About Potential Impact of Drought to Private Wells

Online Interactive Map for Viewing the Potential Impact of Drought to Private Wells

This application was developed to show areas of Nova Scotia where private well owners are more likely to experience water shortages (especially owners of shallow wells).

The following criteria was used to develop the map:

  1. Severity of existing drought conditions (based on Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Drought Monitor polygons, data last updated August 31, 2017, http://open.canada.ca/data/en/dataset/292646cd-619f-4200-afb1-8b2c52f984a2
  2. Recent and forecasted precipitation patterns (based on Environment Canada’s predicted precipitation anomaly, past 9 and next 9 days, last update September 13, 2017
  3. Proportion of sensitive wells (based on the percentage of dug wells and shallow drilled wells compared to the number of total wells in a given area, source: 2015 NS Well Logs Database)
  4. Concentration of groundwater use (estimated density of private well users, source: Nova Scotia Civic Addressing File and compiled municipal water servicing zones)

A more detailed description of the methodology used to develop the map can be found here.

Staff Contact – Gavin Kennedy