Since the 1980s state funding of hydrometric networks has declined dramatically in many countries in the south. As a result, national hydrological services are unable to collect the information necessary for reliable water resources assessment at a time when climate change, increasing demand for water and pollution are placing unprecedented pressures on water resources.

WMC offers the wide range of skills necessary to assist governments to develop their capacity in hydrometric data collection and in water resource and water quality assessment.

Project Examples:

Title:	Capilano, Seymour and Coquitlam watersheds water source capacity study
Location:	Canada
Client:	Greater Vancouver Regional District
Description:	WMC was commissioned to assess the water supply capacity of a system of linked lakes and reservoirs that supply Vancouver and to determine their current and potential capacity in the light of increasing demands and climate change. WMC developed a spreadsheet-based multiple reservoir simulation model and assessed the reliability of the reservoir system under a range of hydraulic constraints and potential climate change.

Title:	Monturaqui aquifer investigation and development
Location:	Chile
Client:	Minera Escondida Ltda
Description:	WMC was retained to manage and implement a comprehensive investigation of the groundwater resources of a recently discovered aquifer in the arid Region II of northern Chile. The scope of the investigation included geophysical surveys, exploration drilling and hydrogeological testing, numerical groundwater modelling, optimisation of wellfield design, supervision of construction and environmental impact assessment. WMC is now managing a programme of aquifer monitoring.

Title:	Water resources assessment for the seven towns water supply project
Location:	Guinea
Client:	Ministère des Ressources Naturelles, de l’Energie et de l’Environnement
Funding:	Islamic Development Bank
Description:	WMC evaluated the water resources for three storage reservoirs for supply to the towns of Labé, Koundara and Dinguiraye. Rainfall-runoff modelling was used to generate historical inflow sequences. The reservoir storage capacities necessary to maintain supplies through the 1:50-year drought were estimated by behavioural storage-yield analysis and making allowances for sedimentation and climate change. Design floods were estimated using a number of techniques for design of the dam spillways.