by John Lebedin, PFRA - Regina, Saskatchewan
To the envy of much of the world, Canada is regarded as a country rich in natural resources. One of the most valuable are the vast supplies of freshwater from our lakes and rivers and the large supplies of water located beneath the earth's surface. This "hidden" resource, called groundwater, is an essential water supply for more than six million Canadians - four million living in rural areas.In particular, the rural population of the prairies relies heavily on groundwater for domestic water supply use. Heightened environmental awareness in recent years by the public and all levels of government, has initiated vigorous attempts to protect and enhance this vital resource.
Federal and provincial government agencies provide financial and technical assistance for locating and developing on-farm groundwater supplies. These agencies work in cooperation with provincial water well associations to develop and implement high quality work standards and construction methods.
The professional expertise of these associations has provided water well and test hole data on groundwater supplies in each prairie province.
Groundwater is at risk to contamination from a variety of sources as shown in the illustration. Increased efforts to develop dependable groundwater supplies need to be supplemented by measures to ensure this risk is minimized.
By heeding the following practices, producers can protect their groundwater supplies from contamination:
