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Seminar

Ice jams pose many risks to the Canadian public, infrastructure, navigation, and hydropower generation, and have numerous impacts (sometimes beneficial) to riverine ecosystems.  Ice jams can form during the transitional periods of freezeup and breakup, raising river stages far above those that are needed to pass the flow under open-water conditions, and occasionally causing major floods.  Breakup jams are usually more destructive, owing to higher river flows.  Ice processes in general, and ice jams in particular, are very sensitive to climatic factors, and may be significantly modified by even small changes to local climates.

This seminar will address common ice-jam related problems that an engineer, geoscientist, or water manager may have to address, along with available tools, such as field observations and measurements, analytical approaches, and mitigation methods.  The emphasis of the session will be on ice jam occurrence and mitigation in British Columbia, including a discussion of one or two case studies.  Evidence of recent trends in ice conditions and foreseeable changes over the coming decades will be discussed, especially as they relate to British Columbia rivers.

Topics discussed will include:

• Overview of river ice processes
• The ice cycle of Canadian rivers
• Types and causes of ice jams; socio-economic and environmental effects
• Mid-winter breakup and jamming, a common occurrence in BC

• Engineering problems associated with ice jams
• safety of people and structures; environmental impact assessments
• available tools to address problems and mitigate ice jam effects

• Ice jams in British Columbia Rivers:
• historical background;
• recent events, case studies;
• measures that have been, or can be, taken to reduce their impacts

• Climatic aspects of ice jams:
• recent climatic trends in Canada and in BC
• climatic controls of ice jamming processes
• foreseeable changes in coming decades

Who Should Attend

This seminar is intended for hydrotechnical, environmental, and transportation engineers and geoscientists, hydrologists, water resources managers, emergency management officials, and university students with an interest in rivers.

Instructors

Dr. Spyros Beltaos, P.Eng., National Water Research Institute, Environment Canada

Dr. Beltaos joined Alberta Research Council in 1974, after obtaining his post-graduate degrees from the University of Alberta. He has been with Environment Canada since 1979 and is currently leading research programs on the effects of climate on river ice processes and ice jams. He has written over 200 technical papers, reports, and books and received several distinctions, including the CSCE Camille A. Dagenais Award. His extensive expertise, acquired during 34 years of field-oriented research, is widely sought by public and private agencies on river ice-related problems and hydrotechnical studies.

Paul Doyle, P.Eng., Doyle Engineering

Paul Doyle has a Master of Science degree in Civil Engineering (Water Resources) from the University of Idaho and has worked as a hydrotechnical engineer for 33 years with USGS (Water Resources Div.), Alberta Research Council, BC Ministry of Environment, and as a private consultant. He has written dozens of hydrotechnical papers and reports. Although he has a range of experience in hydrotechnical engineering and surface water hydrology, he has maintained a special interest in the practical aspects of river ice behaviour throughout his career.

APEGBC is an AIBC/CES registered provider offering an AIBC-Accredited activity for 7 Non-Core Learning Units.