Margaret Scott, M.A.Sc., E.I.T. Jos Beckers, Ph. D., P. Geoph. Zidra Hammond, B.A.Sc., E.I.T.

An Innovative, Automated Mapping and Assessment Process for Aquifer Mapping in British Columbia

Watertech 2013, 11 April, 2013

Overview

Context Aquifer Mapping Methodology Regions Mapped Future Considerations Conclusions

Through Living Water Smart the Province has committed to: • Preparing the Water

Sustainability Act; • Develop groundwater

protection regulation; and • Regulate groundwater use

across the province.

Need to better understand their groundwater resources.

Context

BC’s Area Based Management Approach Provincial Pressures º Climate Change º Population Growth º Historical Monitoring

Data

Local Factors • Competing Demands • Cumulative Effects • Increasing

Groundwater Demand

Good water supply & quality Water supply & quality issues can be mitigated Significant water supply issues & risks to quality

Figure 3 from Policy Proposal on British Columbia’s new Water Sustainability Act, Dec. 2010

STEP 8: Ministry review

and quality control

Aquifer Mapping Methodology

STEP 7: Internal review

and quality review

STEP 6: Identify well

record discrepancies

STEP 3: Identify &

delineate new aquifer(s)

and/or modify existing aquifer

boundaries

STEP 4: Classify

aquifer(s)

STEP 5: Prioritize

aquifers for observation well

network

STEP 2:

Develop automated database

mapping tools

STEP 1: Prioritize regions

to be mapped

Project initiation & data acquisition

wells & lithology data & statistics

well use data & statistics

flagged potential errors

Step 1: Prioritize Mapping Regions

Clean up lithology descriptions • Uses look-up tables to correct abbreviations and spelling

mistakes in raw lithology descriptions (over 2,600 spelling errors) • Rules were developed to best interpret logs (i.e. how to handle

commas, ‘with’, or ‘and’) • Simplifies lithology based on 18 components

− “Silty,fiberous,mud-like clay,sulphurous” clay − “Silt,sand & roots” silt and sand

Step 2: Develop Automated Database Tools

Spelling Errors and Abbreviations Components

Characterize aquifer and aquitard layers • Orders well log sequence from bottom to top and lumps

permeable and non-permeable units. • Rules established to determine influence of medium permeability

units (sand & fines or dirty sand & gravel) based on thickness and permeability of overlying & underlying units.

Step 2: Develop Automated Database Tools

Clay: non-perm

Clay: non-perm

Sand & fines: medium perm > 1m

Aquitard

Aquifer

Aquitard Gravel: permeable

Sand: permeable

Sand & fines: medium perm > 3m

Aquifer

Aquitard

Aquifer

Step 3: GIS Visualization

Source: iMapBC

Step 3: GIS Visualization

Source: iMapBC

Step 3: GIS Visualization

Aquifer Materials

Source: iMapBC

Step 3: GIS Visualization

Aquifer Materials

Aquitard Thickness

Source: iMapBC

Step 3: GIS Visualization

Aquifer

Aquitard

Screened Aquifer

Stacked

Source: iMapBC

Define wells within mapped aquifers

Step 4: Classify Aquifers

Step 4: Rank Aquifer Vulnerability

(Berardunicci & Ronneseth, 2002)

Prioritize aquifers to be included in the BC Observation Well Network based on method developed by Kohut (2009) for unconsolidated and bedrock aquifers

Step 5: Prioritize Aquifers for Observation Well Network

Observation Wells

Inactive Observation Wells

Regions Mapped

• 46 BCGS map sheets mapped

• 112 modified aquifers

• 53 new bedrock aquifers

• 43 new unconsolidated aquifers

Create direct link tool to update BC MOE Wells database with aquifer information (reduce manual entry of information and reduce typing errors)

Correct spelling, abbreviations, and grammar in ‘Raw Lithology Descriptions’ in entire BC MOE Wells database

Clean database (standardize tables, define common queries, forms, and/or reports)

Standardize aquifer worksheets & spreadsheets

Refine automated database tools

Prepare guidance materials

Future Considerations

This project is a key step forward to meeting some of the commitments in the Living Water Smart plan.

Database and GIS tools are adaptable to project objectives.

These types of tools can assist groundwater professionals with organizing, analyzing, and visualizing large amounts of data quickly and consistently.

Conclusions

Contact Details

Margaret Scott Margaret.E.Scott@worleyparsons.com

(778) 945-5518