Water Information Portal User Guide Updated July 2014
1. ENTER THE WATER INFORMATION PORTAL Launch the Water Information Portal in your internet browser via http://www.bcogc.ca/public-zone/water-information Click on Water Portal link. Please read the Disclaimer before proceeding. Use the scroll bar to read to entire disclaimer. Click Accept to proceed to the Water Information Portal Click Decline to return to the BC Oil and Gas Commission website. Water Information Portal User Guide Page 2 of 14
2. BECOME FAMILIAR WITH THE WATER INFORMATION PORTAL When you enter the Water Information Portal, a map window will display. Scale Bar Water Monitoring Locations Legend Zoom In / Out The Map Window will be open with one (1) of the current visible layers. In the middle of the screen are the Water Information Locations. On the right side of the screen is the Legend. At the bottom right portion of the screen are the Zoom In / Out Controls. In the bottom left is the Scale Bar. Water Information Portal User Guide Page 3 of 14
3. NAVIGATE THROUGHOUT THE MAP There are several simple ways to navigate through the map. ZOOM IN / OUT CONTROLS Zoom In: Click to zoom in on the map. Zoom Out: Click to zoom out on the map. Alternatively, use the scroll wheel on a mouse to zoom in and zoom out or double-click in the map window to zoom in. To zoom out to the full extent, type the F12 key, or click refresh on your internet browser. TO PAN THE MAP Left-click within the map and hold until the map to the desired location. symbol appears. Then move the mouse to pan the Water Information Portal User Guide Page 4 of 14
4. LEGEND DETAILS The legend is located in the top right portion of the screen. The water information locations are divided into Water Quantity, Climate and Water Quality categories. To change the displayed water information category, click once on the empty box. The current display will be checked. to To close the legend, click anywhere inside the box. To re-open the Legend, click Open Legend Water Quantity Stations that monitor the amount of water that is available. These data are collected by Water Survey of Canada, the Horn River Producers Group, and Industry-operated stations. These data are from the Water Survey of Canada Ministry of Environment Observation Wells Climate Water Quality Stations that monitor precipitation, and can also include temperature and snowfall. These data are collected by Environment Canada, BC Hydro, Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations (Fire Weather), Ministry of Transportation (Road Weather). BC Environment Monitoring System (EMS) BC Environmental Monitoring System (EMS), Northern Health Authority When there are multiple stations within the same location on the map, the symbols are clustered together. The overlain number represents the number of stations in the cluster. Water Information Portal User Guide Page 5 of 14
5. CLICK ON A POINT Hover the mouse over a point to determine the name of the station. Click on the point to open the Station Data Box and display metadata for the water information location. To view more information, including metadata, charts, tables and downloadable data, click on the More Info link. MULTIPLE STATIONS If there are several stations clustered near the same location, and the map is zoomed fully, clicking on the site will open multiple stations. Click on the desired station to open the Station Data Box. Click More Info, as above. Water Information Portal User Guide Page 6 of 14
6. WATER QUANTITY (SURFACE WATER CURRENT & SURFACE WATER ARCHIVED) METADATA Each monitoring location will include metadata. This can include the station s current status, the years that it has been operational, size of the watershed, the location of the station, and a link to the associated network of data. INFO BUTTON Several infographics and tables are used to communicate information about the quantity and behaviour of water in rivers and streams in Northeast BC. Data originates as daily measurements of flow, and are summarized in various methods as described below. DAILY FLOW C This plot shows variations in flow based on historical measurements. For each year, a seven day average discharge (cubic metres per second, m 3 /s) is calculated for every day. This is the average of the day in question, and the three days before and after. Percentiles are then calculated for the entire period of record using the seven day averages for each individual year. The dark blue area shows the range between the 25th and 75th percentile. The white line indicates the median (50th percentile). The lighter blue areas extend to the 10th and 90th percentile, and the outermost gray areas show the minimum and maximum 7 day average flows recorded. On some stations, an orange line is overlain on the chart. These stations are connected via telemetry to the database and the orange line shows real time flow values for the current year. Caution must be used when considering the raw current year values especially during the winter, as these measurements have very limited or no quality assessment. Positioning your mouse over the orange line will display the measurement for a given day. Water Information Portal User Guide Page 7 of 14
DOWNLOAD THE CHART In the top right of each chart is an option to print or download the chart into various file types. FLOW DURATION Computed from the daily archived stream flow measurements, this plot shows the percentage of time that flow in the watercourse exceeds a given discharge value. The flow duration curve is a commonlyused and useful tool for understanding discharge characteristics. The initial presentation of the data shows the flow duration curve corresponding for a full year time period. To gain insight into flow variability at smaller time steps the side menu can be used to select an individual month of interest. MONTHLY FLOW STATISTICS The monthly mean flow statistics plot is based on monthly mean discharge values (cubic metres per second, m 3 /s). The boxes extend from the 25th to 75th percentile, with median (50th percentile) mean monthly flow indicated by the line through the box. The whiskers extend to the 10th and 90th probability of mean monthly flow. The Monthly Flow Statistics chart is conceptually very similar to the 7-day average flow chart but presents flow characteristics at a monthly time step only. Water Information Portal User Guide Page 8 of 14
ANNUAL DISCHARGE The annual runoff plot shows the total annual discharge over each calendar year for the period of record. Units of scale for the annual volume range include k (thousands), M (millions), and G (billions) of cubic metres. For seasonally recorded stations, these values correspond to the total annual runoff for the seasons measured only. MONTHLY MEAN FLOW (m 3 /s) The monthly mean flow table displays historical monthly mean streamflow for each year the hydrometric station has been operating. Average monthly streamflow values (cubic metres per second, m 3 /s) are calculated using full months of measurements, and mean annual streamflow values are calculated using only full years of data. Water Information Portal User Guide Page 9 of 14
7. WATER QUANTITY (GROUNDWATER) The More Info link will redirect to the British Columbia Groundwater Observation Well Network http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/wsd/data_searches/obswell/map/obswells.html 8. Climate (Weather Station) Daily weather time series data collected from sensors have been processed to provide information on seasonal climate characteristics. These characteristics are shown in a range of charts, each of which are described below. Water Information Portal User Guide Page 10 of 14
MONTHLY PRECIPITATION The monthly precipitation plot is based on monthly precipitation amounts (millimetres, mm). The boxes extend from the 25th to 75th percentile, with median (50th percentile) precipitation indicated by the line through the box. The whiskers extend to the 10th and 90th probability of monthly precipitation. All percentiles are based solely on the period during which the station has been operational. CUMULATIVE PRECIPITATION The cumulative precipitation plot provides two purposes. Total annual precipitation and associated variability is shown at the far right of the chart. The rate at which precipitation accumulates over the course of the calendar year is also shown by the jumps and/or rate of increase moving from left to right. Water Information Portal User Guide Page 11 of 14
MONTHLY SNOWFALL For weather stations that collect measurements of snow, monthly accumulations (centimetres, cm) for the period of record have been compiled and displayed in a similar manner to monthly precipitation. The boxes extend from the 25th to 75th percentile, with median (50th percentile) monthly snow accumulation indicated by the line through the box. The whiskers extend to the 10th and 90th probability of monthly snowfall. All percentiles are based solely on the period during which the station has been operational. CUMULATIVE SNOW The cumulative snow is similar conceptually to the cumulative precipitation chart described above, but is presented with a different scale on the x or horizontal axis. The year in the context of the cumulative snow chart begins in September, and proceeds over the course of a year as defined by the time during which snow may be expected in Northeast B.C. Water Information Portal User Guide Page 12 of 14
MONTHLY TEMPERATURE The monthly temperature plot is based on monthly mean temperatures (degrees Celsius). The boxes extend from the 25th to 75th percentile, with median (50th percentile) temperatures indicated by the line through the box. The whiskers extend to the 10th and 90th probability of mean temperature. All percentiles are based solely on the period during which the station has been operational. 9. Surface Water Quality The Surface Water Quality locations are displayed in a table format showing the parameters analyzed and the date of sampling. Click Download to open a CSV file in EXCEL format. Water Information Portal User Guide Page 13 of 14
10. Groundwater Quality The Groundwater Quality locations are displayed in a table format showing the parameters analyzed and the date of sampling. Click Download to open a CSV file in EXCEL format. 11. Assistance For technical assistance with the Water Information Portal please email OGC.Systems@bcogc.ca. An email to this account will generate a call number, which will be emailed back to the submitter for future reference. For interpretation assistance and use of the NEWT tool, contact: Allan Chapman, Hydrologist Allan.Chapman@bcogc.ca Jonathan Boyd, Hydrology Technician Jonathan.Boyd@bcogc.ca Water Information Portal User Guide Page 14 of 14