CCA report calls for actions to improve groundwater sustainability

Canada requires a comprehensive groundwater sustainability framework incorporating five interrelated goals to ensure that Canada's groundwater is managed in a sustainable manner. An expert panel report from the Council of Canadian Academies (CCA) is urging the federal government to produce a report in the next two years on the current state of groundwater in Canada and encourage the development of measurements so that progress can be charted.

The expert panel was requested by Natural Resources Canada and chaired by James Bruce, a climate and water consultant based in Ottawa. It's primary objective was to assess groundwater management from a scientific perspective to determine what is required to achieve sustainability of groundwater resources. The panel was also urged to identify knowledge gaps, determine techniques and information for groundwater supply and quality monitoring, and report on what scientific and socio-economic knowledge is required to manage aquifers both in Canada and those jointly managed with the US.

The current state of the governance of groundwater management can best be described as fragmented. There needs to be better integration across jurisdictions which should be equipped with the latest in groundwater science and methodology. The report notes that Canada still has the luxury of being proactive with policies and management to prevent the kinds of crises found elsewhere.

But it warns that existing high-level governance frameworks are either little used or fail to clearly spell out divisions of responsibility.

In determining the proper approach to achieving groundwater sustainability, the expert panel identified five interrelated goals — three involving physical sciences and engineering and two of a socio-economic nature:

* protect groundwater supplies from depletion;

* protect groundwater quality from contamination;

* protect ecosystem viability;

* achieve economic and social well-being; and,

* application of good governance.

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