IAH007FT The Hydrogeology of Southwestern Alberta: Where the Prairies Meet the Mountains
Southwestern Alberta is an area of striking diversity. The region includes windswept prairies, rolling foothills and towering mountain peaks with equally variable climatic regimes; ranging from alpine areas with cold winters, short cool summers and relatively high precipitation to grassland areas with moderate winters, hot summers and relatively low precipitation. This diversity is also reflected in the region’s hydrogeology; there are groundwater surpluses in the mountain regions, groundwater shortages on the prairies and almost no regional aquifers.
Within the past several decades, the management of all water in Southern Alberta has become a highly publicized issue having numerous stakeholders. It is currently believed that the South Saskatchewan watershed is at its allocated capacity, thus a moratorium on new surface water licenses was enacted in 2006. Despite a low level of historical attention or understanding, groundwater-surface water interactions have come under increasing scrutiny in this regulatory regime.
This field trip will introduce the participant to the geology and hydrogeology of this unique area. The emphasis will be on visiting interesting hydrogeological features, but we will view these features in light of the current regulatory environment and emerging technical discussions about groundwater and its contribution to surface water flows.
Specifically, field trip participants will experience the following aspects of Southwestern Alberta hydrogeology:
- See Paleozoic Karst features along the Continental Divide
- Be introduced to the Frank Slide groundwater monitoring and groundwater issues in the traditional mining areas of the Crowsnest Pass.
- Visit a municipal well field and discuss groundwater use and regulation in a mountain community.
- View and discuss the nature of complex groundwater-surface water interactions and interflow in montane environments.
- Visit and discuss buried channel aquifers and groundwater production from these features.
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Mr. Wilmot is a professional hydrogeologist with 8 years of hydrogeology consulting experience. He is a graduate of the University of Calgary and has worked with Matrix Solutions Inc. since 2005. He provides project management and technical expertise for environmental impact assessments (EIA), groundwater supply investigations and contaminated sites.
William’s most recent experience is heavily weighted in the oil sands region of northern Alberta where he has worked on over a dozen oil sands projects in the area. His specialized oil sands experience includes, regional hydrostratigraphic mapping, aquifer testing, well network design, groundwater diversion licensing and groundwater modeling.
William and his young family live in the small mountain community of Coleman located in the beautiful Crowsnest Pass of South-western Alberta.
James T. Freeman, M.Sc., P.Geol. (Principal Hydrologist), has more than 25 years of hydrogeological consulting experience in western Canada, the US and overseas, including extensive experience in groundwater supply and contaminant hydrogeology. He has appeared as a groundwater expert at a number of development appeal board, NRCB and ERCB hearings and in other public consultations. He has ranched in the Pincher Creek area since 1994 and strives to keep his horse and himself out of interesting hydrogeological features in their foothills pastures.
