Canadian Water Resources Journal / Revue canadienne des ressources hydriques
ISSN: 0701-1784 (Print) 1918-1817 (Online) Journal homepage: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/tcwr20
GROUNDWATER CONTAMINATION IN THE KITCHENER-WATERLOO AREA, ONTARIO M. Sanderson , P. F. Karrow , J. P. Greenhouse , G. V. R. Paloschi , G. Schneider , G. Mulamoottil , C. Mason , E. A. McBean , P. N. Fitzpatrick , B. Mitchell , D. Shrubsole & E. Child To cite this article: M. Sanderson , P. F. Karrow , J. P. Greenhouse , G. V. R. Paloschi , G. Schneider , G. Mulamoottil , C. Mason , E. A. McBean , P. N. Fitzpatrick , B. Mitchell , D. Shrubsole & E. Child (1995) GROUNDWATER CONTAMINATION IN THE KITCHENER-WATERLOO AREA, ONTARIO , Canadian Water Resources Journal / Revue canadienne des ressources hydriques, 20:3, 145-160, DOI: 10.4296/cwrj2003145 To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.4296/cwrj2003145
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GROUNDWATER CONTAMINATION IN THE KITCH EN ER.WATE RLOO AREA, O NTARIO Submitted November 1994; accepted September 1995 Written comments on this paper will be acceoted until March 1996
M. Sandersonl, P. F. Karrow2, J. P. Greenhouse2, G. V. R. Paloschi2, G. Schneider2, G. Mulamoottil3, C. Mason3, E. A. McBeana, P. N. Fitzpatricka, B. Mitchells, D. Shrubsoleo, E. Childo
Abstract Since groundwater is of scientific interest to many disciplines, research into groundwater contamination must also be multi-disciplinary. In this project, earth scientists conducted field work in the geology and hydrogeology of the KitchenerWaterloo region, planners investigated the past and present land use in the area, civil engineers constructed models of contaminant flow, and geographers examined a case of groundwater contamination in Elmira, just north of KitchenerWaterloo. The article summarizes the lengthy reports of the various components of the research to the Ministry of Environment and Energy. lt provides a case study into the susceptibility of groundwater to contamination in an area that depends heavily on groundwater for its drinking water supply. Research on the hydrogeology of the area indicated that the sand core of the Waterloo Moraine, the area's principal aquifer, is particularly vulnerable to contamination. The land use research identified some 800 sites which could be ootential sources of contamination and indicated that the length of time for surface contamination to reach the aquifer could be as little as ten years. Finally, the media study of the Elmira groundwater contamination case indicated that the major government agencies appeared to lack credibility among the local population.
R6sum6 Etant donn6 que les eaux souterraines sont d'un int6r6t scientifique dans bon nombre
de disciplines, la recherche poftant sur la contamination des eaux souterraines doit aussi etre multi-disciplinaire. Pour ce projet, les sp6cialistes des sciences de la Terre ont effectu6 des recherches sur le terrain en g6ologie et en hydrog6ologie pour la
16gion de Kitchener-Waterloo, les sp6cialistes de la planification ont 6tudi6 l'amenagement du territoire pass6 et pr6sent dans la 169ion, les ing6nieurs des travaux publics ont construit des moddles d'6coulement de contaminants et les g6ographes ont examin6 un cas de contamination des eaux souterraines d Elmira, localit6 situ6e juste au Nord de Kitchener-Waterloo. L'article r6sume les longs
rapports des divers 6l6ments de la recherche men6e par le ministdre de l'Environnement et de I'Energie. ll pr6sente une 6tude de cas portant sur la 1. The Water Network, University ol Waterloo, Waterloo, ON
2. Depadment of Eadh Sciences, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON 3. School of Urban and Regional Planning, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON 4. Department of Civil Engineering, University of Waterloo (now with Conestoga-Rovers and Associates, Waterloo, ON)
5. Department of Geography, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON 6. Department of Geography, University of Western Ontario, London, ON
Canadian Water Resources Journal
Vol.20, No. 3. 1995
145
susceptibilite des eaux souterraines d la contamination dans une r6gion qui d6pend grandement des eaux souterraines pour son approvisionnement en eau potable. La recherche sur l'hydrog6ologie de la r6gion a indiqu6 que le noyau de sable de la moraine de Waterloo, principal aquifdre de la r6gion, est particulidrement vuln6rable face a la contamination. La recherche sur l'utilisation du sol a fait ressortir 800 emplacements pouvant constituer d'6ventuelles sources de contamination et a r6v6l6 oue la contamination de surface oourrait m6me mettre un oeu moins de dix ans d se rendre jusqu'd l'aquifdre. Enfin, l'6tude des m6dias d l'6gard du cas de contamination
des eaux souterraines d'Elmira a r6v616 que les principaux organismes gouvernementaux semblaient manquer de cr6dibilit6 aux yeux de la population locale.
Introduction
a important in Canada and elsewhere in the world, as the number of chemical comThe contamination of groundwater is problem that is becoming increasingly
pounds used in the environment
increas-
es. While the extent of groundwater contamination in Canada is mainly unknown, Cherry (1987) has stated that many wells that are not presently
known
The potential for pollution problems exists in the Kitchener-Waterloo region since the municipalities in the area operate 126 municipal wells. The records of communal groundwater supply began prior to 1900, and some of the original well fields are still used. The cities of Cambridge, Kitchener and Waterloo had the largest urban population in Canada (more than 300,000) that
to be contaminated will be contaminated depended entirely on groundwater for
in the future, and that the number of cont- their water supply until 1992, when water aminants identified in wells will increase. from the Grand River was also used.
Georgian Bav
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IJJ_IJ 0 40 80km Figure 1: Major glacial lobes and their relation to the Waterloo Moraine (after Karrow, 1973) 146
Revue canadienne des ressources hydriques Vol.20. No. 3, 1995
A case of serious groundwater contam-
ination occurred recently in the Grand River basin in Elmira and gained national media attention. This event led to the research described in the present paper.
Geology and Hydrogeology The purpose of this part of the research was to establish the subsurface stratigraphy along an east-west corridor across
the Waterloo Moraine, which would demonstrate the position of the principal aouifers and their relationshios to confin-
ing beds and the regional stratigraphy. The study area is situated in the Waterloo Moraine (Chapman and Putnam, 1984)
and because of the interlobate nature of the moraine, the stratigraphy of the area is complex (Figure 1).
The area is underlain by shale and dolostone bedrock of Silurian age (Salina Formation). Glacial deposits were laid down over the last 100,000 years, during the last (Wisconsinan) glaciation. During the later pafi of the Wisconsinan, between 22,000 and 14,000 years ago, there were several advances and retreats of the ice in this area. This led to a complex arrangement of glacial and related glaciofluvial de-
posits, the latter forming the aquifers which provide the water supply for the area. The arrangement, characteristics
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Figure 2: Location of the nine boreholes drilled to bedrock during 1990 and 1991 (1-90 to 5-91) Canadian Water Resources Journal
Vol.20, No.3, 1995
147
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