Groundwater accounts for approximately 99% of all liquid freshwater in the world. In Nova Scotia, nearly half of residents rely on wells for access to clean drinking water. Private well owners typically have a shallow, dug well or a deep, drilled well.
Due to Nova Scotia’s diverse bedrock geology, the quantity and quality of groundwater varies throughout the province. Additionally, anthropogenic contamination can degrade groundwater quality. Water quality testing is a crucial part of well ownership as it supports the protection of human health and the proper management of freshwater resources.
We are in partnership with Rural Water Watch, a non-profit organization that provides well education and resources to assess the impacts of climate change on groundwater resources throuhgout Nova Scotia, with funding from the Sustainable Communities Challenge Fund. Nova Scotia Environment and Climate Change also provides a wealth of resources including groundwater chemistry maps and a drinking water interpretation tool.
Dug wells 'tap' shallow aquifers that are vulnerable to summer droughts. In Nova Scotia, many dug wells have gone dry in four of the last seven summers, creating water security challenges for the southwest portions of the province. Drilled wells are more resilient to drought but can be contaminated with saltwater in coastal areas where sea-level rise can drive saltwater intrusion into formerly fresh aquifers. Wells and wellfields in Nova Scotia have been abandoned due to high salt concentrations. Rural communities reliant on decentralized water supply are the most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change on their water supply.
We have partnered with rural communities to investigate the impacts of future climate change on groundwater recharge and saltwater intrusion in Nova Scotia. To investigate drought and recharge patterns and saltwater intrusion risks in Nova Scotia, we are using several different field methods such as as drone-based remote sensing, groundwater level and soil moisture monitoring, geophysical surveys, and thermal sensing approaches. These data are being used to calibrate a numerical groundwater model to simulate the impacts of climate change on future groundwater recharge, and to develop regional models of saltwater intrusion vulnerability and to identify areas at risk of water table rise. Models help us understand potential impacts of climate change. If you are interested in finding out more, please send an email to barret.kurylyk@dal.ca.
Rural Water Watch is our nonprofit partner for this SCCF project. RWW leads several free biological sampling events in rural equity-deserving communities throughout the province. Sian, outreach coordinator, and Bay Berry, PhD student, assisted with the sampling event in East Preston on Sunday July 21st. Thanks to the community’s hard work, nearly 40 wells were sampled and sent for testing!
In partnership with Rural Water Watch, we have hosted several educational events such as the Science Saturday at the Musquodoboit Harbour Public Library. The lab members shared different experiments related to water with the youth. The goal of this event was to foster their curiosity about their water and wells.
We also partner with other units at Dalhousie University that support STEM education. The Promoting Leadership in health for African Nova Scotians program offers a co-op for students in Grades 11-12 to explore different STEM career paths. On October 30th 2024, the youth came to the Sexton campus to learn about Sian’s academic journey and the work that the lab does with a focus on drinking water and climate change.
On September 19th 2024, the lab held a hybrid symposium on Threats to Community Groundwater Resources in Nova Scotia. Throughout the day, academics and community members shared their expertise on groundwater issues in the province. Audience members asked thoughtful questions and partook in the participatory workshop.
On March 19th 2025, the Centre for Water Resources Studies in partnership with the Indigenous Pathways program of the Faculty of Engineering held a World Water Day celebration. The event began with networking with our partner organizations followed by a water ceremony led by Elder Ann LaBillois, Dalhousie’s Elder in Residence. The ceremony was profound and grounding, centering the over 70 attendees in the wisdom that water is sacred and should be protected.
This project is supported by the Sustainable Communities Challenge Fund, delivered by the Nova Scotia Federation of Municipalities on behalf of the Province of Nova Scotia. NSERC, Canada Foundation for Innovation, Nova Scotia, Dalhousie's Faculty of Engineering, and the Centre for Water Resources Studies also support this project.