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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
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
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
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
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