An Assessment of the Groundwater Resources of Northern Ontario
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Hydrogeology of Ontario Series (Report 2) AN ASSESSMENT OF THE GROUNDWATER RESOURCES OF NORTHERN ONTARIO AREAS DRAINING INTO HUDSON BAY, JAMES BAY AND UPPER OTTAWA RIVER BY S. N. SINGER AND C. K. CHENG ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND REPORTING BRANCH MINISTRY OF THE ENVIRONMENT TORONTO ONTARIO 2002 KK PREFACE This report provides a regional assessment of the groundwater resources of areas draining into Hudson Bay, James Bay, and the Upper Ottawa River in northern Ontario in terms of the geologic conditions under which the groundwater flow systems operate. A hydrologic budget approach was used to assess precipitation, streamflow, baseflow, and potential and actual evapotranspiration in seven major basins in the study area on a monthly, annual and long-term basis. The report is intended to provide basic information that can be used for the wise management of the groundwater resources in the study area. Toronto, July 2002. DISCLAIMER The Ontario Ministry of the Environment does not make any warranty, expressed or implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed in this report. Reference therein to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise does not necessarily constitute or imply endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the ministry. KKK TABLE OF CONTENTS Page 1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1 2. INTRODUCTION 7 2.1 LOCATION OF THE STUDY AREA 7 2.2 IMPORTANCE OF SCALE IN HYDROGEOLOGIC STUDIES 7 2.3 PURPOSE AND SCOPE OF THE STUDY 8 2.4 THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE GROUNDWATER RESOURCES 8 2.5 PREVIOUS INVESTIGATIONS 9 2.6 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 13 3. DATA AND METHODS USED IN THE STUDY 14 3.1 DATA USED IN THE STUDY 14 3.2 THE WATER WELL INFORMATION SYSTEM 15 3.3 METHODS USED IN THE STUDY 16 4. GEOGRAPHY 18 4.1 PHYSIOGRAPHY 18 4.1.1 The Hudson Bay Lowland Physiographic Region 4.1.2 The Canadian Shield Physiographic Region 18 4.2 DRAINAGE 20 4.2.1 The Severn River Basin 21 4.2.2 The Winisk River Basin 21 4.2.3 The Attawapiskat River Basin 22 4.2.4 The Albany River Basin 22 4.2.5 The Moose River Basin 23 4.2.6 The Upper Ottawa River Basin 24 4.3 CLIMATE 25 4.4 POPULATION AND ECONOMY 27 KX 5. GEOLOGY 28 5.1 BEDROCK GEOLOGY 28 5.2 PRECAMBRIAN ROCKS 28 5.3 PALEOZOIC AND MESOZOIC ROCKS 30 5.3.1 Lower Ordovician Strata 30 5.3.2 Middle to Upper Ordovician Strata 31 5.3.3 Late Ordovician Strata 32 5.3.4 Early Silurian Strata 33 5.3.5 Middle Silurian Strata 33 5.3.6 Late Silurian Strata 34 5.3.7 Early Devonian to Middle Devonian Strata 34 5.3.8 Middle Devonian to Early Mississippian Strata 35 5.3.9 Middle Jurassic to Late Cretaceous Strata 35 5.4 QUATERNARY GEOLOGY 36 5.4.1 Illinoian Record 37 5.4.2 Sangamonian Interglacial Record 37 5.4.3 Middle Wisconsinan Record 37 5.4.4 Late Wisconsinan and Holocene Record 38 5.4.5 Quaternary Deposits 40 5.4.5.1 Glacial Deposits 40 5.4.5.2 Glaciofluvial Deposits 41 5.4.5.3 Glaciolacustrine Deposits 42 5.4.5.4 Glaciomarine Deposits 43 5.4.6 Recent (Holocene) Deposits 43 6. HYDROGEOLOGY 44 6.1 GROUNDWATER 44 6.2 AQUIFERS 44 6.3 HYDRAULIC PARAMETERS 45 6.4 GROUNDWATER OCCURRENCE IN THE BEDROCK 47 6.4.1 The Canadian Shield Hydrogeologic Unit 48 6.4.2 The Paleozoic and Mesozoic Hydrogeologic Units 52 6.4.2.1 The Beekmantown Group Hydrogeologic Unit 55 6.4.2.2 The Ottawa Group Hydrogeologic Unit 56 6.4.2.3 The Liskeard Group Hydrogeologic Unit 57 X 6.4.2.4 The Wabi Group Hydrogeologic Unit 58 6.4.2.5 The Earlton-Thornloe Hydrogeologic Unit 59 6.5 GROUNDWATER OCCURRENCE IN THE OVERBURDEN 59 6.5.1 Overburden Aquifers 61 6.5.2 Groundwater Occurrence in Glaciofluvial Ice-Contact Drift Deposits 61 6.5.3 Groundwater Occurrence in Glaciofluvial Outwash Deposits 62 6.5.4 Groundwater Occurrence in Sand and Gravel Deposits of Glaciolacustrine Origin 62 6.5.5 Groundwater Occurrence in Sand and Gravel Deposits of Glaciomarine and Marine Origin 63 6.5.6 Groundwater Occurrence in the Till of Map Unit 18 63 6.5.7 Groundwater Occurrence in the Till of Map Unit 21 64 6.6 A COMPARISON BETWEEN THE WATER-YIELDING CAPABILITIES OF THE BEDROCK AND OVERBURDEN 65 7. WATER BUDGET CALCULATIONS 66 7.1 GENERAL REMARKS 66 7.2 TEMPERATURE 67 7.3 PRECIPITATION 68 7.4 SNOW 70 7.5 SNOWMELT 72 7.6 POTENTIAL EVAPOTRANSPIRATION 74 7.7 ACTUAL EVAPOTRANSPIRATION 75 7.8 SURFACE WATER 77 7.8.1 Variation of Annual and Monthly Flows 79 7.8.2 Flow Duration Analysis 81 7.8.3 Flow Separation and Groundwater Discharge 82 7.8.4 Soil Moisture and Groundwater Recharge 87 7.8.5 Long-term Annual Groundwater Recharge and Discharge 88 7.8.6 Results of the Water Budget Calculations 93 8. GROUNDWATER QUALITY 94 8. 1 GENERAL INFORMATION 94 8. 2 GROUNDWATER QUALITY IN THE BEDROCK 96 8. 3 GROUNDWATER QUALITY IN THE OVERBURDEN 98 XK 8.4 SUSCEPTIBILITY OF GROUNDWATER TO CONTAMINATION 99 8.4.1 Area 1 - Canadian Shield 100 8.4.2 Area 2 - Deposits of Sand and Gravel of Glaciofluvial, Glaciolacustrine and Glaciomarine Origin 100 8.4.3 Area 3 - Sand to Silty Sand Till Deposits 101 8.4.4 Area 4 - Silty Clay Till Deposits 101 8.4.5 Area 5 - Clay Deposits of Glaciolacustrine and Glaciomarine Origin 101 8.4.6 Area 6 - Paleozoic Rocks 101 8.5 POTENTIAL CONTAMINATION THREATS 102 9. 0 SUMMARY AND OBSERVATIONS 103 9.1 SUMMARY OF RESULTS 103 9. 2 GENERAL OBSERVATIONS 108 9.2.1 Climatic Data 108 9.2.2 Streamflow Data 108 9.2.3 Groundwater Quality Data 108 9.2.4 Water Use 109 9.2.5 Groundwater Monitoring Network 109 9. 2.6 Technical and Geologic Drilling 109 9.2.7 Municipal Water Supplies 109 REFERENCES TABLES FIGURES APPENDIX I STATIONS WITH LONG-TERM TEMPERATURE DATA LOCATED ABOVE LATITUDE 450 NORTH APPENDIX II LONG-TERM PRECIPITATION STATIONS IN NORTHERN ONTARIO APPENDIX III STREAMFLOW STATIONS IN NORTHERN ONTARIO XKK LIST OF TABLES Table 1. Climatological statistics recorded at various meteorological stations in the study area. Table 2. Mean monthly temperatures at selected meteorological stations in the study area. Table 3. Monthly and annual precipitation and snowmelt at the Big Trout Lake meteorological station in the Severn River drainage basin. Table 4. Monthly and annual precipitation and snowmelt at the Winisk meteorological station in the Winisk River drainage basin. Table 5. Monthly and annual precipitation and snowmelt at the Lansdowne House meteorological station in the Attawapiskat River drainage basin. Table 6. Monthly and annual precipitation and snowmelt at Fort Albany Meteorological station in the Albany River drainage basin. Table 7. Monthly and annual precipitation and snowmelt at the Moosonee meteorological station in the Moose River drainage basin. Table 8. Monthly and annual precipitation and snowmelt at the New Liskeard meteorological station in the Montreal River drainage basin. Table 9. Monthly and annual precipitation and snowmelt at the Lake Traverse meteorological station in the Petawawa River drainage basin. Table 10. Monthly and annual potential and actual evapotranspiration in the Severn River drainage basin. Table 11. Monthly and annual potential and actual evapotranspiration in the Winisk River drainage basin. Table 12. Monthly and annual potential and actual evapotranspiration in the Attawapiskat River drainage basin. Table 13. Monthly and annual potential and actual evapotranspiration in the Albany River drainage basin. XKKK Table 14. Monthly and annual potential and actual evapotranspiration in the Moose River drainage basin. Table 15. Monthly and annual potential and actual evapotranspiration in the Montreal River drainage basin. Table 16. Monthly and annual potential and actual evapotranspiration in the Petawawa River drainage basin. Table 17. Monthly and annual surface runoff in the Severn River drainage basin. Table 18. Monthly and annual surface runoff in the Winisk River drainage basin. Table 19. Monthly and annual surface runoff in the Attawapiskat River drainage basin. Table 20. Monthly and annual surface runoff in the Albany River drainage basin. Table 21. Monthly and annual surface runoff in the Moose River drainage basin. Table 22. Monthly and annual surface runoff in the Montreal River drainage basin. Table 23. Monthly and annual surface runoff in the Petawawa River drainage basin. Table 24. Estimates of monthly and annual groundwater contribution to surface runoff at gauging station 04CA003 in the Severn River drainage basin (1967-1992). Table 25. Estimates of monthly and annual groundwater contribution to surface runoff at gauging station 04DA001 in the Winisk River drainage basin (1966-1996). Table 26. Estimates of monthly and annual groundwater contribution to surface runoff at gauging station 04DB001 in the Winisk River drainage basin (1924-1993). Table 27. Estimates of monthly and annual groundwater contribution to surface runoff at gauging station 04FA002 in the Attawapiskat River drainage basin (1967-1993). KZ Table 28. Estimates of monthly and annual groundwater contribution to surface runoff at gauging station 04FA003 in the Attawapiskat River drainage basin (1966-1994). Table 29. Estimates of monthly and annual groundwater contribution to surface runoff at gauging station 04JC003 in the Albany River drainage basin (1966-1994). Table 30. Estimates of monthly and annual groundwater contribution to surface runoff at gauging station 04GB004 in the Albany River drainage basin (1966-1994). Table 31.