High Tech Water Planning Tools to Benefit Pembina

Valley Farmers and Communities

Pembina Valley Watershed District (PVWD), Swan Lake First Nation, and Manitoba Forage and Grassland Association are partnering in an exciting $35,000 project supported by the RBC Foundation through RBC Tech for Nature. The project partners will work closely with Aquanty, a Canadian software company, on the development of a landscape simulation HydroGeoSphere (HGS) model that will help guide land management decisions and on-farm planning by farmers, watershed districts and communities around water resources.

“Supporting new ideas, technologies and partnerships to solve pressing environmental challenges is how we bring RBC Tech for Nature to life” said Mark Beckles, vice-president, social impact & innovation, RBC. “That’s why we’re excited to support Pembina Valley Watershed District, Aquanty Inc. and the Manitoba Forage and Grassland Association and their work through the development of a Farm/Environment Hydrologic Forecasting Tool for the Swan Lake Sub-Watershed. This multifaceted forecasting tool for land managers will help them deal with the challenges of managing their lands, waters, and productivity.”

“MFGA is very proud to be part of the team that brings this incredible water technology to the Pembina Valley Watershed District and Swan Lake First Nation,” added Lawrence Knockaert, MFGA chair. “We look forward to promoting the project and helping all stakeholders get up to speed on the forecasting tool in the near future.”

“The Pembina Valley Watershed district is excited by the possibilities of this new tool,” noted Ryan Sheffield, PVWD manager. “We hope that producers can find value in the ability to make better predictions of hydrological conditions.”

The soon-to-be-completed HGS model will simulate real time water flows over, under and through the landscape, using climate and weather information to provide 7- and 32-day forecasting for soil moisture, groundwater levels and surface water levels and flow. The tool will be housed on MFGA.net, and will be the second model forecasting tool for the watershed district after the recently-announced AAFC-funded forecasting tool for the PVWD. The partners will organize and provide community stakeholders and local farmers with webinar introductions to the forecasting model around the ability and progress on the forecasting tool.