Morwick G360 is happy to announce a new project, created in partnership with the City of Guelph, AECOM, WSP (previously Golder Associates), Solinst Canada Ltd., and Aardvark Drilling Inc., to better understand the bedrock flow system in the City of Guelph near the Dolime Quarry. The project was awarded an NSERC Alliance Grant (ALLRP 568604 – 21) in March 2022 and will span an approximately 4-year period.
The City of Guelph proudly relies almost exclusively on groundwater for its municipal water supply, but rapid growth in population and industry are placing higher demands on the local dolostone aquifer. Part of the City’s strategy to meet this demand involves increasing the pumping rates of certain existing supply wells if feasible. This requires a detailed understanding of the bedrock aquifer, and potential risks associated with the increased pumping rates in terms of water quantity and quality. One area requiring more information includes the flow system around the Dolime Quarry, which is a large bedrock excavation situated near the western edge of the city. The bedrock quarry has operated for over 150 years, providing important building material and local jobs, but the quarrying process dug deep into the ground where the aquitard lies, raising concerns about the potential for future impacts to the aquifer that provides Guelph’s drinking water. The City has initiated a multi-year program to assess the flow system and pumping responses around the quarry to help maximize supply while mitigating potential risk to groundwater quality by maintaining a groundwater divide between the quarry and the supply wells. To complement this study, the collaborative partnership led by the Morwick G360 Institute under the NSERC Alliance Grant aims to accomplish the following objectives:
- Improve the understanding of lithostratigraphy and hydrostratigraphy of the area by examining rock core and surface outcrops, borehole geophysics and hydraulic responses in high-resolution hydraulic head profiles;
- Quantify bedrock aquifer heterogeneity, anisotropy, and preferential flow pathways through detailed fracture mapping, hydrogeophysical methods and hydraulic testing; and,
- Guide the management of groundwater resources and pumping regimes to reduce the vulnerability of supply wells to contaminants.
This project makes use of many innovative and high-resolution field methods, many of which have been developed at the Morwick G360 Institute. These datasets will be collected in 8 new boreholes drilled within and around the quarry, 6 of which have been drilled and 2 schedule to be drilled in Fall of 2023. G360 multilevel monitoring wells have been installed in the 6 existing boreholes, each equipped with telemetry systems to provide real-time head data to guide the pumping regimes. Presently, large-scale pumping tests led by the City are underway using the municipal supply wells. The project will also involve hands-on research and education for several graduate students as they train to become future groundwater professionals.
We are excited to expand the City’s award-winning monitoring infrastructure and advance our understanding of this complex aquifer. By doing so, we aim to ensure a sustained supply of clean drinking water for the community.
Acknowledgements:
Funding for this work is provided from a NSERC Alliance Grant (ALLRP 568604-21) with Jonathan Munn as the PI and cash and in-kind contributions from our partners: the City of Guelph, WSP/Golder, AECOM, Solinst Canada and Aardvark Drilling Inc. We would also like to acknowledge River Valley Developments (RVD), the owners of the quarry for their support and engagement of their peer review consultant, GHD Limited, to help build our understanding of this important bedrock aquifer.
Morwick G360 Team:
- Jonathan Munn, PhD, P.Geo.
- Beth Parker, PhD, FCAE, BCEEM, LEL, AGU Fellow
- Jana Levison, PhD, P.Eng.
- Jonathan Kennel, PhD.
- Ferdinando Manna, PhD.
- Peeter Pehme, PhD, P.Geo.
- Hamidreza Dannak, PhD Student
