Groundwater Study

Groundwater is one integral resource in the watershed that the MRWCC would like to understand better. Limited groundwater information is currently available, and the monitoring that has been done was done a number of years ago and generally concentrated in the Milk River Aquifer region (see maps below).

The objective of this study was to monitor groundwater quality throughout the Milk River watershed, from Cardston County through Cypress County. This will help identify trends and attributes of groundwater quality within various regions in the watershed. These samples will also serve as benchmarks to compare groundwater quality through time.

Forty wells were sampled representing deep and shallow wells used for human or livestock consumption. The samples were collected between mid-February and mid-March 2007. Emphasis was placed on retrieving representative samples from across the watershed and included samples from the Milk River Aquifer and the Whisky Valley Aquifer.

Acknowledgements

Funding for this project was generously provided by Alberta Agriculture and Food – Irrigation Branch. The Milk River Watershed Council Canada would like to also thank the Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Administration (PFRA), Lifewater Drilling, County of Forty Mile, County of Warner, Cardston County and Cypress County for their effort in making this project a success!

Thank you to the Milk River watershed landowners who provided access to the groundwater wells.

Related Documents

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Background Availability of safe, secure drink-ing water supplies is a part of the quality of …
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It is important to maintain unused wells during prolonged periods of non-use. Settling of fine clay particles on infiltration galleries may cement wells in if they are not being regularly pumped.

Related Maps

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Vulnerability of aquifers in the Milk River Watershed to contaminants mapped from low to high.

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Wells (plugged, inactive, and active) and aquifers in the Milk River Watershed.

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Bedrock regions with locations of springs and wells.