The importance of groundwater in Alberta is growing, especially as the surface water supplies are dwindling during drought conditions.
Currently, there are more than 600,000 Albertans who are already dependant on groundwater for drinking water, and that’s on top of the ground water supplied to domestic, municipal, agricultural, and industrial water needs.
Unfortunately, though, the Alberta Auditor General had released a report on July 10th, stating that the Alberta Government lacks the proper processes needed to manage surface water allocation use.
The report also stated that public reporting on surface water and the outcomes of surface water management was lacking.
They also found that the Department of Environment and Protected Areas has no water conservation objectives in most basins.
Now, though, in Southern Alberta, non-profit organizations are hoping to help enhance groundwater monitoring, as well as help to deepen the knowledge of critical aquifers to have greater water security.
The non-profits Living Lakes Canada and the Oldman Watershed Council will be building a groundwater monitoring network as part of their Southwest Alberta Groundwater Project.
Under the Southwest Alberta Groundwater Project, they will be using geo scanning technology, along with community consultation, and partnerships with private well owners to build that monitoring network.
In a partnership with Piikani Nation Lands Department, this project is being piloted in the Oldman River Watershed, with the aim to expand the project throughout the province.
“Expanded groundwater monitoring will provide the information needed to sustainably manage this incredibly important freshwater source as climate impacts like drought worsen,” explained Maggie Finkle-Aucoin, the Project Lead with Living Lakes Canada, in a media release from July 17th. “A critical step in this project is engaging with communities, Indigenous and non-Indigenous, to better understand local priorities and concerns.”
Those who are interested in learning more about the project are encouraged to attend the first public engagement event for the Southwest Alberta Groundwater Project on Thursday, July 25th.
It is a free, online event and will take place from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m., and people will be able to ask leading experts their questions on the subject, as well as contribute to the province’s water security.
To learn more about Living Lakes Canada, click here.
To learn more about, and to register for the public engagement event, click here.