Hydrologists calm stormy waters
In Grade 9, Laurian Farrell thought she’d eventually design cars for a living. She loved the shapes and flow that combined to create a functional machine.
That she eventually became an engineer working in hydrology was no surprise, she says. “Water is very similar with the processes and flow in my thinking — there was a correlation here.”
The bend in the river came when Farrell chose to attend the University of Guelph in Ontario. “I really liked the school but they didn’t have a mechanical engineering department,” she says. “Water appealed to me and I lucked out by choosing a discipline that I felt connected with.”
Today, Farrell is senior manager of flood risk management and infrastructure with the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority, where she has worked for the past nine years. Much of her work is focused on flood forecasting and liaising with local municipalities to develop emergency management plans.
An extensive network of precipitation gauges across the city provides real time data on rainfall, snowmelt, snowfall and river flows. When combined with storm simulations, this data can help mitigate flood damage and alert response crews before it’s too late, she says.
“From hurricanes to flash flooding, you never get the same storm twice and they all have reallife, costly implications on the ground,” Farrell says. “It’s a fascinating forensic role we play that is integral in keeping the public safe.”
This is just one of the areas in which hydrologists can find work today. The prospects are very good for those with this kind of expertise, says John Pomeroy, professor with the Centre for Hydrology at the University of Saskatchewan.
“The number of opportunities that exist right now is the best that I’ve ever seen,” he says.
In Western Canada, hydrologists help to prevent flooding of oil and gas pipelines that cross streams or groundwater, calculate available water supply for drilling processes, and ensure safe, efficient water use and recycling. On the Prairies, they monitor the supply of water for potash mines, and in British Columbia and Labrador they assist in identifying new sources for hydroelectric generation, he says.
“Some of our students are even working at iron ore mines in Baffin Island,” he says.
Government departments, such as environment and natural resources use hydrologists. Many find work with engineering companies that provide municipal infrastructure and environmental consulting services across the globe.
“In Canada and around the world, hydrologists are going to be more and more necessary to find and recommend ways by which we can improve our effective use of water,” says Rick Ross, executive director of the Canadian Water Resources Association.