NWT RESEARCH DATABASE

Regions: Dehcho Region, South Slave Region

Tags: groundwater, Quaternary geology, aquifer mapping

Objective(s): To contribute towards gathering information, data, and knowledge in support of delineating and classifying transboundary groundwater resources for the region.

Project Description: This licence has been issued for the scientific research application No. 5815. There is limited knowledge of groundwater resources in the Alberta-Northwest Territories transboundary basins. Hydrogeological information to delineate transboundary groundwater is scarce and aquifers in this area have not been fully defined and mapped. The primary and long-term goal of the research project is to contribute towards gathering information, data, and knowledge in support of delineating and classifying transboundary groundwater resources for the region. Previous research from the Alberta Geological Survey, identified the state of subsurface knowledge to support aquifer mapping across the Alberta-Northwest Territories border. This research project was based on recommendations from that report and will focus on conducting a geological and hydrogeological evaluation of the Hay River and the Kakisa/Cameron Hills regions for both Alberta and NWT, along with infilling data gaps for the Peace/Slave and Buffalo River basins for future aquifer mapping and classification. This study will impart geoscience methods commonly used in geological and hydrogeological evaluations. To assess potential groundwater and surface water interaction, the researchers will collect new environmental isotope data from rivers and groundwater wells to estimate relative groundwater age and circulation pathways in surficial materials and near-surface bedrock aquifers. The development of geological and hydrogeological conceptual models will illustrate the general geometry and potential extent of aquifers within surficial materials and bedrock formations. Estimating and mapping groundwater quality and flow, using groundwater levels, springs data, and satellite imagery, will allow for inferring potential recharge and discharge locations that enhance knowledge of the regional groundwater flow system. Conceptual model development also allows for identifying the best potential areas for new data acquisition to achieve improved delineation of transboundary aquifers. The research team is responsible to provide members of the Bilateral Water Management Committee (BMC), along with technical teams in Alberta and Northwest Territories, project updates on a quarterly basis. Members of BMC include senior and executive level government representatives. In addition, the BMC has a member from the Northwest Territories Métis Nation that represents the NWT Water Strategy Indigenous Steering Committee. The BMC will provide our research team the main mode of formal communication to NWT stakeholders and community organizations. Our research team is also intending on contributing and participating in the Indigenous Community Based Monitoring Program in both Alberta and NWT to support information sharing and knowledge translation. Annual attendance at the NWT Water Stewardship Implementation Workshop provides an excellent event to engage with local communities and water stakeholders. The fieldwork for this study will be conducted from: January 02 - December 24, 2024