Webinar – Winter De-icing Operations in Urban Watersheds: Development of a Temperature-Index Based Water Quantity Model (Previously Recorded)
Online anytime!
Estimated time requirement: 1 hour
Instructor: Bill Trenouth
Course Description
Urban hydrology is subject to both complicated natural and anthropogenically-impacted processes during the winter season, including the ploughing and salting of trafficked areas. De-icing operations are recognized as posing a distinct water quality challenge, with meltwater chloride concentrations as high as 30,000 mg/L in some instances. A need exists to optimize the use of de-icing chemicals – chiefly sodium chloride – in order to strike a balance between highway safety and environmental protection. Using a detailed winter monitoring approach of urban paved areas for the purpose of modelling urban winter hydrology, a modified form of the temperature index model (MTIM) was developed which considers ploughing and salting operations. This approach was found to provide comparable results to the energy balance method while requiring less input data. Optimizing salt application rate scenarios can be achieved using the MTIM with only two meteorological forecast inputs for the storm event – readily available on-line through the Road Weather Information System (RWIS) – and can serve as a simple yet effective tool for winter road maintenance practitioners seeking to optimize salt application rates for a given storm event in salt vulnerable areas.
Who Should Attend?
This webinar is intended for municipal roads managers, maintenance contractors, Conservation Authorities staff and anyone with an interest in refined approaches to road salt application.
Learning Objectives:
1. Review the fundamental processes underpinning urban hydrology, and develop a basic understand of the challenges associated with simulating snow accumulation, redistribution, melt and related aspects.
2. Understand the performance of a new modelling methodology based on the TI method that incorporates considerations of road salting and ploughing.
3. Assess the utility of the new modelling methodology through the use of scenario forecasts, and compare predicted bare pavement regain time (BPRT) to measured results.
Additional information:
IECA, Landscape Ontario, and AORS members are eligible for discounts. To register at this discounted price please contact us at STEP@trca.ca and provide your member ID for membership confirmation.
IMPORTANT NOTE: The video access information will be included in your receipt and you can view the webinar at anytime. If you have any additional questions, please contact us at STEP@trca.ca.
TRCA HST Registration number is 10808 8584 RT001