Projects

Wet Weather Shutdown Criteria Harmonization
People working in the coastal forests of British Columbia use wet weather shutdown thresholds to help decide when to stop working when environmental conditions become unsafe. If shutdown criteria are too stringent, work will be needlessly shut down, incurring an economic cost, and possibly making workers and managers less likely to follow shutdown procedures in future. Conversely, if shutdown criteria are too lenient workers, vehicles, and equipment will be exposed to unacceptable risk of injury, death, damage, or destruction. Finally, shutdown criteria need to be understandable and usable by workers in the field.
We synthesized information to improve existing methods for shutting down field operations during wet weather, and harmonized the methodology to work throughout southwestern British Columbia. The new standards are both scientifically sound and easier to use for workers in the field.
Haida Gwaii Road Deactivation
Several old resource roads on Graham Island, in the Haida Gwaii archipelago, were identified as unstable and were no longer required for industry use. Many of these roads were damaged or destroyed by past mass movements. The goal of this deactivation project was to reduce the long-term effects of forest development on the environment.
We conducted field assessments, evaluated the partial risk, and used that information to write deactivation plans. Implementing the recommendations in the plans will reduce the risks from the roads and help restore the natural hydrologic cycle.


2021 Atmospheric River Response
Between November 13th and November 15th, 2021, Category 4 to Category 5 atmospheric river storms affected southwest BC. We completed several emergency risk assessments of slope failures caused by the storms. Each of our assessments included a field investigation of the slope failure, an evaluation of the threat to public safety, and recommendations for mitigation measures.
These projects required a fast response to the emergency situation to support decision making for evacuation order declaration and rescindment.
Watershed Assessments
Forest harvesting can affect watershed hydrology in many ways including changes to peak stream flows, accelerated surface soil erosion, increased landslide activity, changes to riparian zones, and changes to channel morphology. Watershed assessments are performed to determine the partial hydrologic risks in specific watersheds, particularly in response to forest development.
Watershed assessments evaluated the cumulative effects of past harvesting and road construction on watershed hydrological properties. They include a partial risk assessment due to proposed forest development. We provide recommendations for ways to modify forest development plans to manage hydrogeomorphic risk in the assessed watersheds.


Glacier Mass Balance
An open-pit copper-gold mine in the Boundary Ranges of northwestern British Columbia plans to access an ore body under the toe of a receding glacier. The changing glacial melt rate and meltwater volume affect the design of the mine's waste treatment and hydroelectric power generation.
As part of a continuing study, Statlu has installed and monitored hydrometric gauges in steep tributary streams to the glacier and at the glacier outlet. We evaluate how much of the outflow originates from interceptable and divertable inflows to the glacier, and use this to develop a preliminary mass balance and water balance for the area. We have begun to quantify correlations between seasonal snowpack, temperature, precipitation, and runoff. These correlations allow us to accurately estimate the contribution of melting ice to the observed runoff and to estimate glacier-averaged ice loss.