DK Hydrotech conducted a comprehensive hydrological assessment of Tank Creek to support a potential hydropower development near Carcross, YT. Key tasks included the collection, review, and analysis of regional climate and streamflow data, a detailed quality assurance review of field-collected water level and discharge measurements, and the development of a regional regression model to estimate long-term water availability for a potential hydropower facility.

Streamflow gauging in the Yukon is difficut for many reasons, in particular through the long, cold winters. As air temperatures drop and slow moving waters freeze, the relationship relied on for estimating flow from water level is corrupted. A key challenge in this project was reviewing winter base flow records from several nearby catchments measured over several decades to better understand spatial variability of low flows, incorporating land cover information as it relates to water storage.

Land cover geospatial data from the North American Land Change Monitoring System were reviewed to identify possible changes to the basin response. A stage-discharge rating curve was developed and applied to several regional streamflow monitoring stations in a regression analysis to better describe the water resource in terms of model (structural) risk. Return-period flood estimates were produced following industry-standard methodologies.

The final deliverables included a report detailing the hydrological characteristics of Tank Creek, a simulated daily streamflow dataset to support hydraulic design and energy modeling, and recommendations to improve future data collection efforts.