Integrated Management of Dams and Resilience of Local Communities to Climate Change

The management of a dam involves selecting the water level in the upstream reservoir basin and the flow to be discharged in the downstream section of the river. These choices, which are often criticized by local residents, can vary according to season, climate events or specific needs.

The legally binding criteria for the dam manager are mainly concerned with the safety of the dam (potential for breach) as well as its purpose (e.g. hydroelectricity production). Several water uses can therefore be found within the same watershed (consumption, ecosystems, agriculture, industry, leisure, electricity).

Since the water needs arising from these various uses are often in competition, it is impossible to satisfy them simultaneously at all times, which inevitably leads to conflicts of use. By accentuating periods of high flow and drought or by modifying peak periods, climate change exacerbates these conflicts.

Reduce the vulnerability of dam managers and neighboring local communities to the impacts of climate change on dam water levels.

• Simulate flows from the watersheds upstream of the Lake Montjoie, Lake Massawippi and Grand Lac Saint-François dams in a climate change context and model water level management in order to establish management rules and transmit this knowledge to target clientele;

• Collect, from the stakeholders of each of the targeted watersheds, local knowledge related to the impacts of climate change on their water resources and the various uses of water in the region and transmit this knowledge to scientists for use in adjusting dam management plans;

• Hold facilitation sessions in order to co-construct dam management plans.

The facilitation sessions are expected to lead to two deliverables: dam management plans that are adapted to climate change and that integrate local concerns, and adaptation plans to address residual risks that cannot be addressed through better dam management.

In addition, an implementation strategy for the plans and follow-up planning, scheduled every five years, will be developed. Given the large number of dams, tools for popularizing the approach will be produced to assist communities and dam managers.

• Ministère de l’Environnement et Lutte contre les Changements climatiques (MELCC)

• ROBVQ

• Université du Québec à Rimouski

• Université de Montréal

• Université McGill

• Western Ontario University