in Manitoba - Water Caucus

Groundwater
in Manitoba
A Publication of the Manitoba Eco-Network
M
Major U s ers of G roundwater in Manitoba
anitobans often see their landscape as defined by surface water: our great
prairie lakes, the waterbodies that dot the Canadian Shield, and the network of rivers
that cut across the province’s geography and history. But between soil and bedrock
lies an important and often neglected resource: groundwater. Groundwater is the
source of drinking water for most Manitobans outside the Winnipeg Urban Area,
and is a key part of the hydrological system, interacting with lakes, rivers, wetlands,
soil, and vegetation. Unfortunately, this resource is not well understood, gets less
legal protection than surface water, and often draws attention only at moments of
crisis. Because it can take hundreds or thousands of years to replenish, we need careful
stewardship of groundwater now, before it runs dry.
What is Groundwater?
Groundwater is the store of water contained in cracks, pores and loose or permeable
material in the earth. Significant pockets of groundwater are called aquifers. The
characteristics of aquifers depend both on the underlying geology as well as the
type and thickness of overlaying soil (overburden). In the southwestern part of the
province, overburden of glacial till can range from 20 metres deep to 250 metres near
Duck Mountain, while across the Canadian Shield exposed bedrock is common.
Groundwater Facts in Manitoba (1996)
•Manitobans
•Of
reliant on groundwater: 342, 601
the over 300 publicly owned municipal water
systems in Manitoba, 53.5% use groundwater
•The
2009
province issues licenses for over 80 billion
litres of groundwater each year.
Major Uses of Groundwater in Manitoba
Agriculture: 44%
Industry: 22 %
Municipal: 17%
Other: 14%
The interaction of overburden and bedrock, along with varying precipitation across
the province creates a patchwork of regional and local aquifers. If aquifers are managed
sustainably, they will be recharged
by rain, or glacial/snow melt. The precautionary approach:
Where there is thin or permeable where
there are threats
overburden, precipitation may enter of serious or irreversible
the aquifer more quickly, decreasing
damage, lack of full scientific
the time of the recharge cycle, while
increasing the risk of contamination certainty shall not be used as
a reason for postponing costfrom surface pollutants.
effective measures to prevent
Depending on their definitions, some
scientists estimate that groundwater environmental degradation.
makes up as much or more water
- United Nations, Rio Declaration
than is contained in all of Canada’s
lakes and rivers combined. Because it on Environment and Development,
is hidden below ground, the science 1992.
of groundwater in Canada has been
slow to develop. Given the limited knowledge currently available to scientists, citizens,
and policy-makers, a precautionary approach is an essential tool for safe management of
this invaluable and complex resource.
1 • 2009 • Groundwater in Manitoba
Threats to Groundwater
Taking Too Much
The amount of water that can be removed on a long-term basis
without reducing the aquifer’s ability to provide water to future
generations and without harming ecosystems that depend on
groundwater discharge is called sustainable yield. The presumed
sustainable yields of aquifers change over time as scientists gain more
information. At the time of the first Manitoba State of Environment
Report in 1991, Manitoba Conservation estimated the total
sustainable yield of groundwater in the province at 1.8 trillion litres.
Today, scientists and government officials are uncertain if this figure
is realistic. In any case, groundwater is unevenly distributed across
the province, and at a local level can face depletion by multiple users.
Manitoba Water Licensing has reported that some sub-basins of the
Assiniboine Delta Aquifer east of Brandon are reaching the limit of
what the Department currently thinks can be sustainably extracted.
As a result, dozens of groundwater use licensing applications in this
region are on hold.
Extracting too much groundwater can be economically and
environmentally damaging. Aquifers may be drained of the water
we need for drinking, farm land may lose productivity, wetlands may
dry up and lose their ability to provide important ecological
services such as carbon sequestration and nutrient filtration,
and groundwater-fed streams may disappear. In some regions,
taking too much can upset the balance of water tables, sending
flow in a direction opposite its natural course. For example,
groundwater in Wisconsin and Michigan, which used to flow
into the Great Lakes, now heads south towards the Gulf of
Mexico, with unknown consequences.
Worse still, drained aquifers risk subsidence, where the
previously porous earth collapses, making the aquifer unable to
store water in the future. In California, land levels have dropped
across the whole San Joaquin Valley, in some places by as much
as 8.5 metres because of groundwater loss. And if current
trends of irrigation-intensive agriculture across the US High
Plains region continue, the massive Ogallala aquifer could be
completely drained of water within 25 years. Canadians must
recognize that our groundwater supplies are also limited, and
that excessive use could see us facing a similar future.
Groundwater Contamination
Groundwater can be threatened by industrial, agricultural or
domestic pollution. Contamination can come from: landfills,
manure storage and spreading, fertilizer and pesticide storage and
use, road salt storage and spreading, leaking septic systems, pipelines,
sewers and drains, and spills and leaks from petroleum storage,
processing or transportation facilities. Also, over-extraction of
groundwater may result in saline contamination, as older and
deeper salt waters intrude on freshwater supplies.
Agriculture
health problems. Infants are especially vulnerable to nitrate
poisoning, and at sustained high levels, nitrate exposure has
been linked to cancer. In 2008, the Manitoba Government
implemented a moratorium on new hog farm development in
some areas of the province to address some of these and other
environmental concerns.
Irrigation in Manitoba
50
Water used
(billion litres/year)
Many groundwater problems are associated with the agricultural
industry, especially cattle and hog farming. Artificial fertilizers and
manure stored and
Concerns over the amounts spread on fields,
and
chemical
of water used by livestock
pesticides
and
operations are matched by herbicides are all
the impacts that outputs
potential threats.
It is recommended
from livestock operations
that
where
can have on surface and
overburden is less
groundwater. Most of these than 6 meters in
impacts can come from the depth, farmers
should limit their
nutrients, pathogens, and
heavy metals in the manure. use of fertilizers
and
chemicals.
A recent peer- Manitoba Clean
reviewed study in
Environment Commission.
Illinois warned
that widespread
use of antibiotics on hog farms could allow resistance to develop in
bacteria species found in groundwater, with potentially dire impacts
on public health. As well, the high levels of nitrogen in hog manure
can cause elevated levels of nitrates in groundwater, which when
consumed in drinking water have been associated with numerous
40
30
20
10
0
Potatoes
Cereals
Other
Other Concerns
The petroleum industry in Manitoba has been responsible for many incidents of
groundwater contamination. Underground storage tanks can leak toxins into the
environment, particularly in the case of older storage facilities. Unfortunately, despite new
regulations governing the storage and handling of petroleum products, contamination
problems continue to occur as a result of spills and leaks. Drilling for oil poses risks as
well. In one case in southeastern Manitoba, 10 km2 of groundwater were contaminated
by saltwater intrusion from an improperly sealed oil exploration well. As oil exploration
in the province increases, stronger regulations are needed to protect groundwater.
2 • 2009 • Groundwater in Manitoba
Urban threats to groundwater are equally urgent. Winnipeg produces millions of
litres of human waste every year which must be properly treated and disposed of.
Currently, sewage sludge containing countless domestic, pharmaceutical and industrial
contaminants is spread as fertilizer on nearby farmland. Eating food grown on this land
has unknown health effects, and this disposal method may increase the likelihood of
groundwater contamination.
Aboriginal Communities & Drinking Water
Aboriginal communities are widely recognized as having
the least adequate access to clean drinking water in Canada,
whether their source is from ground or surface water. More
than one hundred First Nations communities across Canada
remain under drinking water advisories. The 2006 Report of
the Expert Panel on Safe Drinking Water for First Nations
recommends a multiple barrier approach to protect drinking
water from contamination. Safe drinking water requires what is
called “source to tap protection”, extending from protected source
water to effective treatment and secure distribution. The report
recommends that water quality in many Aboriginal communities
may be improved by providing greater access to training in both
water management and governance, while respecting traditional
decision making processes and cultural norms.
What Can We Do?
Groundwater can be
better
understood
when mapped in a
‘nested’ approach,
tracing
the
connections that link
individual wells to
local and regional
scale aquifers and
water systems. Public
education programs
to encourage water
conservation
and
reuse are important.
At the provincial
level, an integrated
water plan could
set a framework for
future development
considerations.
R e s o u r c e s
currently directed
to
expanding
groundwater
e x t r a c t i o n
infrastructure could
instead be spent
on
conservation
m e a s u r e s .
Agricultural
groundwater users
could benefit from
innovative demand
management
techniques
and
technologies such
as scientific water
scheduling, use of
Choosing ecologically appropriate plants for your yard can
satellite geographic
reduce your water bill without hindering the enjoyment you
information systems
obtain from the landscape.
(GIS), and tailwater
return systems that
‘Soft Path’ is an approach
pump excess water from the lower portions of fields to higher ground,
to sustainable water
thereby reducing run-off. At present, investment in water conservation
planning that focuses on technologies is limited by cheap and easy access to water.
reducing the demand for
water, and decentralizing
Farmers have a long-term interest in the stewardship
supply. Soft path
of land and water resources. It benefits everyone
recognizes the ecological
to financially compensate farmers for restoring and
limits of aquifers to meet
preserving natural areas, recognizing the farmer as
our high demand. Many of
an ecological producer, and helping meet the costs
our daily consumer needs,
of best management practices. In a pilot program
like food, hygiene, and
completed last year in the RM of Blanshard, 74 per
landscape maintenance,
cent of eligible farmers took up conservation practices
could be met using much
in return for compensation. Ecologically fragile and
less water than we tend
economically marginal land was either taken out
to use today. Shifting to
of production altogether or maintained with some
different crops, drought
level of grazing or haying. In one year, 162 farmers
resistant indigenous
received over $300 000, while responsibly maintaining
species ‘lawns’, and
land and water quality.
water efficient appliances
allows us to use less water
without affecting the
overall lifestyle we enjoy. Shifting to a ‘full cost accounting’ approach to water pricing, which considers
not only the costs of infrastructure, maintenance and monitoring, but also
the value of environmental goods and services such as habitat conservation
Sustainable groundwater policy for Manitoba should include: demand and carbon sequestration, will provide a greater incentive to water users,
management, public participation, the creation of an accurate inventory of especially larger industrial users, to limit their consumption or develop
groundwater resources, conservation-oriented fees in the for-profit sector, alternative technologies.
and effective regulation and monitoring. Public input into groundwater
management plans is essential, making sure that diverse perspectives and Integrated watershed management is a prerequisite for sustainable
values are represented. Community participation also has the advantage development. We must seek out industries, urban plans and household designs
of addressing the interests of local users over transnational markets, which that fit the ecological niche nature has provided us. Transferring water from
tend to threaten sustainability. Given the uncertainty about groundwater one basin to another may allow a region to outgrow its water supplies in the
resources in this country, combined with the insatiable thirst of industrial short term, but history is littered with the record of civilizations that ignored
the limits of their water supplies. As Manitoba adapts to global climate
and agricultural users South of the border, the Council of Canadians suggests change and other threats to regional water security, a range of strategies
that a moratorium on bulk water exports must be established, and water will be needed to direct us to a future where all Manitobans share access to
should be strongly and explicitly exempt from the The North American Free clean, reliable and adequate supplies of water.
Trade Agreement.
3 • 2009 • Groundwater in Manitoba
All people have a right to clean water,
as envisioned in the proposed Article 31
to the UN Declaration of Human Rights.
31: Everyone has the right to clean and
U n f o r t u n a t e l y , d r i n k i n g Article
accessible water, adequate for the health and
well-being of the individual and family, and no
source groundwater is
one shall be deprived of such access or quality of
water due to individual economic circumstance.
t h r e a t e n e d b y p o l l u t i o n - P roposed amendment to the Universal
Declaration
of
Human
Rights
and over-exploitation.
(www.article31.org)
Resources
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This Publication is Funded By:
Walter & Duncan Gordon Foundation, Manitoba Water Stewardship
Contributors:
Josh Brandon, Sacha Kopelow, Anne Lindsey, Lise Smith;
Graphic Design by door62.com
4 • 2009 • Groundwater in Manitoba
The Polis Project on Ecological Governance
(The POLIS Project on Ecological Governance is a centre for
transdisciplinary research that investigates and promotes sustainability.)
Phone: (250) 721-6388
Email: [email protected]
The Gordon Water Group of Concerned Scientists and Citizens.
“Changing the Flow: A blueprint for federal action on freshwater”.
Toronto: The Gordon Water Group, (2007): www.gordonwatergroup.ca.
Prairie Water Watch. Prairie Water Directive: A collective call to action
for water security in the Prairie provinces, Edmonton: Prairie Water
Watch, (2008). www.prairiewaterwatch.ca.
Bakker, Karen, editor. Eau Canada: The future of Canada’s Water, UBC
Press: Vancouver, (2007).
Coté, François. Freshwater Management in Canada: IV. Groundwater,
Ottawa:
Parliamentary Information and Research Service, Library of Parliament,
(2006).
Toward a Vision and Strategy for Water Management in Canada.
Toronto: Pollution Probe, (2007): www.pollutionprobe.org
Nowlan, Linda. Buried treasure: Groundwater Permitting and Pricing in
Canada, Toronto: Walter and Duncan Gordon Foundation, (2005)
Brandes, Oliver M and David B. Brooks. The Soft Path for Water in
a Nutshell, Victoria, BC: Friends of Earth Canada and Polis Project:
(2007).