THE SUSTAINABLE MANAGEMENT OF GROUNDWATER IN CANADA The Expert Panel on Groundwater Council of Canadian Academies Science Advice in the Public Interest Conseil des académies canadiennes THE SUSTAINABLE MANAGEMENT OF GROUNDWATER IN CANADA Report of the Expert Panel on Groundwater iv The Sustainable Management of Groundwater in Canada THE COUNCIL OF CANADIAN ACADEMIES 180 Elgin Street, Ottawa, ON Canada K2P 2K3 Notice: The project that is the subject of this report was undertaken with the approval of the Board of Governors of the Council of Canadian Academies. Board members are drawn from the RSC: The Academies of Arts, Humanities and Sciences of Canada, the Canadian Academy of Engineering (CAE) and the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences (CAHS), as well as from the general public. The members of the expert panel responsible for the report were selected by the Council for their special competences and with regard for appropriate balance. This report was prepared for the Government of Canada in response to a request from Natural Resources Canada via the Minister of Industry. Any opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the authors – the Expert Panel on Groundwater. Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication The sustainable management of groundwater in Canada [electronic resource] / Expert Panel on Groundwater Issued also in French under title: La gestion durable des eaux souterraines au Canada. Includes bibliographical references. Issued also in print format ISBN 978-1-926558-11-0 1. Groundwater--Canada--Management. 2. Groundwater-- Government policy--Canada. 3. Groundwater ecology--Canada. 4. Water quality management--Canada. I. Council of Canadian Academies. Expert Panel on Groundwater GB1029.S88 2009a 333.91'040971 C2009-900066-0 Images: Select interior graphics designed and/or re-produced by Richard Franklin. Cover photo courtesy of Environmental Agency (UK). Translation: This report was translated from English to French by Benoît Thouin (TETRACOMM inc.), certified translator En-Fr (Canada). The French version was edited by René Therrien (expert panel member), Claire Breton-Pachla and Mary-Christine Thouin (TETRACOMM inc.). Disclaimer: The data and information referenced in this report were correct, to the best of the Council’s knowledge, at the time of publication. Due to the dynamic nature of the Internet, resources that are free and publicly available may subsequently require a fee or restrict access, and the location of items may change as menus and webpages are reorgan- ized. The views expressed in this document are the personal opinions and projections of the individual authors as subject matter experts and do not necessarily represent the views of their organizations of affiliation or employment. © 2009 Council of Canadian Academies Printed in Ottawa, Canada, June 2009 This assessment was made possible with the support of the Government of Canada. The Sustainable Management of Groundwater in Canada v The Council of Canadian Academies SCIENCE ADVICE IN THE PUBLIC INTEREST The mandate of the Council of Canadian Academies (the Council) is to perform independent, expert assessments of the science that is relevant to important public issues. Here “science” is interpreted broadly to encompass any knowledge-generating discipline, including the natural, social and health sciences, engineering and the humanities. The Council’s assessments are performed by independent panels of qualified experts from Canada and abroad. Operating at arm’s length from government, but with 10-year funding of $30 million provided in 2005 by the Government of Canada, the Council carries out studies of subjects proposed by the Government, and eventually, by non-governmental and private-sector organizations. The Council is governed by a 12-member board, a majority of whom are appointed directly or indirectly by the Council’s three member Academies – the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences, the Canadian Academy of Engineering and the RSC: The Academies of Arts, Humanities and Sciences of Canada. A 16-member scientific advisory committee, composed of eminent representatives of the broad science community, advises the Council’s Board with respect to assessment topic selection, terms of reference, selection of expert panels and external report review. The founding members of the Council are: RSC: The Academies of Arts, Humanities and Sciences of Canada is the senior national body of distinguished Canadian scientists, scholars and artists. The RSC consists of approximately 1,800 Fellows: men and women from across the country who are selected by their peers for outstanding contributions to the natural and social sciences and to the arts and humanities. The RSC is a charitable organization incorporated by an Act of Parliament in 1883. The Canadian Academy of Engineering comprises many of the country’s most accomplished engineers, who have expressed their dedication to the application of science and engineering principles in the interests of the country and its enterprises. The Academy is an independent, self-governing and non-profit organization established in 1987 to serve the nation in matters of engineering concern. The approximately 440 Fellows of the Academy represent all disciplines of engineering and are drawn from industry, government and academe. The Canadian Academy of Health Sciences encompasses the full breadth of academic health sciences including all of the medical and allied health sciences, ranging from fundamental science to social science and population health. The approximately 300 Fellows are recognized for their leadership, creativity, distinctive competencies and commitment to the advancement of academic health science and for having made significant lifetime contributions to the health of Canadian society. www.scienceadvice.ca vi The Sustainable Management of Groundwater in Canada Publications of the Council of Canadian Academies THE REPORTS LISTED BELOW ARE ACCESSIBLE THROUGH THE COUNCIL’S WEBSITE (www.scienceadvice.ca): The State of Science and Technology in Canada Influenza and the Role of Personal Protective Respiratory Equipment: An Assessment of the Evidence Small is Different: A Science Perspective on the Regulatory Challenges of the Nanoscale Energy from Gas Hydrates: Assessing the Opportunities and Challenges for Canada Vision for the Canadian Arctic Research Initiative: Assessing the Opportunities Innovation and Business Strategy: Why Canada Falls Short The Sustainable Management of Groundwater in Canada Better Research for Better Business THE REPORTS LISTED BELOW ARE IN THE PROCESS OF EXPERT PANEL DELIBERATION: Assessment on Risk Assessment Techniques in Animal Health Assessment on the Integrated Testing of Pesticides The Sustainable Management of Groundwater in Canada vii The Expert Panel on Groundwater James P. Bruce, O.C., FRSC, Chair, Environmental Consultant, Climate and Water (Ottawa, ON) William Cunningham, Assistant Chief, Office of Ground Water, U.S. Geological Survey (Reston, VA, U.S.A.) Allan Freeze, FRSC, Former Professor and Director in the Geological Engineering Program, University of British Columbia (Surrey, BC) Robert Gillham, C.M., FRSC, Distinguished Professor Emeritus, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Waterloo (Waterloo, ON) Sue Gordon, Research Hydrogeologist & Leader, Integrated Water Management Program, Alberta Research Council (Calgary, AB) Steve Holysh, Senior Hydrogeologist, Conservation Authorities Moraine Coalition (Toronto, ON) Steve Hrudey, FRSC, Professor Emeritus, Environmental and Analytical Toxicology, University of Alberta (Edmonton, AB) William Logan, Deputy Director, International Center for Integrated Water Resources Management, US Army Corp. of Engineers (Alexandria, VA, U.S.A.) Kerry MacQuarrie, Professor & Canada Research Chair in Groundwater-Surface Water Interactions, Department of Civil Engineering & Canadian Rivers Institute, University of New Brunswick (Fredericton, NB) Paul Muldoon, Environmental Lawyer (Toronto, ON) Linda Nowlan, Faculty Research Associate, Program on Water Governance, Institute for Resources, the Environment and Sustainability and the Department of Geography, University of British Columbia (Vancouver, BC) John Pomeroy, Canada Research Chair in Water Resources and Climate Change; Director, Centre for Hydrology; Professor, Department of Geography and Planning, University of Saskatchewan (Saskatoon, SK) Steven Renzetti, Professor, Department of Economics, Brock University (St. Catharines, ON) Barbara Sherwood Lollar, FRSC, Professor and Director, Stable Isotope Laboratory, Department of Geology, University of Toronto (Toronto, ON) René Therrien, Professor, Department of Geology and Geological Engineering, Université Laval (Québec City, QC) viii The Sustainable Management of Groundwater in Canada Project Staff of the Council of Canadian Academies PROGRAM DIRECTORS: Katherine Levitt Trina Foster Maria Trainer WITH ASSISTANCE FROM (IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER): Michelle Campbell (Consultant) David Cashaback (Senior Analyst) Jennifer Chandler (Consultant) Alison Crone (Program Assistant) Laurence Davidson (Consultant) Marc Saner (Director of Assessments) Christina Stachulak (Program Director) The Sustainable Management of Groundwater in Canada ix Acknowledgements The Expert Panel on Groundwater was established in response to a request from the Minister of Natural Resources Canada asking the Council of Canadian Academies to assess what is needed to achieve sustainable management