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Engineering Now .: Volume 4 - Edition 9 .: July and August
2008

Professor Slobodan P. Simonovic awarded three new grants to continue
research

Slobodan P. Simonovic, a professor in Department of Civil & Environmental
Engineering, and Director, Engineering Studies for the Institute for
Catastrophic Loss Reduction, has received new funding to continue his research
into the impact of climate change on water resources management. Simonovic is
internationally recognized for his work on attempting to predict how climate
change is influencing precipitation patterns and the potential impacts of
changing conditions on the water resources management infrastructure.

Recently it was announced he is receiving new funds from the City of
London for two studies. One will be designed to update the City's current
Intensity Duration Frequency curves (IDF), using the data collected at the
London Airport from 1965 until 2007. The second deals with the vulnerability of
municipal infrastructure to climate change.

Simonovic will also work
with colleagues from the University of Waterloo on an extension of the Canadian
Foundation for Climate and Atmospheric Sciences (CFCAS) study titled:
“Quantifying the Uncertainty in Modelled Estimates of Future Extreme
Precipitation Events.”

From the City of London, Prof. Simonovic will
receive $20, 000 (over 3 months) to update the city’s IDF curves, and $180, 000
(over 18 months) for his flood risk study. CFCAS is providing $195, 200 (over
two years) to continue the joint work between the University of Waterloo and
Western that is looking into modelling estimates of future extreme precipitation
events.

Background Information on Studies:

In June
2007, Professor Simonovic completed a large study ($320,000 over 3 years)
entitled: “Assessment of Water Resources Risk and Vulnerability to Changing
Climatic Conditions”, with the support of CFCAS. This study was the first
serious attempt to model the impacts of climatic change on water resources
management on local – watershed scale. The Upper Thames River basin was used as
a case study.

The results of the analyses were used to provide three
sets of recommendations for changing current basin management guidelines:

1) Regulatory (review of rules, regulations and operation procedures for
existing water management infrastructure)
2) Budgetary (investment in new
infrastructure and increase in cost of operating existing facilities)
3)
Engineering (review of current design standards and practices).

The
results of this work are available at: http://www.eng.uwo.ca/research/iclr/fids/cfcas-climate.html
in the form of 11 reports.
The summary findings were that:

a)
Under climatic change the flooding in the Upper Thames river basin will
significantly increase in frequency and magnitude
b) The drier climate
conditions do not show a tendency towards more extreme drought conditions.

The results of this study were picked up by local media, including the
London Free Press, Londoner and TV Channel A, who featured some of its
conclusions and raised questions about how well the City is addressing the
climate change issue.

Professor Simonovic then received an invitation
from the City to inform them about the study. Following his presentation to
Council, the London community reacted with questions and concerns, and a new,
small research study ($30,000 over 3 months) was initiated and completed under
the title: “Development of rainfall intensity-duration-frequency curves for the
City of London under the changing climate”. The study was completed in December
2007 (available at http://www.eng.uwo.ca/research/iclr/fids/london-idf.html).

Following these developments, the City of London began to look towards
what can be done in the future to adopt to a changing climate. On December 17,
2007, Council approved a two-phased Climate Change Adaptation Strategy:

a) Phase 1 - Climate Change Transition Strategy that includes:

A review of other Ontario municipalities practices and standards with
respect to climate change transition strategies

An update to the City's current Intensity Duration Frequency curves (IDF),
using the data collected at the London Airport from 1965 until 2007

Use of the updated IDF for the design of storm drainage infrastructure

Discussion with the Planning Department, Upper Thames River Conservation
Authority and the Ministry of the Environment to address the implications of
this review

Undertaking of a general risk and consequence analysis associated with
predicted rainfall events in order to assist in determining an acceptable level
of service.

b) Phase 2 - Climate Change Adaptation Long Term Strategy
that includes:

Updating the Subwatershed studies to develop a long term water resources
management strategy for London

Development of a Green Infrastructure Plan to incorporate an
environmental/ecological approach to water resources management.

On June
9, 2008, Council approved $1.3 M over the next three years for the
implementation of a Climate Change Adaptation strategy. Two studies awarded to
Prof. Simonovic are part of Phase 1 – transition strategy.

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Telephone: (519) 850-2917 Fax: (519) 661-3808
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