CGRG Bibliography of Canadian Geomorphology
Search Results
Author : Grasby, S.E.; and Chen, Z.
Date : 2002.
Title : Groundwater issues in the South Saskatchewan basin.
Publication : Climate Change and Water Resources in the South Saskatchewan River Basin. Proceedings of the Workshop. Edited by: S.N. Kulshreshtha; R. Herrington; and D. Sauchyn. Department of Agricultural Economics, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, April 2002.
Issue :
Page(s) : 99-100.
Abstract
Agriculture is by far the largest water user in the South Saskatchewan River Basin. Taking the most heavily populated Bow River Basin as an example, municipal water use accounts for 11% of withdrawals from surface water, whereas irrigation accounts for 85.4%. In addition, municipal users return 94% of the water to the river systems, whereas irrigation users return only 19%. These statistics clearly demonstrate that water resources issues in the South Saskatchewan are largely issues of water supply for the agricultural industry. The surface water allocation in the South Saskatchewan River Basin has now reached near capacity for normal flow years. The recent drought has seen license holders withdrawing much less than typical amounts. In response to the dry conditions and lack of irrigation water the Province of Alberta declared a ‚drought disaster™ in the spring of 2001. As part of the mitigative measures proposed, the Province offered incentives to farmers and ranchers to drill groundwater wells to supplement surface water supplies. It is commonly thought that groundwater forms an alternative and untapped water supply. However, in recent years there has been increased awareness of groundwater/surface water interaction. For example, work by Grasby et al. (2000) demonstrates that the Bow River is dominantly fed by groundwater. This implies that increased groundwater production in the basin may simply intercept water prior to entering the river system (i.e., it might be best to consider groundwater as part of the total surface water supply). A telling feature is the winter flow stoppages of the Upper Banff Hot Springs over the last four years, and the flow stoppage of the Kidney Hot Spring in February 2002. This indicates that the deepest groundwater flow systems show near immediate responses to drought. However at this stage little is known about how the shallow groundwater system that feeds the river is responding. In summary, in order to meet the Provincial targets of developing groundwater as an alternative water supply for much of the South Saskatchewan Basin, 3 critical factors need to be addressed: 1. What is the quality, quantity, and distribution of major aquifers in the Basin? 2. How do these aquifers respond to changing climate patterns historically, and how are they likely to respond to climate change predictions? 3. What are the hydrodynamics of the aquifers and how are they related to surface water discharge?
Bibliography of Canadian Geomorphology