Sustainable Water Well Initiative (SWWI)

Declining yield and deteriorating water quality from water well supplies is a concern with rural residents. The goal of this initiative is to provide safe and reliable water supplies to the agricultural sector by providing improved knowledge on the diagnosis, prevention and remediation of groundwater-related problems. Through SWWI, AAFC-PFRA works in partnership with industry, other government agencies, researchers, educational institutions and the rural sector in order to safe-guard groundwater supplies and extend well life. Current partnerships include an MOU with Environment Canada through Dr. John Lawrence at NWRI in Saskatoon.

Egyptian Sustainable Water Well Initiative (ESWWI)

In January 2002, PFRA personnel travelled to Egypt, as part of a Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) project.  During this visit, the Research Institute for Groundwater (RIGW) in Egypt expressed interest in establishing an initiative similar to the Canadian SWWI.  This collaborative approach will encourage a sharing of experiences, knowledge and research, which is expected to benefit both Egypt and Canada.  Browse the executive summary of our mission report on biological monitoring of groundwater in Egypt for more information.

Project Activities

• Protection and Conservation of Groundwater Supplies
• Agricultural Impacts on Groundwater Supplies
• Applied Research and New Technologies
• Information/Technology Transfer

Protection and Conservation of Groundwater Supplies

Currently, one of the least understood problems is the effect of microbiological activity on the water well environment.  SWWI has initially focused on this aspect of water well deterioration in an effort to better understand the impact of biofouling on the groundwater environment.  Improved knowledge on the diagnosis, prevention and remediation of biofouling problems associated with the water well environment will assist in safe-guarding groundwater supplies and extending well life.

• City of North Battleford well rehabilitation project:
  • Phase 1: well diagnostic program (115KB)
  • Phase 2: well treatment evaluation (256KB)
  • Phase 3: post treatment monitoring (147KB)
  • Well treatment evaluation project (473KB)
• Town of Qu'Appelle: Well 5 Enzyme-based treatment
• Town of Qu'Appelle well treatment evaluation project (826KB)
• City of Yorkton Well Diagnostics Program:  Microbiological Activity Assessment of Production Wells (59KB)

Agricultural Impacts on Groundwater Supplies

Agricultural practices on the rural landscape can have a direct impact on groundwater supplies.  Therefore, rural groundwater supplies must be managed in a manner that will reduce or eliminate any potential negative impacts resulting from agricultural activities.  The most common contaminant generally found above the Canadian Drinking Water Quality Guidelines is nitrate.  The presence of nitrate in rural water wells may also be an indicator of potential pathogens in the groundwater supply.

As part of SWWI, studies have been initiated to investigate the level of microbiological activity in the water well environment and to determine the presence of nitrate in groundwater.  Laboratory and field studies are also underway to test various remediation techniques and to develop methods that will promote in-situ bioremediation of nitrates.  There is also the need to investigate improved methods for the detection and disinfection of pathogens in the groundwater environment.

• In-situ remediation of nitrate in groundwater
• Rural Municipality of Mount Hope No. 279: Water well inventory and microbiological activity assessment (1,004KB)

Applied Research and New Technologies

Another aspect of SWWI involves working with rural communities, private industry, federal/provincial agencies and researchers to develop and evaluate new technologies related to conserving and protecting groundwater supplies.  This includes the evaluation of new technologies, such as the Ultra Acid-Base^TM (UAB^TM) treatment process, which was developed through a joint venture between PFRA and Droycon Bioconcepts Inc. (DBI) of Regina, Saskatchewan, and is aimed at extending the life of water wells by counteracting the plugging effect of groundwater bacteria on the water well environment.  Also, through a partnership with Saskatchewan Health and Aquasure Technologies Inc. of Toronto, Ontario, a new and innovative technology that provides a quick presence-absence detection method for identifying coliform bacteria and E. coli bacteria in water supplies has been evaluated.

• Development of ultra acid-base water well treatment technology
• Field testing of Ultra Acid-Base water well treatment technology in the municipal district of Kneehill, Alberta
• City of North Battleford Well 15 1997 Field test of Ultra Acid-Base water well treatment technology
• Evaluation of the Aquasure Pro 3000^TMsingle test precision portable incubator technology (STEPPI) (693KB)

Information/Technology Transfer

PFRA is strivng to use SWWI to facilitate technology transfer between other government agencies, industry and the public through Memoranda of Understanding with industry, research partners and education institutions such as Red Deer College, where seminars on water well issues have been presented.  The knowledge gained through SWWI projects and research studies is also being transferred to others in the groundwater community by several avenues, such as fact sheets, information bulletins, reports, workshops, conference presentations and class presentations at institutions such as the Saskatchewan Institute of Applied Science and Technology (SIAST).

• Application of Impressed Current Systems to Mitigate Water Well Biofouling (620KB)
• Biofouling and water wells in the M.D. of Kneehill, Alberta (fact sheet)
• Microbiological activity and water well deterioration (fact sheet)
• Microbiological Activity and the Deterioration of Water Well Environments on the Canadian Prairies (387KB)
• Common well-aquifer maintenance chemicals and their influence on aquifer permeability - a laboratory assessment (1,354KB)
• Challenges in sustaining water well infrastructure on the Canadian Prairies (277KB)
• Observations on Impressed Current Systems to Mitigate Water Well Biofouling (501KB)
• Sustaining Water Well Infrastructure in an Agricultural Setting - Rural Municipality of Mount Hope Saskatchewan (81KB)

Current Project Partners

• Corrpro Canada Inc. : Edmonton, Alberta
• City of North Battleford
• Town of Qu'Appelle
• Dr John Lawrence, NWRI