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Editor | Laura Aiken laiken@annexweb.com (416) 522-1595
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The end of an era and what to make of new beginnings by Laura Aiken
Features
8 GROUND WATER LEVELS IN CANADA
A look at the past, present and future state of ground water across the nation.
18 TWO-SHOW ROUNDUP
Highlights from the Alberta and Ontario spring provincial association ground water shows and annual meetings.
20 CHANGING WITH THE TIMES
Meet the Hoppers, a family who has kept their well business thriving.
22
NEW TECHNOLOGIES
What’s cool and cutting edge?
ON THE WEB:
Groups want cap on Nestle’s water permit during droughts Two non-governmental organizations are challenging the Ontario Ministry of the Environment’s decision to change a permit issued to Nestlé Waters Canada, reports CBC News.
Walmart hit with clean water violation bill
Global retail giant Walmart pleaded guilty to violating U.S. clean water laws by failing to properly dispose of hazardous materials at its stores, the Justice Department said and Business Line reports.
Bankruptcy Blues
Endings, new beginnings and all things in between: where do the industries go from here?
by Laura Aiken
This year undoubtedly marks the most tumultuous chapter in the story of late Canadian Ground Water Association (CGWA). Bankruptcy claimed the life of this industry’s national body in April, leaving a trail of anger, head-shaking, sadness, and an allaround bad flavour in the mouth.
An association has many roles for a trade, from lobbying for the interests of its members in matters of government and public policy, to working out better group insurance rates. The ground water industry in Canada has provincial associations, but a national group is important in bringing together the membership as a whole and creating a united face in a country where ground water legislation is the domain of its provinces. The CGWA was the bridge connecting the vast betweens that are this land. It is no more, and that’s a darn shame. But, as the association itself has said: onwards and upwards.
The CGWA was the bridge connecting the vast betweens that are this land. It is no more, and that’s a darn shame.
The bankruptcy doesn’t need to mean the end of a national association. It’s simply the end of a corporate number. A new one can be registered; a new association can be born. However, any new association arising from the ashes of this situation will inherit the memory of its not-so-buried elder. On a grander scale, the question remains of how the ground water bodies and the geothermal entities will play nice in the sandbox again after the Canadian GeoExchange Coalition (CGC) ended up the prime indebted at the point of dissolution. It’s impossible to imagine a hand-holding happening, but what is in the best interest of the professionals working in these industries?
I can’t think of a single industry in business today that doesn’t face the challenge of becoming skillfully diversified and flexible enough to succeed in the business climate of tomorrow. What that looks like in a company will be different for
everyone, but it will have to look like something if they want to survive because satisfying public expectation is a one-way ticket moonward. The glut of information people can access today has changed the way everyone deals with these more informed customers, even if these customers err on the miss side of the information. Crosstraining skills across various aspects of drilling, water and geothermal, as well as water treatment and recycling, seems like a natural move in an increasingly complex environment. These are the new one-stop-shop requirements of this millennium that may play out in the ensuing decades.
It isn’t just a sad-mad day for members of the dissolved CGWA, or one of mucky feelings at the CGC, who won a three-year legal battle and won’t see the monies awarded. It’s a wound for two industries that may as well be stitched together with dandelion tufts. With that kind of bandaging, nothing will heal – no scar will eventually form and fade into a thin, white line that can barely be traced – for a long, long time.
There are professionals who drill water wells and install geothermal systems. There are mutual concerns between these two groups of drillers. How will collaboration proceed in the future? How will the shared concerns be addressed? How will these two groups put this behind them and get back to business as usual? Anger can filter up from the bottom or down from the top, but everyone will feel better when in time it’s been filtered out to sea.
NEXT ISSUE: We’ll be featuring a special section on movers and shakers in the ground water industry in the Fall edition of Ground Water Canada. Don’t miss it!
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INDUSTRY NEWS
CGWA BANKRUPTCY MADE OFFICIAL
The Canadian Ground Water Association (CGWA) declared bankruptcy in April, and has dissolved as a corporate entity. The bankruptcy filing came one year after the final arbitration ruling in the legal case between the Canadian GeoExchange Coalition (CGC) and the CGWA.
The CGC was awarded $267, 061.77 in damages on March 29, 2012, after a Montreal tribunal ruled in its favour over a matter related to the development of a national geothermal training course. Kevin Constable, president of the CGWA, gave an emotional description of the lengthy battle with the CGC during the Ontario Ground Water Association’s AGM on April 12 at Deerhurst Resort in Huntsville, Ont.
According to Constable, the story began six to seven years ago when the CGC contacted the CGWA to create a training program for the CGC. The course was delivered and paid for, says Constable. About six months later, the CGC approached the CGWA and were unhappy with the material because it was too close to being a carbon copy of an existing course. What was delivered by the CGWA was a 95 per cent cut and paste version of an existing course created for Ontario well drillers pertaining specifically to Ministry of the Environment (MOE) regulation 903, said Denis Tanguay, executive director of the CGC. Two technical schools were listed in the dispute as subcontractors of the CGWA.
Tanguay told Ground Water Canada one of his expectations for the course was that it be national in scope, and program material based almost exclusively from an Ontario regulation was not satisfactory to the needs of the CGC.
“There was no new material,” said Constable in his address to OGWA members. In the year since the decision was handed down in favour of the CGC and appeal by the CGWA proved unsuccessful, alternative deals were put on the table but an agreement was not met. The CGWA first filed intent to file bankruptcy, then a subsequent proposal to creditors. The association offered $70,000 in total to its creditors, says Constable (the primary creditor being CGC), in an attempt to stave off the bankruptcy but the proposal was not met with success.
In the months leading up the bankruptcy filing, Wayne MacRae, executive director of the CGWA, released the following update in the winter edition of The Canadian Ground Water Journal:
“As you know, approximately 85 per cent of association income is based on provincial membership dues, which are voluntary and paid at the discretion of the provinces based on value for service. The provinces have made it clear to our directors that they are unwilling to pay for their dues until a settlement is achieved. This leaves the association in a position of only being able to operate until the end of March based on present budget numbers, which means we will be forced into receivership after that date.”
The plan for a new Canadian ground water association has yet to be disclosed.
CLARIFICATION
AI-EES INVESTS IN 18 WATER RESEARCH PROJECTS
Alberta Innovates-Energy and Environment Solutions (AI-EES) has selected 18 research projects in support of safe, secure drinking water, healthy aquatic ecosystems, and reliable, quality water supplies for a sustainable economy.
The projects selected for the Water Resource Sustainability Program will receive up to $1.5 million each, to a total investment of $10 million, in support of the Government of Alberta’s Water for Life strategy.
“With a growing population and expanding economy, it is critical that Alberta has accurate, reliable and useful information and a suite of practical approaches for managing our water resources,” said Eddy Isaacs, CEO of AI-EES. “These projects will provide the crucial information we need to support an actionable strategy for safe, secure and sustainable water for Albertans.”
The 18 research projects range from understanding perceptions about water quality in rural Alberta to collaboration between local and international researchers, who will work together to develop a monitoring scheme for arsenic in rural Alberta’s well water to validating reclamation targets, design criteria and policy for sustainable wetland habitats.
Projects were considered based on the following focus areas:
• water security, risk and vulnerability
More than one reader shared with us the many safety issues lurking in the illustrations accompanying the feature on maintenance in our spring edition. Certainly the equipment shown would not pass a safety inspection and pointing this out in the article would have been helpful for clarity. Our readers noticed everything from a lack of a safety latch on the lift hook to a broken marker light, and many more. These images proved to be fodder for safety conversations. What did you find?
• watershed stewardship and ecosystem management
• increased conservation, efficiency and productivity of surface water and ground water use
Applicants for the program included researchers from academic institutions, non-profit research establishments, private industry, and provincial and federal research centres.
JURY HOLDS EXXON MOBIL LIABLE IN GROUND WATER CASE
An order for Exxon Mobil Corp. to pay $236 million in damages for ground water contamination is by far the largest verdict in state history but represents only about two days’ worth of profit for the energy company, an industry analyst said.
Fadel Gheit, managing director of oil and gas research and a senior analyst at Oppenheimer & Co., said the verdict won’t put a dent in Exxon Mobil’s bottom line.
“Exxon will probably make close to a $40 billion profit this year,” Gheit said. “That’s two days’ work.”
He said it’s no surprise that Exxon Mobil would take the state’s 10-yearold contamination lawsuit to trial, saying the company “will make you sweat for every dollar you think you’re going to get.”
The jurors reached their verdict against the Irving, Texas-based energy company, in less than 90 minutes after sitting through nearly three months of testimony. Lawyers on both sides were stunned by the speed with which they reached the verdict on liability and even more stunned when they took barely 20 minutes more to fill out the damages verdict.
Although the state’s burden of proof was a preponderance of the evidence, or 51 per cent, as Judge Dawn Booker explained, he said it was “way more than 51 per cent for New Hampshire.”
Lawyers for Exxon Mobil say they will appeal and file motions that could land the case back to the courtroom before month’s end. A motion to set aside the verdict is common in civil liability cases.
Exxon Mobil lawyer David Lender said “erroneous rulings” prevented the jurors from hearing all the evidence and deprived the company of a fair trial.
“We have strong legal and factual arguments to make on appeal,” he said.
Attorney General Michael Delaney called the verdict and award “historic” and said the state will vigorously defend them on appeal.
The panel awarded the state all $236 million it was seeking from Exxon Mobil to monitor and remediate ground water contaminated by MTBE, a chemical added to gasoline to reduce smog but found to travel farther and faster in ground water than gasoline without the additive. A teaspoon, experts testified, can cause widespread contamination.
The verdict is more than twice the $105 million jurors awarded the New York City Water District in 2009 in its case against Exxon Mobil over MTBE contamination. That case is on appeal.
California law firm Sher Leff, which won the New York City verdict, was hired by New Hampshire near the outset of its 2003 lawsuit to try its case against Exxon Mobil.
Jurors found that Exxon Mobil was negligent in adding MTBE to its gasoline and that MTBE was a defective product. They also found Exxon Mobil liable for failing to warn distributors and consumers about its contaminating characteristics.
The jury found damages in the amount of $816 million, but that award was reduced to 28.9 per cent of the total, reflecting Exxon’s market share of gasoline sold in the state between 1988 and 2005.
Lawyers for Exxon Mobil argued the company used MTBE to meet federal Clean Air Act mandates to reduce air pollution and should not be held liable for sites contaminated by other retail businesses.
Jurors had more than 400 exhibits to sift through, including memos and reports dating back decades. Those memos included some in which Exxon Mobil researchers warned against using MTBE gasoline because of the extensive harm it can do to ground water.
FIRM DONATES $5,000 TO LECTURE SERIES
Integral Consulting has given a $5,000 gift to the National Groundwater Research and Educational Foundation (NGREF) to underwrite a portion of the cost of the 2013 Darcy Lecture Series in Groundwater Science.
The consulting firm is a national science and engineering company that provides multidisciplinary services in the fields of health, environment, technology and sustainability.
“This generous contribution by Integral Consulting Inc. marks the first time the cost of the Darcy Lecture Series has been partially underwritten by an entity outside our foundation. We are extremely pleased and grateful for Integral’s generosity and commitment to the furtherance of groundwater science,” said Kevin McCray, CAE, chief executive officer of the National Ground Water Association and liaison to NGWREF.
The Henry Darcy Distinguished Lecture Series in Groundwater Science was established in 1986 to foster interest and excellence in ground water science and technology. The series – which has reached more than 85,000 ground water students, faculty members, and professionals – honours Henry Darcy of France for his 1,856 investigations that established the physical basis upon which ground water hydrogeology has been studied ever since.
GROUND WATER LEVELS
A look at the past, present and future across the country.
Ground water levels are of critical importance to every person on Earth – and get more important every day. Here’s a Canadian statistic that may be surprising.
by TREENA HEIN
What is happening with the water under our feet across our country?
According to Water Security, a Primer (a document produced by the Canadian Water Network (CWN)), one quarter of all Canadian communities experienced water shortages during the latter half of the 1990s. Stats like this one make us understand how important it is to measure, monitor and protect our ground water levels. The good news is that steady progress is being made with these tasks across the country.
The term to describe having adequate quantities of good-quality water on an ongoing basis, for human use and the environment as well, is water security. The World Economic Forum has called it “the gossamer that links together the web of food, energy, climate, economic growth and human security challenges that the world economy faces over the next two decades.”
According to the CWN and its associated Canadian Watershed Research Consortium, no widely accepted, standardized index of water security yet exists in Canada (or elsewhere for that matter), but extensive efforts to establish one are underway.
Several water security indices have already been developed, but they have generally been limited in focus – for example, relating only to drinking water. They therefore don’t allow decision-makers to do things like effectively assess and handle conflicting demands for water use. Developing a useful and comprehensive index is a tough task, with key challenges that include defining exactly what needs to be measured and at what scale.
People like Gemma Dunn are forging ahead. “For our recent research project [www. watersecurity.ca], we developed the Water
“Cotey
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Security Status Indicator assessment method,” notes the research associate in the Program on Water Governance at University of British Columbia. “It is not a new indicator, but rather a method that allows for the simultaneous analysis of multiple indicators.” It adopts a localized “place-based” approach and examines both surface water and ground water. “One other point to mention is that water security implies a long-term view,” Dunn adds, “yet indicators can only assess its current state. A comprehensive assessment of water security should [therefore] also include the assessment and management of future risk to water quality and/or quantity.”
Read on for a look at ground water levels across Canada compared to average and historic levels, the factors affecting them, details on monitoring programs and more.
BRITISH COLUMBIA
The B.C. Ministry of the Environment operates the Provincial Observation Well
Network in order to monitor long-term fluctuations and trends in ground water levels. These 189 wells are generally established in areas of human settlement, and collect data automatically to provide an understanding of how specific aquifers are replenished and how ongoing use is affecting water availability. From 2000 to 2005, 35 per cent of the wells experienced lowering water levels, up significantly from 21 per cent during the period from 1995 to 2000. These decreasing levels don’t appear to be related to natural variations in precipitation, but could be a result of increased monitoring in the most heavily developed aquifers, reports Ministry of the Environment spokesperson David Karn. He adds, “It is difficult to summarize the ground water level conditions of the province as a whole, due to the province’s varied topography and hydrogeology.”
The current focus for the Provincial Observation Well Network is to equip the observation wells with data loggers
that are compatible with satellite telemetry to enable public access to near realtime ground water level data, to improve data verification methods, and to develop user-friendly online reporting.
Professor Diana Allen of the Department of Earth Sciences at Simon Fraser University and her colleagues have been studying ground water levels in B.C. wells not affected by human use. Results of Allen’s recent studies, conducted with Paul Whitfield and Dan Moore, are about to be submitted to the Canadian Water Resources Journal. “Overall, summer ground water levels seem to have lowered across the province,” Allen notes, “despite an increase in winter precipitation and recharge during the same time period.”
ALBERTA
As in B.C., most of Alberta’s Groundwater Observation Well Network (GOWN) wells are also equipped with technology that automatically measures and records water levels, with select
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wells already equipped with telemetry for near real-time readings. GOWN was initiated in 1957 and continues to expand beyond its current 280 wells. “Data acquired from the GOWN helps Alberta Environment and Sustainable Resources Development develop environmental indicators,” says spokesperson Renée Hackey. “Existing preliminary studies have looked at local responses of ground water systems to climatic conditions (primarily precipitation rates) and observed a positive correlation.” In terms of annual levels, ground water levels in Alberta are similar to those across Canada – typically rising during spring and early summer, following snowmelt and spring rains, then declining slowly over late summer and through winter when frozen ground inhibits recharge. Hackey says, “GOWN observations show a delayed response of ground water level in the Rockies and foothill areas, whereas Prairies regions tend to respond faster, with water level rising very fast following heavy rainfalls.”
Obviously, the magnitude of ground water level fluctuations can vary greatly from season to season and from year to year, but it’s heartening to know that a high-level assessment of Alberta’s ground water level records indicates no significant changes compared to historical levels. “Currently, there is a provincial groundwater mapping and inventory program underway to help assess and quantify the state of our ground water resources,” says Hackey. “This initiative will support the establishment of baselines against which to assess the magnitude, and, cause and effects of ground water level fluctuations, and the sustainability of the ground water resource in the province.”
SASKATCHEWAN
Ground water levels have currently been relatively constant in the monitoring network operated by Saskatchewan’s Water Security Agency (WSA). However, since the high precipitation events of 2010, 45 of the 70 wells reached record high levels,” notes WSA communications manager Patrick Boyle. For example, three monitoring wells in the Saskatoon area increased by
Water security measurements have often focused on drinking water, and don’t always effectively address conflicts over water use.
4.33 m, 3.17 m and 0.96 m. Dr. Cherie Westbrook confirms that the province’s ground water levels in the southern half of the province are at historic highs. “Many southern Saskatchewan streams flowed continuously through the summer and into the fall in the last couple of years, whereas they normally only flow during snowmelt and heavy rains,” notes the associate professor at the Centre for Hydrology in the Department of Geography & Planning at the University of Saskatchewan. “These baseflows are normally ground water-flow supported.”
Westbrook has been looking at records going back to the 1960s, and says that current levels are similar to those observed in both 1975 and 1985, although they were only transiently high (for a year or two, not several years in a row). “I focus mostly on unconfined aquifers,” she says. “I have looked at a few records for confined aquifers, and they too show higher water levels over the past few years, as compared to the record. It’s been super wet around here, since about 2006.” Besides land use changes, human use and climate variations, Westbrook notes that a local factor that can affect unconfined aquifer ground water levels is beaver damming, which she researches in the mountains of Saskatchewan.
Looking back, Boyle adds, “There were also seasonal fluctuations and declines
in water levels due to droughts in 2002 and 2003. The one exception was in observation well “Verlo” located in the Great Sand Hills.” The long-term level there has been in slow decline, and the WSA is not yet sure why. The well is not affected by pumping.
PRAIRIES
Cesar Perez-Valdivia, who is completing a PhD in environmental engineering and is also a senior hydrological engineer with the WSA, has been studying Prairie ground water levels with Drs. Jessica Vanstone and Dave Sauchyn of the Prairie Adaptation Research Collaborative at the University of Regina. Not surprisingly, the team found that shallow aquifers are strongly affected by precipitation and temperature. Ground water level trends seem to move in two-to-seven-year and sevento-10-year oscillation modes, but an 18-to-22-year ground water level trend was also evident. The team believes it’s worth investigating how atmospheric pressure patterns might affect longterm ground water levels in shallow unconfined aquifers. They also note that because moisture-sensitive tree ring chronologies have proven to be useful in southern Alberta to reconstruct historical records of ground water levels in shallow aquifers, they may prove useful in southern Saskatchewan as well.
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In a separate study, Perez-Valdivia and Sauchyn looked at 33 wells across the Prairies. These wells, mostly located in sand and sandstone area aquifers and not affected by human use, were found to be highly sensitive to climatic variations.
MANITOBA
Manitoba has been monitoring water levels in major aquifers since the mid 1960s, so in some areas, there is up to a 50-year record. “Ground water conditions are generally quite good throughout the province,” says Graham Phipps, manager of the ground water management section at Manitoba Conservation and Water Stewardship. “Most monitoring wells show that levels are returning to near long-term averages or remain above average after major recharge events in the 2000s and especially after the spring of 2011. Over the past decade, water levels have tended to fluctuate around or above long-term averages.”
Drought in the 1980s affected long-
term water levels throughout most of the province, but they recovered during the decade after. Most areas with a long enough record show that the lowest water levels occurred between 1989 and 1994. Phipps says the only current concern related to drought is for very shallow wells completed into thin superficial aquifers, where water levels may drop to a point with insufficient drawdown remaining in the well. “In areas where this occurred during the summer of 2012, the wells can usually be deepened to provide a more reliable supply,” explains Phipps. “In recent years, high ground water levels have been a greater concern than drought in some areas of the province where the water table has risen enough to affect basements.”
Indeed, some areas of Manitoba have recently set new maximum water levels. “Winter precipitation this year was near normal for the south-central and southeastern regions and above average for the western and north-western areas of
agro-Manitoba,” Phipps notes. “The slow spring melt should lead to good recharge throughout all areas and possibly above average in the west.”
ONTARIO
In response to the 1998-99 drought, the Ontario Ministry of the Environment (MOE) established the Provincial Groundwater Monitoring Network, with various conservation authorities and municipalities serving as partners. “The wells monitor ambient ground water levels and quality in major aquifers,” says MOE communications officer Kate Jordan. “Ground water levels are collected hourly from 471 monitoring wells and water samples are taken annually.”
The water level data is also being analyzed. For example, MOE staff has been working with the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and hydrogeologists from various conservation authorities to determine the best statistical methods to apply. “The lowest ground water levels occurred during years 2001, 2002, 2007 and 2012, when low water conditions were experienced in Ontario,” Jordan explains. “However, in 2008 a cool and wet summer occurred and ground water levels were higher than normal.” The MOE has also worked with Environment Canada to look at how ground water levels could potentially be different in the future using the projections from 26 different climate models. “It was found that by the year 2100, ground water levels could increase by up to 10 cm or decrease by up to 50 cm,” Jordan says.
PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND
The province has 16 ground water monitoring wells with the data – including some real-time data – already available on the Internet. “These long-term records show that ground water levels are essentially flat, with typical seasonal variations,” says Ron Ryder, communications officer at PEI’s Department of Environment, Labour and Justice. Data from Bloomfield, New Dominion and Caledonia can be used as examples, he says, with each well providing data going back over 30 years. “Average annual levels in since 2005 are higher than long-term averages, but this is simply
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a reflection of recent annual precipitation,” Ryder notes. “It would be premature to attribute this to climate change or indicate a change in long-term levels. The lowest levels occurred in the second half of 2001 due to an unusually dry summer.” There has been some recent research on possible climate change impact for Prince Edward Island. Ryder says it focused on sea level rise effects on sea water intrusion to ground water, and these were shown to be negligible.
NOVA SCOTIA
Nova Scotia has 38 observation wells. Results from 2012 show that only 13 of them exhibited statistically significant ground water level trends last year, with five having small upward trends and eight having small downward trends. “The downward trends tend to be larger than the upward trends,” says Jason Dauphinee-Muise, manager of water resources at Nova Scotia Environment. Most of the trends indicate ground water level changes of less than 1 m. “In
the eight wells that are showing small downward trends, the reason has not been confirmed; however, three of these observation wells are located in municipal well-fields where water level declines are expected to be associated with wellfield pumping (for the town’s water supply). The province does not have data comparing currently levels with historical data.
NEW BRUNSWICK
Ground water levels in New Brunswick were monitored from the early 1970s to 1993 using a Stevens F-type recorder coupled with manual observations.
“During that time, it appeared that the province-wide trend indicated a general increase in water well levels,” says Darryl Pupek, director of environmental evaluation and reporting at New Brunswick’s Ministry of Environment and Local Government. Between 1993 and early 2000s, the ground water monitoring network was disbanded. However, the network was subsequently re-estab-
lished and currently has one,third of the original number of monitoring locations. “Trends at existing sites,” says Pupek, “although very preliminary, appear to suggest stable levels across the province. It’s expected that ground water levels should remain relatively stable for the foreseeable future.”
Pupek also points to an analysis by researchers Barret Kurylyk and Kerry MacQuarrie (from a study which is currently being published) of average annual ground water level recharge from snowmelt over the period from 1961 to 2000. They found that over the years, there were increases of as much as 50 per cent to a decrease of six per cent, in comparison to the average. “The snow pack in the Saint John River Basin, both in the north and south regions of the basin,” Pupek notes, “has been trending slightly downward.”
NEWFOUNDLAND AND LABRADOR
While Newfoundland and Labrador does not have long-term historical data
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or a current ground water monitoring well network with which to compare current groundwater levels, this past year the Department of Environment and Conservation received a number of inquiries, both from municipalities and private well owners, regarding wells drying up or losing capacity. However, “a number of the private wells which dried up were dug wells,” notes Tina Coffey, communications officer at the department.
“It is likely that water losses reported to us last year were due in part to less precipitation in the summer,” she adds. “We have no data to link ground water levels to snow amounts. Additionally, the areas where wells have been affected are in the populated areas that rely on groundwater for drinking water supplies.” They have no data thus far indicating if the reported water level declines are province-wide.
NORTHERN CANADA
No ground water or surface water
monitoring occurs in Nunavut. In the Northwest Territories, surface water levels are monitored in 14 rivers and Great Slave Lake. In general, using decade averages, river “winter flow” shows increasing trends across all ecozones, and for large and small basins alike. There was a temporary drop in river levels associated with an earthquake in 2002. From 1968 to 2010, the Slave River’s total annual flows are trending downward slightly. From 1968 to 1971, Slave River flow was reduced while the Williston Reservoir on the Peace River in British Columbia. was filled. Since related hydroelectric operations began in 1972, the lowest total annual flow was experienced in 2010, after several years of extremely dry conditions in the northern regions of British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan. Comparable extreme lows occurred previously in 1980, 1981 and 1995.
Water levels in Great Slave Lake are influenced by the Slave River as it contributes about 77 per cent of the
inflows. With regulation of the flow of the Peace River since 1968, the total volume of the Slave River has not changed, but the flow regime change has reduced the average high level of Great Slave Lake by 9 cm.
As in the Northwest Territories, the earthquake in 2002 also temporarily reduced water levels in the Yukon. However, they have stayed steady otherwise. “Our longest ground water monitoring record goes back to 2001 (six monitoring wells, mostly around Whitehorse) and while there has been some annual fluctuation, there are no evident trend patterns in this record,” says J. Richard Janowicz, manager of the Hydrology Water Resources Branch at the Yukon Department of Environment.
Treena Hein is a science writer based in Ontario.
by LAURA AIKEN AND ED COSMAN
TWO-SHOW ROUNDUP
Ontario and Alberta get down to business.
This year, the Alberta Water Well Drilling Association (AWWDA) and the Ontario Ground Water Association (OGWA) held their spring trade shows and annual general meetings on overlapping dates.
The Alberta show was held at the Sheraton hotel in Red Deer from April 10 to 12, and the Ontario show, playfully named Drillapalooza, was hosted at Deerhurst Resort in Huntsville from April 11 to 13.
ALBERTA
The Alberta trade show had 38 booths, drilling rigs, a water truck and a mud puppy on display. Two-hundred-and-sixty-two people attended the show, with 156 showing up for the Thursday pub night, shared Carol Larson, secretary for the AWWDA.
The Sheraton in Red Deer was a new location for the show and AGM, which saw the largest turnout in a number of years, said Larson. The convention started with a wine and cheese reception on Wednesday evening. Thursday morning kicked off with the trade show, and Robert Summers presented a very informative talk on water projects in Mali during the luncheon. Afterwards, people could attend the
first of two technical sessions presented by Dave Hanson of Design Technologies.
At the AGM, the usual division reports were presented and the new board was elected for the coming year. Considerable time was spent discussing the Canadian Ground Water Association (CGWA) loss in arbitration to the Canadian GeoExchange Coalition (CGC) (see page 6 for more details).
Friday started out with another technical session by Dave Hanson, followed by a luncheon and very interesting slide presentation from AWWDA president Chris Gerritsen that detailed his extensive travels around the globe. The Friday evening banquet wrapped up the conference. The Maurice Lewis Memorial Award was presented to Dylan Schmalzbauer and Jordan Lepper as they tied for the highest academic marks in school. The “Best Looking Booth Award” went (again) to Dynamic Supply.
Continued on page 27
LEFT: Dave Hanson of Design Technologies gave two technical sessions at the AWWDA show.
RIGHT: Michael Miller and Robert Martini are all smiles in the CanPipe booth at the Ontario show.
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CHANGING WITH THE TIMES
Diversification and experimenting with technologies keep a nearly 100-year-old drilling business alive.
For close to a century, the Hopper family has been drilling wells and installing pump systems across Southern Ontario that provide families and businesses with fresh water.
by JULIE FITZ-GERALD
Ron
In order to adapt to the evolving industry and the changing needs of its customers, W.D. Hopper & Sons has diversified its services over the years. The Seaforth, Ont.-based company initially drilled domestic and farm wells, but eventually expanded its services to include municipal, industrial, commercial, environmental and geothermal work.
It all began in 1915 when William D. Hopper drilled his first well to a depth of 90 feet using a rig called the Listowel Drill. This drill had its own steam-powered engine and was a wood construction mounted on four iron wheels. A Sawyer Massey engine was also used to pull the drill, supply steam to it, and haul water. In his first year,
William Hopper drilled a total of 11 wells.
In 1959, William retired at 69, leaving the business in the capable hands of his three sons Neil, James and Durl Hopper. At this time, the company’s fleet of drilling rigs included two Keystone 50 machines and a 22W Bucyrus Erie. In 1963, James and Neil converted the 22W Bucyrus Erie to rotary drilling. The conversion was such a success that they also converted the two Keystones to rotary/cable tool rigs.
The business’ family affair continued when Neil’s oldest son, Ron, joined the business in 1970. In 1979, Neil and James formed W.D. Hopper & Sons Ltd., while brother Durl formed Durl Hopper Ltd. Durl’s company subsequently
and Paul Hopper are co-owners of W.D. Hopper & Sons.
moved from the Seaforth location to its new home in Stratford, Ont., where it continues to operate, often working closely with W.D. Hopper & Sons.
Today, W.D. Hopper & Sons is co-owned by the third generation of Hopper drillers, Neil’s sons Ron and Paul. It is a true family business, with Ron’s wife Candace managing the office and their two sons, Phillip and Mathew, along with James’ sons Allan, Scott and Tim, all employed with the company.
Over the years the business has had to diversify in order to adapt to the changing market. A major shift in the company’s drilling resulted from the dwindling number of small family farms in the area, something that is being seen in many parts of Ontario. “We’re far more diversified in the last 10 to 15 years than we ever were. Initially we did domestic and farm wells and that was about it, along with submersible pump systems. There’s not as much of that type of work anymore and there’s more competition, so to grow your business you have to find more work. That’s why we diversified. While we still do many domestic and farm wells, they’re a different percentage of our market now,” Ron explains.
He estimates that the company does about a 30/30/30 split between domestic and farm drilling, commercial/municipal/ environmental drilling, and technical-type drilling, although it tends to fluctuate depending on the year.
“Within all of that we do a lot of irrigation work too, especially when the seasons are dry, like big irrigation for vegetable farms. That’s all part of the commercial/industrial side of it too. We do a lot for the big greenhouses around here as well.”
Keeping up with advances in technology has also played a big role in the success of W.D. Hopper & Sons. “Technical stuff, like cameras, computerized equipment, and electronic controls: we’re always on the leading edge of that. We’re usually the first to adopt it. We also use e-commerce for a lot of our purchases. We watch new technologies very closely. With respect to suppliers and manufacturers, for years we’ve shown an eagerness to at least look at and adopt their new technologies if they prove to be good. They have an eagerness to get us on board, even to do trials for them. We’ve done a lot of that,” says Ron.
By implementing cutting-edge technologies, the field and office’s day-to-day operations run more smoothly and efficiently for the Hoppers. One of the new technologies they’ve adopted and are hoping to expand is well overdrilling. “Particularly for municipal wells, small and large, it’s an easier way to replace an existing well by overdrilling, replacing the casing and bringing it back up into new condition. There’s less paperwork and less permitting, so you can speed the process up. It could save you many, many months, maybe even a year or two, depending on the location. It’s been a little difficult to get it adopted everywhere, but we do a fair bit of it from time to time,” Ron explains.
In well sites where the water contains a large amount of corrosive elements, Ron says the company now uses stainless steel casings to ensure a longer well life. Having the ability to offer a stainless steel casing for situations that require it, particularly to their industrial customers, has been advantageous for the company.
“We’re always looking at new things to branch off into, but that are still related to the water business. It’s getting a little tougher to find. Diversification is important. Expansion is relatively important too, but you have to be careful on that one because you could get more than you bargained for,” he says.
To keep operations running smoothly, communication between family members has played an integral role. “Like anything else, you’ve got to be able to communicate. It’s not always easy, but if something comes up you’ve got to be able to sort it out.”
With the fourth generation of Hoppers now working in the business, well drilling has simply become second nature to this family. “They’ve seen this type of work since they were young and they developed an interest in it. Most of us would be out on the machines as soon as we were done school for the summer holidays,” Ron says.
After almost 100 years in the industry, the Hoppers are proudly carrying on the family tradition, supplying fresh water to families and businesses across Southern Ontario.
Julie Fitz-Gerald is a freelance writer based in Uxbridge, Ont., and a regular contributor to Ground Water Canada.
ADOPTING NEW TECHNOLOGIES
The
pump world is becoming increasingly tech-savvy with apps and environmentally friendly products.
Way back when, drillers used to plop a pump in a well, hook it up to a pressure switch, and walk away. With the latest apps, a user can track a pump’s performance, become aware of its history in a matter of seconds, and know when and where it was created.
by KARLY O’BRIEN
Grundfos’ GO Remote provides live pump data feeds.
Additionally, technologically savvy pumps are saving people money with a solar power option. Ground Water Canada investigated some of the latest gadgets on the market. Let’s take a look at what’s shaking up the pump world.
REMOTE ACCESS APPS
The GO Remote from Grundfos is one of the first smartphone applications for pump performance that provides the end user with pump control, data collection, and reports.
The app works with Grundfos’ E-pumps and communicates using radio and infrared technology. It provides live pump data feeds concerning duty point, power consumption, speed, temperature, etc. It is specifically designed to cater to Grundfos pumps.
“Everybody love apps,” says Roger McHugh, district sales manager for Grundfos Canada.
“You can just download it from the app store and load it onto your iPad, iPhone or android device.” The only operating system this application is not yet available on (and might never be) is BlackBerry.
McHugh explains that user can walk up to a CU 301, which is the control box for the SQE Constant Pressure Pump, and have the option to learn about the pump’s current performance and the ability to change it.
“The information that is at the bottom of the pump is going to feed into the contractor’s Grundfos GO Remote app,” outlines McHugh. “He’s going to be able to tell the flow rate that pump is at, and if there’s been any faults. So if
PUMPS
there’s been any voltage issues the app is going to show alarms with a warning about this problem.”
When asked how user-friendly the technology was, McHugh said: “You can’t make any mistakes with it, and the user interface is simple with a homepage packed with all the information that is most commonly used.”
The app works in conjunction with a control box via a dongle that attaches to your smartphone or tablet. This dongle should be within a distance of four to five feet from the control box specified for the pump. Each control box is the communication device for the pump system. A pressure transducer is attached to the control box, which monitors the water pressure and signals for the pump to speed up or slow down in order to maintain constant pressure.
Other previous devices that addressed remotely controlling a pump were provided as a handheld device with a small screen. In this edition of Ground Water Canada we profiled W.D. Hopper & Sons (page 20), a company that is also a user of Grundfos’ latest technology.
“We’ve had the app for awhile, however, we just received the dongle that goes on your iPhone,” explains Ron Hopper, a well technician in his family-owned business, W.D. Hopper & Sons. “Previously we used their R-100 Remote, but now this puts a few more things into our disposal.”
The R-100 was a Grundfos standalone handheld remote with a “small screen. To access the information you wanted, you needed to grow through a tree of menu items.”
He says the latest version is easier to use.
“Before, I had to memorize the menu path I needed to take to find certain information,” he says, referencing the previous device for pump performance. “The iPhone has a big screen to view the data on, and the menu options are easy to access with a homepage full of details that you are always looking for.”
Hopper hasn’t operated the GO Remote for too long, but says it’s a must have if you’re using variable speed pumps.
INFORMATION APPS
Xylem launched its free mobile catalogue and literature application for iPad, iPhone and Android devices. This internal product enables its users to access brochures, submittals, performance curves, drawings, applications, part lists, and installation and operation manuals for both residential and commercial markets.
With a simple user interface, the app enables people to find a product by name, category or type. As well, literature on the product can be found by document ID, title, or product name.
“I think a large population of our end users have smartphones now,” says Kyle Schoenheit, global product manager with Xylem Applied Water Systems. “It allows people to quickly and remotely access instructional manuals, trouble shooting, technical support numbers at their fingertips.” It also provides highlights on the product’s offerings, and the technical manual to read about performance curves and other things.
This global company has also launched the opportunity for a user to scan a QR code, a matrix barcode or two-dimensional code, on their products. By scanning the code, an information
PUMPS
page appears with details of the pump’s history, which loads in seconds. It is currently only available for the standard submersible pump, but plans are underway to extend its offerings to all products.
“It gives you the pump order, motor and serial number, as well as the assembly date and time among others,” says Richard Barg, market development manager of Goulds Water Technology, Xylem. “By scanning the data matrix [or QR code] you get a bunch of data, so you are aware of the pump’s complete history.”
The QR code is fixed to Xylem’s products with a spare label that the company recommends to be put on the controller.
“I think it will be able to provide the installing contractor with information in the future of how the original pump performed,” Barg continues. “It will allow them to know exactly what was installed based on the scanning of that QR code, and assist you when finding a replacement part.” Barg describes the app as a reference point so users know what any given pump features before they begin working on it or using it.
ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY
The SubDrive SolarPak from Franklin Electric is a one-box system that creates a solar-powered water well.
It is designed specifically for pumping clean water using a renewable energy supply. This solar-powered pump includes a solar-powered controller, a submersible pump and motor, and a flow switch from 5 to 90 gpm.
“This product is designed to use a standard Franklin four inch pump and motor, so we are supplementing our standard pumps with a solar pack option,” explains Sean Welsh, national sales manager for Franklin Electric. “It’s also economical to run a solar-powered pump rather than trying to run power out of these sites, especially if they are remote.”
Welsh says the pumps are more expensive than standard ones since they are more technologically advanced. He adds
that the homeowner saves in the long run because they don’t need power from the electric companies.
The standard pumps come equipped with a three-phase 200 volt motor, which is converted through the solar controller from the 12 volt DC (that the solar panels produce). “This allows the pump to turn at different speeds to provide the right mix of flow and pressure. These pumps can handle wider flow and wider total head application ranges than previous solar-powered pumps that traditionally can only be used in low-flow scenarios.”
In August 2012, Franklin Electric acquired the Hillborough, Oregon-based Cerus Controls, which Welsh says will help to expand the company’s goal of providing a wider range of products with a focus on controls, constant pressure, variable frequency drives, and automation and monitoring water system applications.
That’s a taste of what’s happening in the wide world of pumps. Stay tuned to Ground Water Canada as we follow cutting edge technology in the ground water industry.
Continued from page 18
ONTARIO
The Ontario show pulled in 31 exhibitors and a hopping trade show opening with the Beer! Wings! & Other Things! networking event. The trade show resumed Friday morning, followed by division meetings and AGM in the afternoon. There was one board shuffle in the Drillers Division, with Chris Gerritsen moving to the pump supply division and Paul Conrad of Conrad Well Drilling nominated to take his place.
During the AGM, CGWA president Kevin Constable faced extensive questioning as he told the story of the national association’s lengthy battle with the CGC (see story on page 6).
Friday night kicked off with a Monte Carlo dinner and casino themed event, where people were given funny money chips to play table games for prizes. Saturday was dedicated to technical sessions. Ellaline Davies from Safety Works Consulting gave a seminar on the cost of injuries and workplace harassment. Brian Barron from the Ministry of Labour spoke on operator requirements with regards to training and records, as well as everyone’s responsibilities with regulations. Terry Carter and Jordan Clarke from the Ministry of Natural Resources discussed updates to Ontario records and the geology of southern Ontario. Phil Graves and Kathleen Boose gave a presentation on costing your business and setting rates.
Drillapalooza was capped off with the Saturday night president’s dinner and awards. The theme was Puttin’ on the Ritz and featured a “not so silent auction.”
Booth conversations turned to topics of lead-free requirements, homeowners getting savvier, water safety systems that focus on preventing surface water infiltration, new apps for pumps, wastewater treatment training, and variable speed “everything.”
Franklin Electric’s solar powered pump system was onsite for the first time in Canada, shared Sean Welsh, national
ABOVE: From left to right, Pedro Friesen, Patrick Abram and Chris Crowell of Wellmaster Pipe & Supply.
RIGHT: Irene Bultena of Eloquip.
sales manager – Canada commercial. Franklin also has a line of motor controls called Cerus that is coming to Canada, he added. Grundfos CU331SP variable drive for submersible pumps was release in April. The drive comes in three versions: two horsepower, three horsepower, and five horsepower, with a variable drive for each horsepower. Grundfos was also showcasing its GO Remote pump app.
To learn more about some of the technology debuted at Drillapalooza, turn to our story on the future of pump performance on page 22.
NEW PRODUCTS
LEAD-FREE VALVES FROM FLOMATIC
8 www.flomatic.com
A new Reduction of Lead in Drinking Water Act in the United States redefined the term “lead free”, adding even stricter standards.
The act will go into effect Jan. 4, 2014, and says that lead free does not refer to the lead content of pipes and pipe fittings, plumbing fittings and fixtures, but to a weighted average lead content of not more than 25 per cent, and not containing more than 0.2 per cent lead in solder and flux.
Flomatic Valves introduced the unleaded bronze EnviroCheck in 1996, which have been recognized as an acceptable material for California Proposition 65 – a law that aims to protect drinking water sources from toxic substances that are thought to cause cancer or birth defects and other reproductive harm. The company says its Enviro bronze valves meet the act’s new requirements.
HANDHELD INSTRUMENT AND SMARTPHONE APP FOR MONITORING
8 www.in-situ.com
In-Situ has released the smarTROLL Multiparameter (MP) handheld instrument and iSitu smartphone application for environmental monitoring applications. The smarTROLL MP handheld can be used for spot-checking, stormwater monitoring, vertical profiling and low-flow ground
water sampling. The system measures dissolved oxygen (DO), conductivity, ORP, pH, salinity, total dissolved solids, water level, barometric pressure, temperature, etc.
The smarTROLL MP handheld can be used for any surface-water monitoring application. No training time is required to use the probe or the intuitive smartphone application. Technicians can instantly read results for 14 water quality parameters simply by using a smartphone.
The iSitu App, designed to run on an iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad, is capable of e-mailing data and logging site-specific data to a smartphone. The smarTROLL system includes a compact probe with field-tested smart sensors and a clip-on battery pack with Bluetooth technology.
REAL-TIME FREE CHLORINE MEASUREMENT
8 www.sensorex.com
Sensorex’s FLC500 series free chlorine sensors use amperometric measurement technology designed to provide highly accurate monitoring of free chlorine in process application. With three models covering the 0-2 ppm, 0-5 ppm and 0-10 ppm ranges, FLC500 sensors are built for use in new installations or as a field replacement for existing sensors in drinking water disinfection and distribution applications, food beverage
production, cooling water, and other industrial water treatment systems.
The device has an upgraded temperature correction curve for improved performance. Its membrane design features a mesh reinforcement clamp for increased stability and added durability. The 4-20 mA isolated signal output was created to eliminate ground loop errors, reduce noise and block high-voltage transient surges.
For real-time free chlorine monitoring, the FLC500 series sensors interface with PLC, SCADA and other processes control systems via the 4-20 mA output. A large electrolyte reservoir with an easily replaced membrane cap and solution reduce maintenance intervals and maximize sensor life.
NEW PRODUCTS
VALVELESS PUMPS IDEAL FOR INDUSTRIAL ROBOT GEARBOX LUBRICATION
8 www.fmipump.com
Valveless ceramic pumps from Fluid Metering Inc. (FMI) meter high-viscosity grease at low pressure for precision lubrication of industrial robot gearboxes.
The PDS-100 programmable dispensing system delivers gearbox lubricating grease, independent of viscosity, at pressures low enough to prevent any seal damage to the gearbox. It is available in both single- and dual-channel configurations and is easily integrated with industrial process controllers. Dispense and metering rates range from a few microlitres per dispense up to 768 millilitres per minute continuous metering.
PERISTALTIC PUMP IDEAL FOR WATER SAMPLING
8 www.solinst.com
Designed for rugged field use, Solinst says the reversible flow peristaltic pump is ideal for water or vapour sampling from shallow wells and surface water. The metal case is compact and lightweight, water resistant, easy to use in the field, and easy to maintain and repair. The pump connects to a 12-volt power source to operate.
One easy-access control allows high- or low-flow sampling. The pump can be fitted with two sizes of silicone
tubing. Standard 5/8-inch tubing can give flow rates to almost 3.5 litres per minute, while optional 3/8-inch tubing allows rates as low as 40 millilitres per minute, ideal for low-flow sampling. Pump tubing connects to smaller diameter down-hole tubing for high sample integrity. The pump is effective to depths up to the suction lift limit, as much as 33 feet at sea level.
Well Aware expands to eLearning
New online training available for professionals who work with private well owners.
by Heather Kirby
Well Aware has taken the leap into eLearning with the development of online training for professionals who work with private well owners.
This leap has maintained the key messages of the 12-year-old program (protect the source, test the water, maintain the well, plug and seal unused wells, and hire only licensed well contractors) and adapted them to an interactive, online format. This was successfully achieved with leadership from Grant Murphy of Two Point Oh! e-Learning Services, who completed the learning design for the course and software application implementation.
The Well Aware online course outcomes are as follows:
• Value the importance of protecting public health by maintaining a safe drinking water supply.
• Understand the basic functions of a private drinking water well.
• Complete the Well Aware self-assessment of a private drinking water well.
To achieve these outcomes, an eLearning platform called Moodle is used: an open source software application that is used by many colleges and universities around the world for their distance education programs. This platform allows the course facilitator and participants to interact with each other in many different and engaging ways through, among other methods, quizzes, polls, case studies and input to the course database collection.
The most valuable interaction is found in the discussion forums, where both the facilitator and participants have the opportunity to contribute in meaningful ways to questions or topics posed by the facilitator. Attachments such
as photos, diagrams or web links can be used to support and deepen the conversation. The discussion postings are relevant for the current session, ensuring that the context is a reflection of the participants’ needs.
The Well Aware self-assessment tool is the icon of this process and was the basis of the online course design. The key learning objective is to ensure that participants use the selfassessment tool properly; the online activities help to ensure that they understand important terminology and supporting best management practices. A report, including recommendations, is generated based on the information provided by the participant. The high level of quality assurance is maintained by contracting a third party (a licensed and practising hydrogeologist) to review and subsequently approve the reports. The approved report is then mailed to the participant to serve as an action plan.
Through Well Aware, technical support is provided during regular business hours. The program can be accessed by a computer with an Internet connection.
The Well Aware online professional development course may be taken by people who work with wells on a regular basis, including government, public health, municipal, conservation and stewardship staff from all provinces.
To register for a course, go to www.wellaware.ca.
Heather Kirby is the Well Aware program manager and course facilitator. She can be reached at 705-745-7479, ext. 114, or hkirby@greencommunitiescanada.org regarding how Well Aware can help you. To discuss other elearning development opportunities, contact Grant Murphy, Two Point Oh! eLearning Services at 519-897-7073 or www.tpo-training.com.
WHERE THERE’S WATER, THERE’S FRANKLIN
5" STS SERIES SUBMERSIBLE TURBINES
Whether you’re irrigating a field or watering livestock, you just got another option to get your job done: the FPS STS Series now includes 5" pumps. Like all STS pumps, they’re built for rugged, high demand applications—and they deliver.
Ductile iron bowls feature higher tensile strength and pressure ratings
Ne w hybrid cable guard design makes installation even easier
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