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Groundwater Exploration
Mill Cove Groundwater Supply
The Municipality of the District of Chester hired earth-water
Concepts inc. to conduct a
regional groundwater study of the Aspotogan Peninsula, Nova
Scotia. The
purpose of
the
study was to evaluate options to improve an existing
groundwater supply
so it could meet new quality standards, to investigate water
resource potential to replace or augment the existing
supply, to do preliminary groundwater exploration to help
confirm assessment study results, and to evaluate the ability of a
new potential supply 
to
sustain population growth at Mill Cove, located on the
peninsula.
The peninsula has a thin soil veneer that is underlain almost entirely by granite where fracture flow is predominant. Residential well yields vary, but average less than 2 US gpm. Mill Cove is a former military base that is now in municipal hands and is under consideration for private development. The former base obtained its water from a nearby lake that, due to the high cost for treatment, was replaced by a groundwater source that consisted of of a single, high-production well. The well had been located based solely on its proximity to the water treatment facility.
The existing water supply well is a possible GUDI well, and produces fluoride that is above drinking water guideline levels. earth-water Concepts inc. performed a comprehensive groundwater investigation that included:
- a review of all water quality results from the former base water supply sources and from a number of area residential wells,
- a review of all available regional residential well construction and pumping test data,
- terrain and lineament analysis of the peninsula and parts of the mainland from air photos, digital elevation models, and multiple shaded relief surfaces,
- review and assimilation of all available stream geochemistry data, soil geochemistry data, and relevant airborne geophysical surveys, with well data,
- drilling and pumping test evaluations on a number of exploration wells to match and exceed the existing supply well capability.
Frito-Lay Water Supply
Frito-Lay Canada
and ACA Co-Operative Ltd. hired earth-water Concepts
inc. to help with water supply concerns at two adjacent food processing plants in New Minas,
Nova Scotia. Central town water is available, but to reduce operating
costs, both plants obtain a large part of their
water supply from wells drilled into a confined, poorly
indurated Triassic sandstone aquifer that nearby, laps
unconformably
onto a low permeability basement bedrock unit.
Most of the wells had been over pumped, resulting is unnecessary lowering of aquifer water levels, and severe well erosion.
earth-water Concepts inc. undertook an extensive desktop hydrogeological review of the area with the goal to add new wells to increase overall on-site production capability to relieve stresses on existing wells, exploratory drilling for new supply, down-hole video logging of existing and new wells, a pumping test program of all existing and new wells, reconstructive rehabilitation of the wells affected by erosion, and preparation of the supporting documentation necessary for obtaining water withdrawal permits.
Valley Gate Water Supply
The
Valley Gate Mobile Home Park, located within metamorphosed
greywacke and slates of the Cambrian-Ordovician age Meguma Group in
central Nova Scotia, services about 200 homes from a private
groundwater source. earth-water Concepts inc. was hired by park
management in response to requests by the province for the client to
obtain a
groundwater withdrawal permit application.
A detailed study was carried out that included water quality reviews, pumping tests on existing wells, and reviews of historic and current water demands to evaluate the ability of the supply to sustain long-term growth at the park. It was found to not be able to meet either existing or long-term demand, or water quality requirements. So a groundwater exploration program was launched that involved extensive geological field mapping, followed by successful drilling for new supply, pumping tests, client training in the management of the new water supply, and documentation for permitting of a supply that could meet long-term demand and quality needs.
Pictou County Community Supply
The Municipality of
Pictou County hired earth-water Concepts inc. to conduct a
regional groundwater study involving several watersheds on the
northern mainland of Nova Scotia. The aim of the
study was to investigate the ability of Carboniferous sandstone and
conglomerate deposits of the Cumberland and Mabou
Groups to support commercial water demand in the east and west New
Glasgow areas, to evaluate the
potential for water quality risks in the respective
aquifers due to various commercial and municipal land uses, and to undertake
preliminary groundwater exploration and pumping test work to
verify the results of the assessment. earth-water Concepts
inc. performed a comprehensive investigation that:
- characterizes possible commercial water demands for various potential aquifers,
- defines total water availability via watershed assessment for groundwater recharge,
- evaluates each of several geologic units for potential to serve as commercial aquifers,
- evaluates local yield for candidate aquifers under current and future conditions,
- describes local and regional effects of groundwater withdrawal in the area,
- identifies sources and evaluates risk of contamination for candidate aquifers,
- defines optimum aquifer protection prospects and likely exploration drilling targets,
- involves the local community where there is greatest potential for exploration,
- defines the physical, hydrologic and hydrochemical characteristics of selected aquifers through drilling and pump testing programs.