New Groundwater Information Online
Water-industry professionals, environmental protection groups, researchers, and all Nova Scotians now have easy access to more information about Nova Scotia's groundwater resources.
A new interactive digital map offers improved access to information about groundwater regions and the boundaries of watersheds in the province. Groundwater is water found underground. Other online enhancements on the government website offer more information about water wells, recent and historical groundwater levels, and related data.
"We are providing industry easier access to groundwater information so they can better plan projects to meet Nova Scotia's environmental regulations," said Mark Parent, Minister of Environment. "These online resources will also benefit environmental and scientific research and anyone interested in finding more information about Nova Scotia's groundwater resources."
The interactive groundwater mapping webpage was developed by the Department of Environment in collaboration with the Department of Natural Resources and is located at http://gis4.natr.gov.ns.ca/website/nsgroundwater .
Another online digital map shows the province's six major groundwater regions. The map is a general guide to the hydrogeological properties associated with each of the groundwater regions, such as the level and flow rate of groundwater. This map may be viewed at www.gov.ns.ca/nse/water/groundwater/docs/GroundwaterRegionsNS_detailed.pdf .
The Nova Scotia Well Logs database is also new online. It contains information about nearly 107,000 drinking-water wells constructed in Nova Scotia between 1940 and January 2008. It includes information about where the wells are located, the type of geology near the wells, and the type of well construction, including its depth and how much groundwater it yields. It is accessible at www.gov.ns.ca/nse/water/welldatabase.asp .
The webpage for the Nova Scotia Groundwater Observation Well Network has been updated. This monitoring network has been used to check groundwater levels in the province's aquifers since 1965. Water levels in 24 observation wells are automatically measured every hour and the wells are periodically sampled to test groundwater chemistry.
The information from the observation wells can be useful for evaluating seasonal changes in the water table in a given area and monitoring long-term trends associated with climate change. The Nova Scotia Observation Well Network webpage may be viewed at www.gov.ns.ca/nse/water/groundwater/groundwaternetwork.asp .
The province's website also holds a recently added collection of 29 annual reports on Nova Scotia's groundwater. The webpage has been redesigned to allow searches for reports using an interactive map located at www.gov.ns.ca/nse/water/groundwater/groundwaterresources.asp .
Improved availability of groundwater information online should help meet some commitments of the Environmental Goals and Sustainable Prosperity Act. The act calls for the development of a strategy to better manage the province's water resources. That work will be completed by 2010.