›Improving Integration of Groundwater into Water Science and Water Management

Sheila Duchek, M.Sc., P.Geol.

WaterTechnologies Symposium

April 4, 2017

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Table of Contents

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› The Client and Project Team

› Water Management Committee of the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment

› SNC-Lavalin and Université Laval

› The Challenge of Integrating Groundwater

› Myths and Fears

› Scope of the Project

› Literature Review and Jurisdiction Review

› Summary of Findings

› On-going Work

The Project Team

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Sheila Duchek, M.Sc., P.Geol.

Service Manager, Hydrogeology &

Earth Sciences, Alberta

Laurie Tremblay, PhD.

Project Manager Hydrogeology,

Environment & Geoscience, Quebec

SNC-Lavalin

Dany Levesque

Candidate for Master’s Degree in Land

Planning and Regional Development

Christelle Legay, PhD.

Research Professional – Assistant to the

Professor for Land Planning and Regional

Development

Universite Laval

Groundwater Myths

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Groundwater is

mysterious and

occult

Groundwater Myths

6

We can always count on groundwater

Groundwater is

mysterious and

occult

Groundwater Myths

7

We can always count on groundwater

Groundwater is

mysterious and

occult

Groundwater has no relationship

with surface water

Groundwater Myths

8

We can always count on groundwater

Groundwater is

mysterious and

occult

Once

removed,

groundwater

is never

returnedGroundwater has no relationship

with surface water

Groundwater Myths

9

›Groundwater moves rapidly and migrates thousands of miles

We can always count on groundwater

Groundwater is

mysterious and

occult

Once

removed,

groundwater

is never

returnedGroundwater has no relationship

with surface water

Groundwater Myths

10

›Groundwater moves rapidly and migrates thousands of miles

Underground lakes lie beneath our feet

We can always count on groundwater

Groundwater is

mysterious and

occult

Once

removed,

groundwater

is never

returnedGroundwater has no relationship

with surface water

Scary Groundwater News

11

To evaluate approaches and tools to support developing a toolbox of

best practises for the integration of groundwater science and

knowledge into water and ecosystem management.

•This toolbox will:

› Facilitate communicating groundwater science to other scientists, planners, policy

analysts, the public and other interested parties;

› Simplify incorporating groundwater science into overall water and ecosystem

management frameworks; and

› Ensure environmental policy discussions are comprehensive

and all-inclusive by incorporating groundwater sciences.

The Project: Improving the Integration of Groundwater into Water Management

12

The project has 5 sub-tasks:

› Project initiation

› Information review and summary

› Surveys

› Toolbox development

› Reporting

The first step of the project was to compile, review, summarize and

assess relevant information and documentation:

› Literature Review

› Jurisdiction Review

The Project: Improving the Integration of Groundwater into Water Management

13

Literature Review

14

›Objective:

› To compile sources regarding the current understanding of issues and concerns.

› Key issues will direct where incorporating and integrating groundwater sciences can

support and strengthen decision-making.

Integrated groundwater

and surface water

management

Literature Review

15

›Objective:

› To compile sources regarding the current understanding of issues and concerns.

› Key issues will direct where incorporating and integrating groundwater sciences can

support and strengthen decision-making.

Groundwater and

surface water

interaction, including

permafrost

Integrated groundwater

and surface water

management

Literature Review

16

›Objective:

› To compile sources regarding the current understanding of issues and concerns.

› Key issues will direct where incorporating and integrating groundwater sciences can

support and strengthen decision-making.

Groundwater and

surface water

interaction, including

permafrost

Integrated groundwater

and surface water

management

Sustainable water

resource use from a

scientific perspective

Literature Review

17

›Objective:

› To compile sources regarding the current understanding of issues and concerns.

› Key issues will direct where incorporating and integrating groundwater sciences can

support and strengthen decision-making.

Groundwater and

surface water

interaction, including

permafrost

Integrated groundwater

and surface water

management

Sustainable water

resource use from a

scientific perspective

Roles of groundwater in

water cycling and

nutrient cycling

Literature Review

18

›Objective:

› To compile sources regarding the current understanding of issues and concerns.

› Key issues will direct where incorporating and integrating groundwater sciences can

support and strengthen decision-making.

Groundwater and

surface water

interaction, including

permafrost

Integrated groundwater

and surface water

management

Sustainable water

resource use from a

scientific perspective

Roles of groundwater in

water cycling and

nutrient cycling

Groundwater and

ecosystem linkages

Literature Review

19

›Objective:

› To compile sources regarding the current understanding of issues and concerns.

› Key issues will direct where incorporating and integrating groundwater sciences can

support and strengthen decision-making.

Groundwater and

surface water

interaction, including

permafrost

Integrated groundwater

and surface water

management

Sustainable water

resource use from a

scientific perspective

Roles of groundwater in

water cycling and

nutrient cycling

Groundwater and

ecosystem linkages

Multidisciplinary teams

in water management

Literature Review

20

›Objective:

› To compile sources regarding the current understanding of issues and concerns.

› Key issues will direct where incorporating and integrating groundwater sciences can

support and strengthen decision-making.

Groundwater and

surface water

interaction, including

permafrost

Integrated groundwater

and surface water

management

Sustainable water

resource use from a

scientific perspective

Roles of groundwater in

water cycling and

nutrient cycling

Groundwater and

ecosystem linkages

Multidisciplinary teams

in water management

Tools for

communicating

groundwater

science and

management to

water science

experts,

planning and

policy analysts

and the general

public

Literature Review

21

›Objective:

› To compile sources regarding the current understanding of issues and concerns.

› Key issues will direct where incorporating and integrating groundwater sciences can

support and strengthen decision-making.

Groundwater and

surface water

interaction, including

permafrost

Integrated groundwater

and surface water

management

Sustainable water

resource use from a

scientific perspective

Roles of groundwater in

water cycling and

nutrient cycling

Groundwater and

ecosystem linkages

Impacts of groundwater depletion and degradation on

surface water and other ecosystem components

Multidisciplinary teams

in water management

Tools for

communicating

groundwater

science and

management to

water science

experts,

planning and

policy analysts

and the general

public

Jurisdiction Review

22

›Objective:

› To outline existing regional Canadian legislative, regulatory, policy, by-law, guidance and

other management practices related to integrating groundwater science in surface water

and ecosystem science, planning and policy

› to understand how Canadian groundwater is presently managed

› identify cases where groundwater has been successfully integrated

› recognize where integration was limited and determine what caused challenges

Jurisdiction Review

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Ensuring ecosystem

integrity where

groundwater is relied

upon

Jurisdiction Review

24

Integrating groundwater

and surface water

management

Ensuring ecosystem

integrity where

groundwater is relied

upon

Jurisdiction Review

25

Integrating groundwater

and surface water

management

Ensuring ecosystem

integrity where

groundwater is relied

upon

Integrating groundwater

resources in land use

management

Jurisdiction Review

26

Integrating groundwater

and surface water

management

Ensuring ecosystem

integrity where

groundwater is relied

upon

Integrating groundwater

resources in land use

management

Communication and

education regarding

groundwater

Jurisdiction Review

27

Integrating groundwater

and surface water

management

Ensuring ecosystem

integrity where

groundwater is relied

upon

Integrating groundwater

resources in land use

management

Communication and

education regarding

groundwater

Hydrogeologist’s role in

an integrated water

resource approach

Jurisdiction Review

28

Integrating groundwater

and surface water

management

Ensuring ecosystem

integrity where

groundwater is relied

upon

Integrating groundwater

resources in land use

management

Communication and

education regarding

groundwater

Hydrogeologist’s role in

an integrated water

resource approach

Identification of barriers

to implementation

Jurisdiction Review

29

Integrating groundwater

and surface water

management

Ensuring ecosystem

integrity where

groundwater is relied

upon

Integrating groundwater

resources in land use

management

Communication and

education regarding

groundwater

Hydrogeologist’s role in

an integrated water

resource approach

Identification of barriers

to implementation

Tools to influence

change in policy,

management and

practice

Jurisdiction Review

30

Integrating groundwater

and surface water

management

Ensuring ecosystem

integrity where

groundwater is relied

upon

Integrating groundwater

resources in land use

management

Communication and

education regarding

groundwater

Hydrogeologist’s role in

an integrated water

resource approach

Identification of barriers

to implementation

A summary of Canadian jurisdiction documentation, by

Province (including statutory or non-statutory

requirements to protect quality and quantity of

groundwater and surface water)

Tools to influence

change in policy,

management and

practice

› Groundwater-surface water

interaction processes are

mostly understood

› Heterogeneities within

aquifers, within surface water

channels, and at a regional

scale are still being studied for

understanding

› A proven solution for

integration has not been

created, but in development

for many regions

Literature Review Findings

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› Literature indicated authorities

have had difficulties

integrating groundwater and

surface water; difficulties

attributed to technical

complexities

› Recognized experts have

stated in literature:

groundwater and surface

water must be managed as

one system

Literature Review Findings

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› Groundwater often sustains stream flow in low flow periods

› Groundwater discharge is a source of nutrients to coastal areas

› Groundwater-surface water interaction in cold regions (with permafrost) is

a current focus, particularly with respect to thaw due to climate change

› Climate change causes extreme variability (droughts and flooding) and the

impacts to groundwater quality and quantity are not fully understood

Literature Review Findings

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› Responsible groundwater and surface water management requires:

› understanding the shallow subsurface

› groundwater occurrence

› flow dynamics

› aquifer connectivity to surface water

› contamination sources solute transport

› And… representing these processes in detailed conceptual models

› Environmental management, especially of aquifer systems, can be

complex. Extensive lag times, scale issues, data scarcity and uncertainty

make integration of such systems hard to achieve

Literature Review Findings

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› Approaches to integrating groundwater:

› rationing water methods (extraction limits, water licensing, water

trading, managed aquifer recharge and water registration)

› define quantitative thresholds such as environmental flows and

set levels

› implemented land-use restrictions to preserve quality

› Sustainable water resource use requires protection of:

› groundwater supply from depletion to maintain regional

environmental flow needs.

› groundwater quality from contamination where quality should not

compromised.

› ecosystem viability

Role of Hydrogeologists

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› Where the public has a long standing relationship with managing

authorities, integrating groundwater into broader water science and

management has been more likely to achieve success

› Hydrogeologists have a central role in facilitating groundwater

integration; recognizing other specialists and stakeholders are

equally important

› Hydrogeologists will provide expert direction in defining natural

limitations and vulnerabilities of groundwater resources

› Hydrogeologists must act as experts to advise community

stakeholders during workshops and meetings

Suggested Tools for Outreach

36

› Newsletters

› Radio

› Social media, Blogs

› Workshops and Community

Programs

› Educational youth programs

(science fairs, presentations for

kids)

› Web-based portals can reach a

diverse range of stakeholders

Review of Provincial and Territorial Legislation

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›Generally, each province and territory has:

› Legislation regarding water quality (surface and groundwater)

standards, although acceptable parameter values vary

› Standards for well designs and completions

› Legislation to protect groundwater quality (with different

contaminant of concerns)

› Documented attempts or stated environmental management goal of

managing groundwater in a sustainable manner

Effective and Innovative Approaches to Integrating Groundwater in Water Management

38

› Ontario and Quebec and their

partnership with the United States

› Ontario source protection program

› British Columbia

› new Water Sustainability Act

› water management tools

› Aquifer inventory (>1,100 aquifers)

› Manitoba - ongoing studies integrating

groundwater with surface water

› PEI - notable strides in community

engagement with water resources

› Alberta Land Use Frameworks

› Saskatchewan

› 25 Year Plan for Sustainability and

Groundwater

› U of S awarded $77.8M for Global

Water Futures in 2016

› The Mackenzie River Basin

Transboundary Waters Master

Agreement commits six provincial and

territorial governments to manage the

water resources collectively

› Quebec has regulations to manage

water in an integrated manner and at a

watershed level

Summary

Change Footer here: Insert > Header and Footer (delete if none) 39

› The Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment is committed

to developing guidance for integrating groundwater knowledge and

science into overall environmental management

› Challenges to Integrating Groundwater in Management have been

difficult to overcome

› Project Scope: To evaluate approaches and tools to support

developing a toolbox of best practises for integrating groundwater

science and knowledge into water and ecosystem management

› Literature and Jurisdiction Review findings provided guidance for

next phases of work – which is to develop toolboxes for integration

Next Phase of the Project

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› SNC-Lavalin and Universite Laval prepared a questionnaire

regarding integrating groundwater in water management to be filled

out by Water Managers

› CCME sent the questionnaire to over 30 different jurisdictions

within Canada, US, and Europe

› Responses are collected and survey data is being assessed

› Building the toolbox is underway!

› Suggestions from this audience are encouraged

Please reach out to me and I will relay ideas back to the team

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