Provincial Groundwater Inventory Program

Program Goals

When the provincial groundwater inventory program is complete, we will know where Alberta's major sources of groundwater are, the amount of water in those sources, the quality of that water and the effects that current and future uses of groundwater have and will have on Alberta's water systems. Government of Alberta staff will use the information and tools created through this program to develop water policy and regulations to meet government objectives for the safe and sustainable use of water in Alberta.

This multi-year program is a joint effort with Alberta Environment and Water. It builds on the success of past mapping programs and supports the key outcomes defined by the Water for Life strategy, including safe, secure drinking water supplies, healthy aquatic ecosystems and reliable, quality supplies for a sustainable economy.

By investing in groundwater mapping, the province will add to existing knowledge and enhance management of the province's water resources. Groundwater is an integral part of the hydrological cycle and contributes to stream flows and lake levels. It is also an important drinking-water supply for approximately 600,000 Albertans.

The inventory program is being first targeted in high-priority areas experiencing rapid growth, such as the Edmonton-Calgary Corridor (ECC). Results from the ECC study have been published in a groundwater atlas for the area. With the release of this ECC atlas, we summarized the many scientific findings we had in our first study area. Detailed results will be made available in a series of reports.

We intend to publish additional atlases for each subsequent study area as we complete a groundwater inventory for the entire province. Most recently, mapping has begun in the South Saskatchewan River Basin study area.

The groundwater inventory program will take a phased approach to map and inventory groundwater resources.

Phase 1 - Understand the Natural System

• Describe geological framework
• Identify major water-bearing units and barriers to flow
• Understand groundwater flow-systems and their relationships to surface water
• Know expected natural chemical quality of groundwater at any location
• Develop first-order computer model of groundwater flow

Phase 2 - Understand the Effects of Groundwater Development

• Locate and quantify water captured by any pumping well in the system
• Estimate combined effect of pumping any well or wells on head and fluxes at other wells, aquifers, flow systems and system boundaries
• Assign sustainable, safe or optimal pumping rates
• Assess and forecast groundwater vulnerability to pollution and overdraft

Phase 3 - Develop Needed Tools for Resource Management, Regulation and Policy Research

• Provide policy assurance
• Prevent or mitigate risks to groundwater quantity and quality
• Define data and research requirements to support risk management and policy assurance
• Design effective monitoring systems