Canadian groundwater inventory: regional hydrogeological characterization of the Annapolis Valley aquifers

Abstract

The Annapolis-Cornwallis Valley Aquifer Study was a regional hydrogeological study focusing on major aquifer units of the most important agricultural area of Nova Scotia. The study area covered 2100 km2, and included sedimentary rocks of the Wolfville and Blomidon formations, as well as part of the North and South mountains bordering the valley. The surficial sediment cover is mainly composed of glacial tills, but sand and gravel units are also present in the eastern part of the valley. The main objectives of this project were to improve the general understanding of groundwater flow dynamics and to provide baseline information and tools for a regional groundwater resource assessment. The main bedrock aquifers of the Valley are located in the Wolfville and Blomidon formations, which are composed of lenticular bodies of sandstone, conglomerate, shale and siltstone in variable proportions. The aquifers are often confined and the flow is topographically-driven. Their hydraulic conductivities are in the range of 10-6-10-5 m/s. Good aquifers, though limited in extent, can also be found in the sand and gravel units, with hydraulic conductivities on the order of 10-4 m/s. Groundwater recharge was estimated to range between 115 and 224 mm/a over the entire study area. The vulnerability study showed that bedrock aquifers are typically less vulnerable than surficial aquifers, with the Wolfville Formation being the most vulnerable bedrock formation. Groundwater of the Valley is generally of good quality, although nitrate levels are of concern in several areas.

A watershed-scale study of climate change impacts on groundwater recharge (Annapolis Valley, Nova Scotia, Canada)

“…Although confined conditions are common in the Valley, due to an overlying finegrained sediment cover or to a fine-grained rock layer above the aquifer unit, groundwater flow seems to mainly follow topography, based on piezometric data (Rivard et al 2012).…”

“…More than 90% of the Valley residents rely on groundwater for domestic purposes, either from municipal wells or from private residential wells. On a regional scale, groundwater withdrawals do not present particular problems (Rivard et al 2012).…”

“…Average root depth for the dominant vegetation (plant, tree, or crop) over each cell, determined using a land-use map, and vegetation growth period, determined based on the professional judgment of an Environment Canada agronomist, were also provided. K and some total porosity values were obtained from fieldwork and analyses performed during a regional characterization study (Rivard et al 2012). The remaining parameters were assigned to geological formations or sediment classes (presented in Table 1) according to the literature (Todd 1980 and university Web sites http://www.…”

Inductive Transfer Applied to Modeling River Discharge in Nova Scotia

“…1). The valley floor is primarily drained by the Annapolis River, which flows southwest to the Annapolis Basin, and the Cornwallis River, which flows northeast to the Minas Basin (Rivard et al 2004(Rivard et al , 2007. The population in the Annapolis Valley is rural, with towns and villages located primarily along the rivers.…”

Methods of Making of Geoinformational and Analytical System of Groundwater Resources in Kazakhstan

“…[ The Groundwater Information Network has been established, including links to publications, in order to enhance the management level for Canada's groundwater by providing enhanced access to hydrogeological data [34]. The descriptions of the main aquifers of Canada are presented in [35,36].…”