WET Hydrology & Hydrogeology

In 2023, one-third of the World's population depended on groundwater for survival—that's 2,681,770,482 souls. 

Groundwater provides drinking water to about one-third of all Canadians (13,509,465), and 80 percent of Canada's rural population depends on it.

Aquifers (near surface groundwater stores) are threatened and vulnerable to over-pumping, climate change, and contamination. Remediating damaged aquifers is complex, costly, challenging, and often impossible. 

Groundwater is plentiful in Canada. However, our awareness of the importance of properly managing this natural resource has been limited. 

Over-pumping groundwater has had negative effects on water users and ecosystems that depend on it. This includes impacts on our lakes, rivers, streams, and wetlands, which are fed by groundwater, especially during dry periods (drought). 

Groundwater is also an essential resource for temperature-sensitive ecosystems, such as fish spawning and nurturing habits, such as fish hatcheries, which require plentiful, cool water supplied at a consistent temperature. 

Aquifer contamination also poses a significant risk to groundwater reserves. When precipitation carries contaminants into underground aquifers, the water can become unfit for human use. Examples of such situations include Walkerton, Ontario, and Hullcar, BC. 

Understanding how groundwater moves through the ground is essential to managing its availability and identifying how contaminants pollute aquifers. In many cases, aquifer contamination is the result of poor land management practices, faulty infrastructure, or incorrect operating procedures and practices. 

Statistics Canada. (2010). Survey of drinking water plants and households and the Environment Survey, special tabulation. https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/16-201-x/2010000/m016-eng.htm