Farmers and the general public in Newfoundland and Labrador can now go on line to track groundwater levels and water quality in selected farming areas of the province. On line digital graphing is regularly updated to show groundwater levels at each site compared with previous measurements.

Most farmers in Newfoundland and Labrador depend on groundwater and streams as their source of water for crop irrigation and livestock watering.  Information that can help predict drought conditions and stream flow changes assist in good crop management.  This information can be used to evaluate long term trends related to issues such as human activities and climate change.

Under the Canada – Newfoundland and Labrador Water Supply Expansion Agreement, a contribution agreement between Agriculture and Agri-food Canada, and the provincial Department of Environment and Conservation, funding has been provided for monitoring equipment, hut construction and well drilling at four locations in the province. Near real time monitoring of observation wells is available at Brookfield Road, St. John’s, Winterland, Wooddale, and Cormack.

To view groundwater level and water quality use the links below.

The Cormack monitoring site. The deep well and instrumentation is inside the shed on the right. In the future the shallow well (vertical pipe to the left of the shed) will also be monitored.

The Winterland monitoring site. The monitoring equipment is in the well and a cable connects it to the datalogger/transmitter on the back wall of the shed (above the shelf with the battery).

Observation wells at these sites have been fitted with automatic water level, groundwater quality sampling equipment, and satellite transmitters that relay information to a dedicated web site.  Viewers can see:

• Water table level

• Groundwater temperature

• pH

• Salinity

• Specific Conductance

• Oxidation Reduction Potential (ORP)

A water quality index calculator provides a summary of water sampling results at these locations.

A summary report on the activities carried out under this project has also been prepared.

For more information on the observation well network, contact the Department of Environment and Conservation, Water Resources Management Division, at (709) 729-2539, or email: kguzzwell@gov.nl.ca.

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