The purpose of this project is to update and integrate historic models developed for the 2015-2018 Rainy-Namakan Rule Curve Study into a single, Integrated Socio-Economic and Environmental (ISEE) System. Two Integrated Ecosystem Response Models (IERM) were used in the Rule Curve study to evaluate environmental impacts of water management plans. In recent years, the ISEE system was built from the IERM legacy. The ISEE allows the calculation of performance indicators (PIs) not just for the ecosystem, but also for economics (e.g. damage to residential and non-residential buildings, flooded roads, etc.) and social impacts (social and territorial sensitivity) of flooding. For the Rainy-Namakan system, ISEE will allow for the integration of the two historical IERM models as well as potentially integrating socio- economic values that, in the Rule Curves Study, had to be treated through a separate model (the Shared Values Model) external to IERM. Over the two years of this project, the two IERMs of the Rainy River and Rainy-Namakan system will be migrated into the ISEE framework. This includes the validation of all PI results to make sure that results are consistent with those of the Rule Curves Study, and updating and perhaps developing new PIs, as needed, while integrating new data gathered from current parallel AMC projects (e.g. providing IERM or ISEE hydrologic output datasets to the USGS staff carrying out an IJC-funded AMC flood visualization tool project; adding in the new / enhanced bathymetric data sets for areas that were underrepresented in the IERMs; validating Walleye and Lake Whitefish spawning locations by providing them to investigators who will be carrying out Walleye and Lake Whitefish studies from 2023 - 2025). In addition, a key feature of the Rainy-Namakan system’s modelling infrastructure needs to be updated: the Rainy and Namakan Hydrologic Response Model (Thompson, 2015) will be translated in Python and modified to include automatic updates with real-time data. The project will include development of a “dashboard” for the ISEE user-interface and visualization.
Partners
Environment and Climate Change Canada - National Hydrologic Service