Grant: Engage Grants Program

The company-specific problem addressed by the proposed project is the degree of reliability and security of*water supplies derived from the North Saskatchewan River (NSR). The industrial partner, Husky Energy,*pioneered the production of heavy oil in Western Canada. These thermal projects rely on the NSR as a source*of freshwater for steam generation at the oil processing facilities. Despite the apparent reliability of water*supplies according to annual average flows, it is critical that Husky understands the factors that could limit*water availability in the future. The proposed project will enable Husky to address risks associated with*long-term water sourcing from the NSR. The innovative techniques developed in the proposed project relate to*the reconstruction of annual and seasonal river levels over past centuries and the stochastic downscaling of*these proxy flows to weekly estimates. This paleohydrology captures a range of water levels, and modes of*variability, that are not evident in the much shorter instrumental record. This natural variability underlies any*hydrological changes caused by a changing climate. Therefore, understanding long-term natural variability is an*important precursor to subsequent research on the impacts of anthropogenic climate change.