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Objective 2: Groundwater Conservation

OBJECTIVE: To support better understanding and appropriate management of our groundwater resources.

Groundwater is subsurface water or water stored in pores, cracks and crevices in the earth. Groundwater is a source of water for wells and springs, and is often a significant source for lakes and rivers.

Globally, groundwater represents almost the entire supply of useable fresh water that is not stored in glaciers and icecaps. It contributes a significant amount to surface waters, and 30% of Canadians rely on it exclusively for drinking water. There is considerable reliance on groundwater for industrial and agricultural uses as well.

Yet most people who use groundwater pay nothing for it. And, like surface water, we have almost no means to keep track of how much is actually being taken. In fact, there is much we don't know about groundwater use in Canada, including how withdrawals affect the surrounding ecosystem, and how much can be taken in a sustainable way from specific aquifers.

We don't really know with certainty how much we have. Canada has not produced a national-scale inventory of groundwater resources since 1967. Considerable mapping and assessment work is currently being conducted by the federal and provincial governments to address this.

Groundwater monitoring and permitting is a provincial/territorial responsibility. The legislation controlling groundwater permitting varies considerably across the country, so the Foundation undertook a report to evaluate the regulatory policies related to groundwater extraction in each province and territory. Buried Treasure: Groundwater Permitting and Pricing in Canada highlights the differences among jurisdictions and identifies a number of important gaps:

• We need more comprehensive, easily accessible data on aquifers and groundwater extraction. No jurisdiction has a full account of how much groundwater is actually being withdrawn.
• Public access to information and decision-making about groundwater resources is patchy and limited.
• Knowledge and information about the interactions between surface- and groundwater is limited, as is knowledge about the links between groundwater extraction and instream flow or ecosystem needs.
• We have limited ability to take environmental consequences of extractions into account in permitting systems.

The Foundation intends for this report to provide the basis for cooperative dialogue about the management of groundwater resources across the country. We hosted a workshop in February 2006 to begin such a dialogue, and plan to continue it.

Other grant making under this Objective is intended to support efforts to strengthen policy to better address groundwater and the links between groundwater and surface water.

"During the 1994 to 1999 period, roughly 26% of Canadian municipalities reported water shortages as a result of increased consumption, drought or infrastructure problems. Notably, municipalities reliant upon groundwater reported the most frequent shortages."
National Water Research Institute and Meteorological Service of Canada (2004) Threats to water availability in Canada.

"Citizens of the Great Lakes Basin - individuals, organizations, industries, and their governments - understand the value of groundwater and its vital contribution to the economy and the health of the Great Lakes ecosystem, and, empowered by governments, make responsible decisions about groundwater, sustaining the resource for the benefit of current and future generations."
Vision for the Future, presented in Managing Groundwater Resources in the Great Lakes Basin: Securing our Future by the Program on Water Issues (2003).

The following Highlights provide examples of the work being funded by the Foundation in the field of groundwater conservation:

• Water Quantity Monitoring and Education – a model developed by H2O Chelsea

  H2O Chelsea has developed a model for municipalities to engage citizens in monitoring and protecting their groundwater resources. They are now working with Federation of Canadian Municipalities and Environment Canada to share it with others.

• Buried Treasure: Groundwater Permitting and Pricing in Canada

  A comprehensive and groundbreaking report that examines groundwater permitting systems and groundwater pricing across the country.

• Groundwater and Wild Salmon in BC

  A review of BC's groundwater management policies as they relate to the health of wild salmon.