Living Lakes Canada (LLC) wants to hear your concerns regarding the Columbia Basin’s groundwater supply.
LLC officials said they are collecting this information alongside groundwater experts to create a Columbia Basin aquifer assessment.
“The feedback collected will play a crucial role in building momentum behind the request for an aquifer assessment, ensuring that decision-makers have a comprehensive understanding of the challenges facing groundwater and the actions needed to address them,” said LLC.
Officials said groundwater plays an important role for humans and the ecosystem.
“It’s a crucial freshwater source for domestic, agricultural, industrial, and commercial purposes,” said LLC. “It’s connected to surface waters and helps maintain water levels in wetlands, streams, rivers, and lakes. It is essential for maintaining healthy ecosystems, including habitat for fish, waterfowl, and wildlife.”
Groundwater management is important as populations, demand and pressure from climate change increase.
However, Living Lakes officials said there is a critical lack of knowledge of groundwater systems.
“This lack of understanding has led to groundwater depletion across the United States, and recent droughts have raised concerns about the sustainability of groundwater supply within the Columbia Basin,” said LLC.
“More data is needed to understand how groundwater is responding to these changes to ensure a sustainable supply is available for people and nature.”
Collected data can then be used to analyze and forecast trends in water levels, inform management decisions and guide conservation work.
Aquifers are underground water stores made of layers of rock or sediment. Deposits across Canada vary in complexity and size.
“In the mountainous regions of the Columbia Basin, many aquifers are small and fragmented, and respond differently to changing climate conditions, groundwater withdrawals, and different land uses like logging,” said LLC.
You can find a link to the survey here.
“The feedback collected will play a crucial role in building momentum behind the request for an aquifer assessment, ensuring that decision-makers have a comprehensive understanding of the challenges facing groundwater and the actions needed to address them,” said LLC officials.
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