“Groundwater is too important to solely rely on the government stewardship of it,” said Canadian geophysicist/engineer and Living Lakes Canada advisor Paul Bauman.
His presentation focused mainly on his recent travels to Uganda where he helped refugees identify water sources and build wells as they returned to their communities after 20 years of civil war.
In the Upper Columbia Basin, Living Lakes Canada (LLC) is monitoring groundwater in priority aquifers — the geological features underground that store and release water — through its Groundwater Monitoring Program.
This is being done by locating already-existing wells and installing water level loggers to measure groundwater levels in the wells.
Aquifer selection is based on potential for vulnerability to contamination, potential for user conflict, and high number of users.
Currently, of the 154 aquifers in the Upper Columbia Basin that have been mapped by the province, 10 are being monitored in the LLC Groundwater Monitoring Program.
One example demonstrating how the data can be used is the State of Climate Adaptation report for the Regional District of East Kootenay Electoral Area F in 2017, which plans to use groundwater as an indicator of water supply for determining climate change resiliency.
“We’re gauging water quantity and comparing aquifer levels to precipitation,” said LLC Groundwater Monitoring Program Manager Carol Luttmer.
Living Lakes Canada facilitates a community-driven approach for protecting water resources and recognizes the importance of data to support effective management of our resources.
To learn more, visit www.livinglakescanada.ca.