Storing water on the land: the Waffle concept revisited

Flooding in the Assiniboine River Basin has increasingly resulted in major crop and infrastructure losses. Since the early 2000’s, flood events have occurred more frequently and with greater impact. As floodwaters travel over agricultural fields, soil particles and nutrients are carried downstream. These particles and nutrients are a major factor in water quality degradation contributing nitrogen and phosphorus to Manitoba’s rivers and lakes. This practicum aims to increase the storage capacity of existing wetlands in a prairie landscape so that a 100-year storm event can be managed on-site. A site in Broughton’s Creek Watershed was. It was determined that the quantity of runoff could be significantly reduced and the quality of water would increase. This approach could be applied to other locations within the Assiniboine River Basin to create a landscape resilient to flood events and downstream water quality degradation.