Development of an international, web-based StreamStats model for the Rainy-Lake of the Woods Basin

Year
2015
Topic

Water Quantity

Project Description

StreamStats, developed by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), is a Web-based Geographic Information System (GIS). It provides users with access to an assortment of analytical tools useful for water-resources planning and management, along with engineering applications. StreamStats makes the process of computing streamflow statistics for ungaged sites much faster, more accurate, and more consistent than previously used manual methods.

The USGS, the IJC, and the International Rainy-Lake of the Woods Watershed Board (IRLOWWB), extend the area of coverage for the web-based USGS StreamStats model into Canada encompassing the entire binational Lake of the Woods - Rainy River Basin (LOW-RRB) upstream of Kenora, Ontario, harmonizing Canadian data with the US data to paint a complete picture available to researchers and water managers in both countries. The application of StreamStats to the Rainy River allows for watershed delineations to be performed from any point on a stream location in the area. The system allows a number of basin characteristics can be summarized, such as mean-annual precipitation, temperature and runoff, drainage area, channel slope, land cover, wetlands, and storage. The extension of the study area enables the use of StreamStats throughout the entire binational LOW-RRB and will inform international water-resource decisions in the Basin.  This project is also highlighted in our IWI projects StoryMap here

Outcome

Complete

Model available here: https://streamstats.usgs.gov/ss/

Note for the model: you will need to zoom to the approximate location of the basin to be able to select the "Rainy River Basin'" region.

Partners

USGS, Minnesota Department of Transportation, Lake of the Woods Control Board, Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry