Comprehensive urban spill management planning framework

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The recent oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has drawn up public concern over spills. While numerous research works have been performed on ocean spills, there is hardly any research of urban land spills which affect the air, soil, and water of our neighbourhood. The applicant has developed an urban spill database of southern Ontario since 1998 and conducted a series of applied research to address spill prevention, control, and response. With the recent concern over the Great Lakes water quality and source water protection in Ontario, the applicant proposes to develop a comprehensive urban spill management framework which predicts the occurrence of spills and their impacts on receiving surface waters and formulates spill management alternatives for surface water quality protection. The research methodology comprises (a) compilation of an up-to-date urban spill database in southern Ontario; (b) development of stochastic spill models to predict the occurrence and mass of spills; (c) formulation of water quality models to predict the fate of spills in rivers and lakes; (d) development of risk analysis models for spills in receiving surface waters; and (5) development of a web-based Geograhic Information System framework to assist the development of spill management plans for surface water quality protection. Under the current Ontario Source Water Protection Act, each municipality must develop a source water protection plan which addresses various pollution sources. Spills have been identified by many Areas of Concern in the Great Lakes to be a major pollution source and risk analysis must be performed. The urban spill management framework will enable these municipalities to conduct risk analyses of spill pollution to their source waters and develop spill management plans based on risks of water quality violation at receiving waters.