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1.0 - INTRODUCTION |
A Workshop to discuss the technical feasibility and cost-effectiveness of modelling estuarine hydrodynamic and sediment processes to evaluate future physical characteristics of the Petitcodiac River and estuary was held at the Hotel Beauséjour in Moncton, New Brunswick, from March 3 to 5, 2002. The Workshop was organized by Environment Canada and Fisheries and Oceans Canada with the assistance of the New Brunswick Department of Transportation and the New Brunswick Department of the Environment and Local Government and was attended by more than 65 people, including estuarine scientists from Canada, United States, Britain, Belgium, and Denmark, as well as government scientists and other observers. |
The Workshop involved presentations and discussion among engineers and scientists invited to share their knowledge on physical aspects of rivers and estuaries, and to recommend how best to study and predict water flows, sediment behaviour, and other physical processes under various scenarios. Scientists and engineers expressed varying opinions concerning the modelling and associated data collection. Different scientific and engineering backgrounds, differing experiences with numerical modelling and data collection, and different levels of knowledge concerning the Petitcodiac River/estuary were reflected in the opinions expressed and suggestions made during the Workshop. Most visiting scientists did agree that the combination of very large tides, the cold environment and the high concentration of sediments presented unique challenges to modellers that had not been found in other estuaries in the world. |
The Workshop provided an opportunity for discussion of the physical processes that underlie and determine the ecology of the Petitcodiac River and its estuary. Nevertheless, it was only one step towards greater understanding of the hydrodynamics and sediment processes, and thus only a means of acquiring information for planning further activities associated with environmental assessment of any proposed changes to the Petitcodiac dam/causeway. |
Persons were assigned to record points from the presentations, panel discussions, and plenary sessions held during the Workshop. These were then compiled by Workshop Organizers, and sent to conference participants for any necessary modification. |
The results are presented on the following pages. While an effort was made to accurately record significant highlights, no guarantee is made by the workshop organizers or their agencies that the summary on the following pages is inclusive of all major points made during the Workshop. Not all points recorded in the summary are of equal importance. Neither have the comments or suggestions made by workshop participants been formally evaluated or tested for validity. |
The next section has the terms of reference prepared for the workshop with objectives, expected outcomes and issues to be address by modelling. Following that is the section showing, in a bullet format, important points from presentations, panel discussions and breakout sessions. The same section ends with some conclusions and suggested next steps prepared by the workshop facilitator, Dr. Michael Chadwick of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans. Also included in this document is important and relevant information gathered throughout the preparation of the workshop and the official Workshop Organizing Committee recommendations presented to the New Brunswick manager of the environmental impact review process on March 25, 2002. In all, there are six appendices attached at the end of the document: |