Dust control option for Williston Reservoir : preliminary recommendation ...

• Main Authors: Arocena, Joselito M., Young, Jane P., Baker, Doug
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: The University of British Columbia 2009
• Subjects: First Nations
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.14288/1.0042294; https://doi.library.ubc.ca/10.14288/1.0042294

Williston Reservoir is the largest reservoir in British Columbia and covers an area of approximately 180,000 ha along the Rocky Mountain trench. The water level fluctuates from an average of 656 to 670 m above sea level between the months of April and September. During low pool, dust storms frequently occur from wind erosion of large areas of foreshore subjected to the prevailing southeasterly winds. The dust storms create a hazard for air navigation and problems for the First Nations village of Tsay Keh. The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of dust generation and use of vegetation as a possible reclamation method to control wind erosion. Soil samples were collected from potential sources of dust based on exposure, accessibility, and proximity to Tsay Keh village. Results of particle size analysis showed that the amounts of particles <0.840 mm range from 83 to 99%. Using the wind erosion equation, the predicted total soil loss ranges from 40 to 104 Mg soil ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹. Our estimates indicate ...