Digital elevation models (DEMs), orthorectified Landsat imagery, and National Topographic Database (NTDB) vector files are a few of the various products and services produced by the Geomatics for the Sustainable Development of Natural Resources (GSDNR) program. Regional Power Inc., has used these products to find solutions to many of the issues associated with the development of environmentally friendly hydroelectric power generating plants.

Site selection and preliminary design; the investigation of environmental conditions through terrain analysis and hydrological modelling; and the formulation of a final design that addresses site-specific circumstances are just a few of the topics of environmental concern that GSDNR produced datasets have been used to address.

Specifically,

• 1:50,000 DEMs, produced by the National Elevation Data project, have been used for contour generation, preliminary civil engineering design, watershed modelling, flood analysis, and 3D virtual visualizations of project areas;

• orthorectified Landsat 7 imagery, provided by the National Imagery Coverage - Landsat 7 project, has been successfully used in terrain analysis and remote sensing applications for project development as well as operational uses; and

• NTDB vector files have provided great assistance in the creation of general project layouts identifying roads, transmission lines, environmentally sensitive and urban areas.

Environmentally friendly hydroelectric plants designed by Regional Power Inc., include the Sechlet Creek Generating Station in British Columbia and the Wawatay Generating Station in Ontario. As part of the Sechlet Creek Generating Station development, a very successful salmon spawning channel was established in cooperation with the Canadian Forest Limited, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, and the Sechelt Indian Band. The Wawatay Generating Station is located adjacent to a gorge that drops approximately 48 meters through steep bedrock walls. An intake structure was constructed upstream of the existing control dam to efficiently direct flow to a combined 625 meter tunnel and penstock. The water exits the turbines through a tailrace that was excavated from the riverbank to channel water back to the natural river course. The tailrace was designed and built to improve the spawning habitat for the local fishery, which includes rainbow trout, walleye, and sturgeon.

Watersheds

The GSDNR produced datasets have enabled Regional Power Inc., to understand project variables better and address local and environmental issues. Regional Power Inc., has expressed appreciation for access to the datasets provided by Natural Resources Canada and hopes that new and improved datasets will continue to be available so as to facilitate the sustainable development of Canada's natural resources.

The GSDNR Communicator: Summer 2005