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Groundwater Assessment Reports (Alberta)
Need to find out more about groundwater in your area?
What potential aquifers underlie your property?
If the answer to either of these two questions is YES, then you may want to
see if a regional groundwater assessment study has been carried out in your area.
Buy the complete report on CD:
CDRoms of the regional groundwater assessments can be purchased for $20 from Information
Sales at the Alberta Geological Survey. The contact at Information Sales is: Sarah Boisvert
Phone: (780) 422-3767 E-mail: sarah.boisvert@gov.ab.ca
In the late 1960's and early 1970's, the Groundwater Division of the Research Council of Alberta
published a set of hydrogeological reconnaissance maps that covered all of the agricultural area
of Alberta. These maps showed potential well yields and the general quality of water that could
be anticipated in rural Alberta..
About twenty-five to thirty years has passed since these maps were published and since then a lot
of test holes and water wells have been completed. PFRA and many Municipalities have
recognized that an updated assessment of their local groundwater resources is desirable and they
have combined to fund regional groundwater assessment studies that contain updated "digital"
maps showing the groundwater development potential of potable water aquifers that underlie the
Municipality. The aquifer maps and accompanying assessment report are intended to provide
answers to common questions asked by landowners or by municipal councilors:
- For individuals, What quantity (sustainable yield) of water can be obtained? What
will the quality be like? How deep does the landowner have to have to drill to complete a
well?
- For planning or project-siting type studies
- Are there any areas where groundwater levels are falling and are there any aquifers
that may be being "mined"?
These new groundwater studies provide an overview of the groundwater resources and
characteristics in individual municipalities. Shallow and deep aquifers are identified and potential
yield and water quality are characterized. Additional technical details, such as poster-size maps
and drawings, are available from files available on CD-ROM.
Why is PFRA supporting these studies?
Because groundwater is Alberta is a very important resource and it needs to be protected and
conserved. The regional groundwater assessments provide updated information that helps users
determine the status of the groundwater resource in an area and what steps should be taken to
best manage the resource. They also can be used to help identify constraints to and opportunities
for rural economic development.
What data was used in these studies?
Water well data was provided by Alberta Environment Groundwater Information Centre.
Cultural detail (roads, streams, community locations, township fabric) was provided by Altalis.
Other groundwater related data has been provided by the Consultant carrying out the work.
In selected areas in Alberta only. PFRA has supported groundwater mapping one municipality
(or county) at a time. See the map below to see where studies have been completed and are
underway. Also, refer to the list of files below to access the completed regional groundwater
assessment reports.
Please note that the following files are in Adobe Acrobat format (pdf) . If
you require the Adobe Reader, please visit the Adobe web site.
Due to the large size of these reports, we are providing
the reports in sections (typically about 5 to 7 files for each report), in order to make the
download process easier. Please click ALL the sections in order to download the entire report.
The first section always includes the Table of Contents. Appendix A is not provided for any of
the reports as it contains maps that are quite large in size and would be difficult to download for
most users. The full reports will be available on CDRom this summer. Check back later for more
details.
Beaver County
Cardston County
Clearwater County
County of Athabasca
County of Barrhead
County of Forty Mile (spring-summer 2003)
County of Minburn No. 27
County of Paintearth
County of Stettler
County of St. Paul
County of Thorhild No. 7
County of Two Hills No. 21
County of Vermilion River No. 24
County of Warner No. 5
Cypress County
Flagstaff County
Lac Ste. Anne County
Lacombe County
Lakeland County
Lamont County
Leduc County
M.D. of Bonnyville
M.D. of Brazeau
M.D. of Lesser Slave River
M.D of Provost
M.D. of Rocky View
M.D. of Wainwright No. 61
Mountain View County
Parkland County
Ponoka County
Red Deer County (summer 2003)
Smoky Lake County
Special areas 2, 3, 4 and M.D. of Acadia
Starland County
Strathcona County
Sturgeon County
Westlock County
Wheatland County
Woodlands County
Yellowhead County
The information provided in these studies can be used as a GUIDE that identifies, based on a
regional analysis of available well log data, the general development potential. The intention is
to give the landowner an estimate of:
- The quantity (sustainable yield) and quality of water can be
obtained?
- How deep a well driller may have to drill to successfully complete
a well, and also provides guidance as to the depth at which to stop drilling and may be try again
at another location
This information is presented in a groundwater query program targeted at specific land locations.
For example:
Note: The above Query program is copyrighted and provided with the
permission of MowTech Ltd.
The above sample query suggests that the best groundwater development potential at this
location lies within the Lower Horseshoe Canyon Formation. This formation extends from about
11 to 60 m (36 to 197 ft) depth, and has a potential yield of about 103 cubic metres per day (16
igpm), and a water quality of about 753
mg/L Total Dissolve Solids (TDS). Non-pumping water level (NPWL) is at about 5 m (16 ft).
The estimates given in the query program and on maps presented with the regional groundwater
assessment study are based on the regional interpretation of the available well log data. However,
as geological conditions can vary over very short distances (especially more most groundwater
flow to a well is provided by fractures), there are NO GUARANTEES that the
predicted yield and water quality will occur in every or any test hole. In some cases, several test
holes may be required to achieve a well with the desired well yield and water quality. In other
areas, local geological conditions may be such that the groundwater development potential is
better or worse than that predicted in the study.
When purchasing a new parcel of land or when considering expanding a herd, or opening a new
type of business (e.g. aquaculture) that is dependent on groundwater,the landowner
MUST always first confirm by drilling and testing that the quantity and quality of groundwater is
suitable and sustainable, even in drought years. Consultation with a professional
geologist and/or engineer that specializes in groundwater assessments is recommended where
substantial investment is involved.
The following steps are recommended to develop a groundwater supply:
-
Evaluate all water sourcing options: surface and groundwater. Water wells that last For Generations
(Alberta Environment, Alberta Agriculture, Food and Rural Development, and PFRA
Publication) gives readers a good description of water system planning and help on choosing a
water well site and a water well driller. This publication is also available at no cost from your
local PFRA, Alberta Environment, or Alberta Agriculture, Food and Rural Development office.
- Collect information on past water wells or test holes drilled in your area. Landowners may
access drilling records for studies completed on their property or surrounding lands. These
records
are available at your local County, MD, or PFRA offices. At the same time, the results of the
Mow-
Tech Ltd. gwQuery program can be obtained and may provide some guidance on possible
groundwater options.
- Locate recent groundwater records for water wells drilled in your area. More Information.
- Review the collected water well records. Talk with your neighbours about their
water wells and investigate any problems that they may be experiencing, including water well
yield,
water quality, or maintenance problems. Information regarding who drilled the water well is also
important.
- Talk to your local water well driller(s). Landowners are encouraged to talk with
the
drilling companies that drilled their water well and others in the area. These companies can
supply
information regarding the success of local water wells in the area, while providing suggestions
and
cost estimates for groundwater exploration or the installation of a new water well.
- Well log records
- Contact the Alberta Environment Groundwater Information Centre for
information regarding recent and historical records for water wells drilled in your area. Phone
1-780-427-2770 or call the RITE toll-free operator at 310-0000 and ask for the Groundwater Information Centre
or send e-mail to env.infocent@gov.ab.ca
- Check with your municipality office or contact Peggy Ellis (ellisp@agr.gc.ca)
at (403) 292-5638 at the PFRA, South Alberta Region Office. Only those well records on file with Alberta
Environment at the time the regional
groundwater assessment study was done are available. Recent well logs may not be available.
For some wells, records may never have submitted to Alberta Environment and are not available.
- Check with your local well drillers
- Reports and Maps showing groundwater related information - The report
text and maps may be viewed in clickable Adobe format reports identified above. CD-ROMs
containing the complete reports, query programs and accompanying
maps and databases should be available this summer at reasonable cost. Check back to this web
site to get information on sales locations, or contact your local PFRA office or your County/MD.
For
the time being, to view a copy of the CD-ROM and request additional maps, figures and
cross-sections, please contact your municipal office.
-
For additional information, you may also visit the Alberta
Association of Municipal Districts and Counties for links to municipal web sites.
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