NWT RESEARCH DATABASE

Regions: North Slave Region

Tags: climate change, groundwater, drinking water quality, water wells

Objective(s): A groundwater observation well network will be established to help identify changes to groundwater quantity and quality in order to assess the vulnerability of the Whatì community’s drinking water supply well to the impacts of climate change (e.g., permafrost thaw, precipitation changes, contaminant mobilization).

Project Description: This licence has been issued for the scientific research application No. 5888. The goal of this project is to assess the vulnerability of the Whatì community’s drinking water supply well to the impacts of climate change (e.g., permafrost thaw, precipitation changes, contaminant mobilization). A groundwater observation well network will be established to help identify changes to groundwater quantity and quality and associated risks driven by climate change to ensure the safety of the drinking water supply and good health of Whatì residents. The drilling of 10 boreholes for groundwater wells (7) and permafrost monitoring (3) will be completed by Great Slave Drilling company in June 2024. A land use permit application was submitted early February 2024 for drilling activities. Based on community input, monitoring locations will be presented to council for approval. Groundwater wells will be hydraulically tested (pumping and slug tests) and instrumented with sensors that continuously record groundwater level to assess how deeper groundwater responds to precipitation and snowmelt. A series of temperature sensors will be installed in a vertical profile to characterize permafrost conditions. Boreholes will be surveyed by DGPS to acquire accurate position and elevation. Wells will be sampled for a suite of chemical parameters including metals, major ions, and nutrients. Groundwater and nearby surface water will also be sampled and analyzed for artificial sweeteners and water isotopes that will be used to trace groundwater movement and contaminant sources. Water samples collected will be sent to Taiga Laboratories (metals and ions), Environment and Climate Change Canada (artificial sweeteners), and Queen's labs (water isotopes) to be analyzed. One or more community members will be trained in sampling groundwater wells for the above chemical parameters. The groundwater wells and nearby surface water will be sampled throughout the project from 2024-2027. All data loggers will be downloaded annually and reset, and maintenance of the sensors will be performed (expected to be very minimal). Permafrost table transects established through the CIMP226 project will be measured using an iron rod to detect the depth to permafrost. A workshop will be hosted at the start of the project that will welcome all community members and Elders to learn about the project and groundwater. The workshop aims to gain community perspectives and traditional knowledge on key locations to drill wells and permafrost boreholes within the community. Traditional knowledge will help identify areas that have undergone long-term changes (i.e., wetting, drying, water quality) and areas of traditional use that should not be disturbed. Understanding the traditional uses of groundwater is also critical to the project to ensure water resources from both the well and the region are identified and protected. Input and final approval will also be sought from Chief and Council. Annual meetings will be hosted to provide project updates, respond to concerns, and engage with more community members. Environmental and wildlife monitors will be hired from the community to oversee drilling and sampling activities, and local community members will be trained and paid to collect monthly samples from the well network. See attached for a detailed Communication and Engagement plan. The fieldwork for this study will be conducted from: June 02 - December 31, 2024