Water Policy and Planning Engineer
Ontario Power Generation
Total years of experience :37 years, 10 Months
Working in Dam Safety & Water Resource, I provide expertise, products and services relating to hydro business planning and management:
- Develop, recommend and monitor hydro strategies, policies, procedures and guidelines and identify and resolve any implementation and technical issues;
- Coordinate activities for improvement in reporting, policy development, business planning, strategic planning, outage reporting, water management planning, forecasting and energy marketing activities;
- Provide primary business planning and decision support interface role with all Plant Groups, Planning & Analysis, Planning & Asset Management, Hydro Engineering, Production Support & Benchmarking, Hydroelectric Development and Regulatory Affairs;
- Perform hydrologic and hydraulic analyses for water availability and forecasting of hydro generation
- Conduct and review scientific and research studies on water resources, environment, climatic change, power and their impacts on hydro-power facilities
- Provide water management planning and technical supports and determine solution for operating problems to enable development of new or modification of existing operating procedures (e.g., modelling, analysis) to plant groups on need basis (developed a spreadsheet Flow Model for Summit Dam to regulate flow under various flow conditions);
- Develop and update OPG Hydro Quick Reference Guide for hydroelectric generating station and storage data (every one or two years);
- Initiate/review scientific & research studies, test and programs relating to climate change, water & land resources management and environmental issues and their impacts on hydro production;
- Provide water management planning and technical supports to plant groups
I involved in the Upper Great Lakes Study (IJC of Canada/USA) to determine how to improve Lake Superior outflows.
- Modeled discharge for Upper St. Clair River and assessed water quantity risk
- Involved in site characterization and hydrological modeling sections of Automated Hydrological Workstation Project
- Analyzed the past/existing/possible future conditions within the Great Lakes basin by setting up, inputting data, calibrating and operating hydraulic and hydrologic models
- Prepared oral and written reports on the purpose, progress, methods and results of different studies
- Provided hydrological information to senior divisional staff, provincial and U.S. partners, and/or Boards of the International Joint Commission
- Responded orally and in writing to inquiries from the public and local, provincial and other federal agencies on matters to Great Lakes levels, flows, hydrology and shore properties
- Extracted/interpreted/obtained information from data files and other government sources in making decisions about property acquisition and maintenance, design and construction of waterfront facilities
- Conducted literature searches and tracked new developments for models and other decision support tools
- Reviewed new methods and techniques for improved management and regulation of water resources in the Great Lakes basin.
As a Water Resources Engineer, Source Protection Planning Project, I provided engineering support and advice for the preparation of drinking water source protection plans within the Trent/Ganaraska Watershed Region (about 12, 500 sq. km.):
- Developed a Thornthwaite-type spreadsheet water balance model for calculating monthly/seasonally/annual water budget of the area
- Assisted in the development of a work plan and related terms of reference documents necessary to meet the requirements of the Drinking Water Source Protection Planning Act, its regulations and associated provincial standards and guidelines
- Assisted the project manager with project design, budget preparation and cost control
- Undertook surface water-related technical analyses to support water budget development
- Assisted in the direction of staff and consultants to complete studies in support of drinking water source protection plans
- Prepared reports and make presentations to the Source Protection Planning Committee, Conservation Authority Boards, Municipalities, other agencies, interest groups and the public.
- Conducted experiment on vegetated filter strips to protect streams in areas with manure storage or disposal with regards to TSS, N, P, and bacteria control (OMAFRA funded)
- Conducted research on investigation of rainfall-runoff process in relation to soil physical and hydraulic properties - A Fractal Approach;
- Teaching assistant of several undergraduate engineering courses: Groundwater (3 times), Soil & Water Conservation (3 times), Engineering & Design-I (2 times), Engineering Mechanics-I, Turf Equipment, and Waste Management and Utilization
- Lead a team of three students in field inspection, data collection, water sampling, and lab analysis.
As a leader within the sub-program on water management, I worked for (1) National Water Management Project (World Bank Funded), phase-III (2) National OFWM Project (OECF of Japan Funded), phase-I, and (3) Geosynthetic Liners for Lining of Water Channels Project, at federal level:
- Designed, organized, coordinated, managed and implemented above national water projects at federal level
- Developed projects/program implementation partnerships with government, non-government agencies and groups
- Worked in an interdisciplinary context and with multiple stakeholders, and provided technical/analytical support to federal/provincial officers
- Prepared work plan, expression of interests (EOIs), request for proposals (RFPs), terms of reference (TOR), technical/scientific reports, feasibility studies, and project documents/design
- Involved in the selection of consultants and contractors and monitored their works
- Designed/constructed water channels, reservoirs, pumping stations and other hydraulic structures
- Developed innovative and cost effective solutions to improve existing water resources, agricultural and water management infrastructures systems
- Interfaced with government departments, consultants, contractors, and end-users for all levels of project implementation
- Performed site inspection, investigation, and suggested corrective actions/remediation
- Acted as resource to prepare technical briefs and reports for higher government authorities, funding agencies, Planning Department, and Public Works Committee
- Acquired next phases of projects from the World Bank and other funding agencies by effective negotiation as part of a team.
- Conducted research on "Corn crop curve development by non-weighing lysimeter water balance at Oakes, North Dakota"
- Teaching assistant of various undergraduate engineering courses.
As Water Management Engineer, I wrote new proposals and developed approaches to improve existing water resources, water quality, distribution, and water management infrastructures system:
- Measured and analyzed the water flow under various conditions
- Surveyed and prepared detailed design drawings and specifications of water supply systems, water channels, reservoirs, and hydraulic structures
- Prepared water resources and environmental portions of feasibility studies for On-Farm Water Management Project, Phase-I (OECF funded), and Phase-III (World Bank funded)
- Surveyed/designed/constructed water channels, reservoirs, drains, and pumping stations, which resulted an increase of 30% water delivery efficiency
- Prepared reports, contracts, project/legal documents and performed economic and statistical analyses for risk and decision support.
I was responsible for designing, commissioning, operating and maintaining all pumping stations, surface and sprinkler irrigation systems of National Agricultural Research Centre.