Name
Integrating Landscape Accumulation Functions and Sewer Networks to Identify Salt Vulnerable Areas in a Highly Urbanized Watershed
Date & Time
Tuesday, May 26, 2026, 4:00 PM - 5:30 PM
Description
As urban areas expand, there has been an increasing need for application of road salt in snow-affected regions to ensure safe winter driving conditions. Research has indicated an increase in chloride concentrations in freshwater lakes and rivers surrounded by urban land areas, leading to negative effects on aquatic ecosystem health. Among several best management practices, the Canadian Code of Practice for the Environmental Management of Road Salt recommends identification of salt vulnerable areas (SVA) in the environment. A broad definition and the lack of a systematic approach to identifying SVAs has led to a low rate of adoption of this guideline. Landscape Accumulation Functions (LAF) are a flow-accumulation-based landcover-to-stream hydrologic model that can be used to represent the proportion of a specific landcover that contributes to any given point in a catchment. In this study, an extended LAF model is applied to the Black Creek watershed in Toronto, accumulating surface flow over salted impervious surfaces, while integrating subsurface flow through stormwater infrastructure. The proportion of salted land cover contributing to specific locations in the Black Creek is then compared with data from in-stream chloride surrogate sensors to evaluate the predictive ability of the model. This approach allows for effective mapping of salt hazard within a watershed in a functional and repeatable workflow.
Location Name
McInnes Room
Full Address
Dalhousie University
Halifax NS
Canada
Session Type
Poster
Abstract ID
156
Speaker Organization
Toronto Metropolitan University
Session Name
H-1
Co-authors
Claire Oswald, Supervisor
Presenting Author
Garrett Holmes