Until very recently, the equipment used to track how much water flows through Canada's rivers and streams had changed very little in a century.

In the past five years, however, it has changed dramatically, says Blair Thorson, head of Environment Canada's Water Survey operations in Whitehorse.

"We're going through a huge learning curve."

As in many fields, the big change has been the introduction of computer technology and the drive to produce information faster and more accurately. But in the stream-monitoring business, safety is also a reason for the technological shift.

"It's hazardous to work on or around water," explains Thorson. "The new technology gets technicians off or out of the water."

If that sounds as if some of the fun might be going out of field work, consider this.

The standard way to measure the flow of a river like the Yukon is to take a variety of readings at a minimum of 20 locations along a line running across the river, from bank to bank. At each of the 20 or more locations along the line, at least two separate measurements must be taken.

Using traditional methods, two people might spend three hours in a boat, gradually working their way across the river, struggling against the current to keep the boat located on the sampling line, repeatedly lowering and raising weights of up to 65 kilograms, and laboriously recording data with pencil and paper.

Then they would pack up their gear, move to another location, and repeat the whole process.

On a fine, sunny day, it might still be a desirable way to pass the time. But on a cold, wet day, with water barely above freezing, it's neither pleasant nor safe.

The new technology that's being introduced, some of it this summer, will allow technicians to stay safe and dry on the river bank while they collect information about the river, using tools like remotely-controlled boats and instruments that can calculate current speed and water volume from such factors as the way water reacts to sound waves.

"With the new technology, you will be able to measure the flow of a river in the time it takes to go across and back," Thorson says. "Now the technicians move the equipment from spot to spot and punch in the numbers."

The change associated with new technology isn't restricted to the field. Back at the office, things have changed too, says Thorson.

When he began working with streamflow data, technicians collected information during the summer field season and spent the winter slowly and painstakingly analyzing it. Thorson remembers performing and checking scores of calculations and carefully drawing graphs of streamflow by hand, again and again.

"It would take you weeks to do one computational process from beginning to end for one station," he says. "Today computers can reduce that process to a few hours."

Eventually, the new technology in the field and in the office should lead to better and more timely information about Canadian rivers and streams. That's important to a wide range of people: bridge-builders and town planners who need to know what kind of floods to build for, hydroelectric producers who need to know if a river can generate electricity, rafting outfitters who need to know if a river is both safe and exciting, and many others.

The transition to the new technology is still underway, says Thorson, and the system is not yet as efficient as was hoped. However, he's optimistic that it will be. People are still learning to use their new tools, he says. Once they're comfortable with the technology, the efficiencies will come.

Still, even with the most modern of instruments, it's possible to get in trouble in the field, he adds.

"In the past, if you forgot your pencil and paper you were in trouble. Now it's if your batteries die."

For more information about streamflow monitoring and the technology involved, contact Blair Thorson at Environment Canada, Whitehorse, (867) 668-2161 or blair.thorson@ec.gc.ca.