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Winnipeg MB (April 16, 2024)- The annual spring thaw and surface runoff is underway in most Manitoba basins.
And, while flood risks remain reportedly low and localized across southern Manitoba, Manitoba Forage and Grassland Association (MFGA) is offering the MFGA Aquanty Model and Forecasting Tool free of charge to stakeholders in the Assiniboine River Basin interested in how much water is in the system or cascading and pooling overland on their fields.
“Our MFGA Aquanty Model is the premiere water movement model on the Canadian Prairies,” said Mike Duguid, MFGA chair. “There is no other water-focused forecasting technology on par with the MFGA Aquanty Model Forecasting Tool in North America. As a farmer-led group, we want farmers, land managers and communities to benefit from our model during the annual spring thaw where waters can rise and fluctuate on short notice, and the option to access our model for free and in a pinch can help plan and prepare for what’s coming down the waterways or running across fields.”
The MFGA Aquanty Model and Forecasting Tool Portal can be accessed at MFGA.net. MFGA is the licence-holder of the model after leading two major projects – and a third with Pembina Valley Watershed District in the Red River Valley – funded by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and the Province of Manitoba. A fourth project using the model was funded by the RBC Foundation through RBC Tech for Nature and is in final report stages with PVWD, Swan Lake First Nation and MFGA.
Duguid says MFGA has developed significant interest and uptake from groups such as watershed districts that want to use the model to better inform their land use decisions by better understanding the water resources in their jurisdictions via the eight categorical measurements provided by the model, from surface water to groundwater to satellite field views, all via real-time measurements. Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) is one of the many datasets that can be incorporated into the MFGA Aquanty Model for better understanding of water resources within MFGA Aquanty Model run scenarios.
MFGA will be closing the free access to the model and forecasting tool after the 2024 spring thaw subsides and passes. Training on the model and forecasting tool will continue to be held on request-by-request basis. Contact MFGA for more information on all MFGA Aquanty Model enquiries.
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For More Information: Duncan Morrison, MFGA Executive Director, 204.770.3548, Duncan@mfga.net
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