Article published in 2008 explained how "Water Balance Model powered by QUALHYMO" integrates the site with the watershed and the stream
A Fully Integrated Tool
The April 2008 issue of Runoff includee an article titled “Create Liveable Communities and Protect Stream Health: Water Balance Model powered by QUALHYMO integrates the site with the watershed and the stream“.
The article highlights several key messages in providing a concise overview of the considerations that have led to integration of two hydrologic models. The significant benefit of the “new Water Balance Model” is the resulting emphasis on strategy and alternative implementation methodologies, as well as the focus on a multitude of design details available to achieve the desired objectives.
Key Messages
“The Water Balance Model powered by QUALHYMO underpins Beyond the Guidebook: The New Business As Usual (2007), a provincial initiative to advance implementation of green infrastructure policies and practices throughout British Columbia. The mantra for this provincial initiative is: Today’s Expectations are Tomorrow’s Standards,” explained Paul Ham, Past-Chair (2005-2008) of the Green Infrastructure Partnership.
“This initiative incorporates lessons learned over the past six years in order to help municipalities establish what performance targets makes sense at the site, catchment and watershed scales. This experience has set the stage for the next leap forward – which is to apply a ‘runoff-based approach’ to rainwater management at a watershed scale to protect stream health,” continued Ted van der Gulik, President of the Partnership for Water Sustainability.
“The Water Balance Model powered by QUALHYMO is a tool that is simple to use, yet can provide detailed calculations needed by designers. The intelligent interface allows users with different levels of technical knowledge to benefit from its use,” added Kim Stephens, Partnership Executive Director.
“The Stream Health Methodology embedded in the Water Balance Model powered by QUALHYMO enables a watershed target to be established; it also enables the user to assess how to meet the watershed target at the site scale. In a matter of hours, any user can apply scenario modelling to assess a range of performance targets and evaluate options for achieving these targets. Previously, these analyses would have taken weeks to complete.”
Runoff-Based Approach
“In 2002, the Guidebook addressed the question of what could be done at the site level to protect watershed and stream health. The Guidebook emphasizes that a combination of Runoff Capture and Rate Control is necessary to mimic the hydrologic response of a healthy watershed. It is in addressing the inter-relationship between Runoff Capture and Rate Control that Beyond the Guidebook picks up where the Guidebook left off in 2002,” explained Jim Dumont, the Partnership’ Engineering Applications 
Authority.
“Our current understanding of runoff processes leads us to acknowledge that rainfall does not equal runoff, the physical processes are complex, and applying rainfall capture targets may be overly simplistic. A more rigourous analytical methodology has been developed to resolve this conundrum.”
To Learn More:
To download and read the complete article as it was published in RUNOFF, click on Create Liveable Communities and Protect Stream Health: Water Balance Model powered by QUALHYMO integrates the site with the watershed and the stream.
