic models. Also included is a 1D “reach scale” unsteady hydrodynamic flow solver, Gen1D.

The training will provide you with the knowledge and ability to:

• Process a DEM for model input,
• Calculate various basin metrics,
• Process a GeoTIFF for land use input,
• Access environmental databases (HYDAT, CDCD), and
• Visualize and analyse model results.

Training will be provided by Erika Klyszejko of Environment Canada and Martin Serrer of the National Research Council’s Canadian Hydraulic Centre. The GreenKenue™ software can be downloaded from the National Research Council’s Canadian Hydraulic Centre website:http://www.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca/eng/ibp/chc/software/kenue/green-kenue.html

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EC Data Explorer
Starts: 16:30 15 June 2010
Length: 1.5 hours
Cost: $25

EC DataExplorer is a self-contained application that acts as a browser and search engine for Environment Canada’s HYDAT database. It allows you to search for a hydrometric gauging station by location, name, data period, or other criteria, and to view data graphically or in tabular form.

• Background of archive hydrometric data distribution (Hydat CD ROM)
• Introduction of Hydat.mdb (tables and table relationship diagram)
• Demonstration of using ECDE
• Instructions on installing ECDE
• Availability of ECDE & Hydat.mdb (where and how often)

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Introduction to AQUARIUS Hydrometric Software
Starts: 9:00 15 June 2010
Length: Half Day
Cost: $40

The measurement and monitoring of the components of the water cycle including rainfall, groundwater characteristics, as well as water quality and flow characteristics of surface waters results in data that can be efficiently analyzed to support better, more timely decisions. This 3-hour hands-on workshop will provide participants with an introduction to various aspects of hydrometric data processing using AQUARIUS, including:

• Time series editing (e.g. outlier removal, adjustment for drift, gap filling, etc.);
• Charting;
• Empirical modeling;
• Development of Rating Curves;
• Statistical Analysis;
• Reporting;
• Database management; etc.

Participants should bring a laptop and will be provided with a demo version of AQUARIUS Hydrometric software in advance of the workshop.

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Hydrology in R
Starts: 13:00 15 June 2010
Length: Half Day
Cost: $40

Extracting and manipulating hydrological data can often be limiting factors on answering common water resource problems. R is an open-source script-based statistical software program which users can analyze data with simplicity. This short course will provide an overview of R and introduce packages for accessing HYDAT, the archive for Canadian hydrometric data, as well as example scripts to perform basic hydrological analyses (e.g., baseflow separation, flow duration curves, regional analysis) using HYDAT data. Attendees will come away with basic knowledge to understand and work within the R programming environment.

Participants should bring a laptop and will be provided with a demo version of R software in advance of the workshop.

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ADCP HydroAcoustic Information Course
Starts: 9:00 15 June 2010
Length: Full Day
Cost: $80, includes bag lunch

Hydro-acoustic devices have become the new standard for measuring stream velocities and flows. This one day course is intended to showcase some of the different hydro-acoustic devices and demonstrate their application in measuring stream flows. A broad range of technologies will be presented and discussed including:

• Accoustic Velocity Meters (AVMs) such as the Sontek SL and TRDI channel master, used to measure in situ continuous velocities and apply the index velocity for determining stream discharge,
• Acoustic Doppler Velocimeters (ADVs) such as the Sontek Flowtracker and the Ott ADC, used to measure discrete velocities and conduct velocity/area stream discharge measurements, and
• Accoustic Doppler Current Profilers (ADCPs) such as the TRDI RiverRay, RioGrande and StreamPro, and the Sontek M9, S5 and ADP, used to conduct discrete stream discharge measurements.

The characteristics of each technology will be presented first in a classroom session, to familiarize the participants with their specific applications, and then demonstrated in a practical field situation for participants to gain hands on experience. Participants will convene at 9:00am for an overview of the devices and technologies and then will proceed to the Water Survey of Canada measurement site for demonstrations. Several different measurements will be conducted over the course of the day allowing the participants to observe and participate in the processes. Transportation to the site and lunch will be provided.

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Sea to Sky Field Trip
Starts: 9:00 15 June 2010
Length: Full Day
Cost: $70, includes pub lunch

This full day tour will have a detailed look at some of the new hydraulic design features and infrastructure between Vancouver and Squamish. Among the primary goals of Sea to Sky Highway Improvement Project are increases in the safety and reliability of the highway for the travelling public. One of the guiding principals of the project has been to make those improvements with as little environmental impact as possible. Hydrotechnical design of major structures has endeavored to ensure that the designs for all new bridges and major culverts were in keeping with these goals and principals. Des Goold, M. Eng., P. Eng. of Northwest Hydraulic Consultants Ltd. will explain the hydrotechnical design aspects of the Sea to Sky Improvement Project at select locations.

From Squamish Richard Blanchet, P.Eng., M.Sc. of Innergex Renewable Energy Inc, will guide a tour of the Ashlu Creek Project, a run-of-river hydroelectric power generating facility with a nameplate capacity of 49.9 MW and with an estimated yearly energy output of 265,000 MWh. The Project is located on Ashlu Creek, a tributary to the Squamish River, approximately 35 km northwest of Squamish, British Columbia.

Stops Include:

• Larsen Creek Bridge (Horseshoe Bay) - A big bridge over troubled water.
• Kallahne Creek Culvert and energy dissipation pool (Porteau Cove) - The first step in reducing flood hazards for highway travellers and for a future community.
• Furry Creek Bridge (Furry Creek) - Improving highway reliability through Furry Creek during extreme weather events.
• Middle Creek Bridge (Furry Creek) - Setting a precedent for fish and amphibians in Middle and Furry Creeks.
• Stawamus River Bridge (Squamish) - Meeting hydraulic protection requirements with minimal impact to the stream.

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Vancouver Bike Tour for Student and Young Professional (SYP)
Starts: 12:00 18 June 2010
Length: Half Day
Cost: free if you have your own bike; bike rentals also available

Join the Students and Young Professionals (young-at-heart professionals also welcome!) for an informal ride around the city of Vancouver. If you have your own bike available you are more than welcome to bring it along, otherwise we will be stopping by a bike rental shop to outfit everyone with wheels. Plan to spend up to $25 for the bike, helmet, lock and tax on a half day rental (price varies based on the style of bike you chose).

The tour will take in a combination of sights as we cruise the seawall around Stanley Park, ride through historic Gastown, Chinatown and stop at Granville Island on our way back for refreshments. Total distance will be approximately 20 km at a leisurely pace and over generally flat terrain.

A rainy day activity will be planned in place of the bike ride.

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City of Surrey Tour
Starts: 12:00 18 June 2010
Length: Half Day
Cost: $45, includes bag lunch

Surrey has long maintained a Natural Drainage Policy which encompasses the idea of working with nature. The tour will first take participants from the uplands where new developments have preserved nature and where nature has been reinstated in older developments, before heading down to our agricultural lowlands that are host fish friendly pumps, setback dykes, and in-stream features. The final stop on the tour will be at the beach, where discussions on climate change and adaption will be the focus. The bus will return participants to the hotel.

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Infrastructure Tour: Bridges of Greater Vancouver
Starts: 12:00 18 June 2010
Length: Half Day
Cost: $45, includes bag lunch

Three new large bridges are either recently completed or under construction in the Lower Mainland: the Pitt River Bridge, the Golden Ears Bridge, and the Port Mann Bridge. Bruce Walsh, P.Eng. of Northwest Hydraulic Consultants Ltd will lead a tour explaining the unique assessment and design challenges, the analytical approaches, and the 1-, 2- and 3-D numerical modeling and mobile-bed physical modeling employed at each of the three bridges.

Pitt River Bridge:
The new bridge was constructed between two existing bridges with a single complex pier located in the channel. As a result, construction conditions were a key consideration in the assessment when all three bridges and associated construction infrastructure was in place.

Port Mann Bridge:
The new bridge is located downstream of the existing bridge and consists of a large complex main-span pier and four smaller north approach piers. Geomorphologic studies were undertaken to review the history of channel behavior at the site. Extensive 1- and 2-D numerical modeling and full-river mobile-bed physical modeling was used to establish baseline, construction and final conditions for a range of flows.

Golden Ears Bridge:
The new bridge is located upstream of Barnston Island and consists of four large complex piers. Geomorphologic studies were undertaken to review the history of channel behavior at the site. Extensive 1- and 2-D numerical modeling and mobile-bed section modeling of a single pier was used to establish baseline, construction and final conditions for a range of flows.

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