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. 

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.