PEI municipalities developing new subdivisions required to use new climate change tool

All municipalities in Prince Edward Island (PEI) developing new subdivisions will now be required to use a specific web-based tool for incorporating climate change as part of their design and site evaluation processes.

The climate change tool was created by professor Slobodan P. Simonovic at Western University in London, Ont. Simonovic is also director of engineering works at the Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction (ICLR), which has offices in Toronto and at the university. [click image below to enlarge]

PEI’s Department of Communities, Land and Environment and the Department of Transportation, Infrastructure and Energy informed Simonovic and his collaborators at the Canadian Water Network (CWN) of the decision to use the tool last week, said information on Monday from the university. The research and development team included Simonovic; Roshan Srivastav and Andre Schardong, post-doctoral fellows at the university; and Dan Sandink, manager of resilient communities & research at ICLR. Partners include the ICLR and the Insurance Bureau of Canada.

Last year, Simonovic, a professor in Western University’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, completed a project funded by CWN and titled, A Web-Based Intensity-Duration-Frequency Tool to Update and Adapt Local Extreme Rainfall Statistics to Climate Change. Already, more than 400 registered users, including municipalities, governments, consultants and academics, have subscribed, the university reported.

The web-based user tool assesses potential shifts in extreme rainfall at the local level using a combination of global climate modelling outputs and locally observed weather data. Global climate models are used to capture a range of potential changes in climatic conditions. The tool uses multiple climate change scenarios, representing the range of possible future climate conditions for each potential development.

The tool also integrates a user interface with a GIS (Geographic Information System). By creating or selecting a station, the user is able to carry out statistical analysis on historical data, as well as generate and verify possible future change based on a methodology using a combination of global climate modelling outputs and locally observed weather data.

Information from the university noted that municipal water management in Canada is heavily dependent on the use of intensity-duration-frequency (IDF) curves in planning, design and operation of municipal water infrastructure. As well, many watershed management activities rely on the use of IDF curves, including those related to water supply, water quality management and flood control.

“While there is a need in almost every Canadian municipality to adapt to changing climatic conditions, there is a lack of necessary expertise within municipalities for implementing current research related to the impact of climatic change on IDF curves,” the information said. “The developers and supporting agencies believe that a freely available, computerized IDF update tool will aid in the selection of effective climate change adaptation options at the local level, advancing the decision making capabilities of municipalities, watershed management authorities and other key stakeholders. The tool will also provide a direct link between Canadian municipalities and the research community, creating opportunities for further research and innovation.”

PEI’s use of the tool, Simonovic concluded, is “great recognition for our work and emphatic confirmation of the practical impact of this tool that will be shaping development in Canada for years to come.”