By Harry Rhode, Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Administration
GGroundwater is a hidden and often forgotten resource. However, in many rural areas groundwater is the main water source shared by a community. In these communities, there is a mutual concern for the protection of aquifers to ensure long-term, high quality supplies for all involved.Aquifers must be protected from overuse and from potential sources of contamination. An aquifer management plan can help achieve this by developing an understanding of how an aquifer works and answer questions such as: How much water is available? Are there any practices that could possibly pollute the aquifer? Is the aquifer being overpumped? What can be done to protect this resource? Ideally, you'll be able to start a management plan before any problems have occurred.
Upon deciding that an aquifer management plan is a good idea, the next logical question is often "How much is this going to cost?" An aquifer management plan need not be expensive or complex. It should be created with a common sense approach driven by local needs. Everyone who uses and depends on a groundwater supply source should take part in developing the plan and putting it into motion. This would include people who may not be directly affected, but still have a stake in ensuring that the groundwater supply is properly managed.
Development of such a plan includes a number of information- gathering steps: 1) Find out where the supply originates and what problems might be associated with it. 2) Collect information that will help you understand the extent of the aquifer. 3) Find out what controls the quality of the supply and locate potential sources of contamination. 4) Set up a procedure to periodically measure and record water levels and water quality. 5) Identify present water supply sources and estimate future water requirements from the aquifer. 6) Determine the areas most sensitive and vulnerable to continued use of the aquifer. 7) And most importantly, communicate this information to the public.
Many of these steps require nothing more than local public input with some technical guidance from provincial resource management and extension people to help get started..
