Vision, mission and objectives

The Provincial Groundwater Observation Well Network program provides monitoring of the water table and groundwater chemistry of aquifers and basins to support the management, protection and sustainable use of our groundwater resources and associated ecosystems.

Vision

The vision of the network is to collect, interpret and report high quality, reliable groundwater level and baseline chemistry data in a timely fashion.

Mission

The network monitors water conditions of key aquifers across the province to support the effective management, protection and sustainable use of our groundwater resources and associated ecosystems.

Monitoring objectives

1. Understand local and regional hydrogeological processes, such as:

• groundwater and surface water interactions including environmental flow needs and hydraulic connectivity;
• recharge and discharge mechanisms, rates and timing in lowland and upland areas, short and long-term impacts of climate change and using groundwater levels as an indicator when assessing drought and flood conditions; and
• fundamental aquifer and basin characteristics including water table and potentiometric levels, hydraulic properties and baseline groundwater chemistry.

2. Supporting the sustainable use of groundwater and minimizing conflicts between multiple groundwater users or between groundwater and surface water users by providing data to assess:

• water authorization decisions including the impact of groundwater withdrawals in specific areas to determine if further groundwater withdrawal is sustainable;
• short and long-term local and regional effects of human activity on groundwater and surface water levels; and
• the development of water budgets.