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Maps / GIS

The Water Resources Management Division utilizes a Geographic Information System (GIS) in administering many of our programs.

A GIS is a specialized database system for storing and manipulating geographic information. It is particularly well suited for environmental data since almost all environmental data has a spatial component which can be used locate the dataset in both space and time.

Using this spatial component allows the Division to relate widely varying types of data into a common frame of reference and show the results in a map format.

As various spatial datasets are completed the Division will post the datasets and various interpretative maps on our web site for use by other agencies and the public.

Some of this data is available in Google Earth format. Google Earth is a free program from Google that is essentially a browser for geographic data. Google Earth combines medium to high resolution satellite imagery, maps, and user supplied data files like Public Water Supply boundaries. The satellite imagery for the Province is mostly medium resolution LandSat but there are portions of high resolution imagery available. The program allows you to fly in from space to your neighborhood, tilt and rotate the view to see 3D terrain, save and share your searches and favorites and even add your own annotations.

The offshore lines appearing in the Google maps below which purport to delimit the offshore area of the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador have no legal effect. Apart from the boundaries established pursuant to the Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Atlantic Accord Implementation Act, which include the line established pursuant to the 2002 award of the arbitration tribunal concerning the delimitation of portions of the offshore areas between Newfoundland and Labrador and Nova Scotia, there are no agreed boundaries between the offshore areas of Newfoundland and Labrador and the Government of Canada, the Provinces of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island or Quebec or the Nunavut Territory, and no such boundaries have been established under statute, regulation or agreement. The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador has made these facts known to Google.

Note: Google Earth is a high speed Internet, 3D application that not all computers can run. Windows-based desktop PCs older than four years may not be able to run Google Earth and Windows-based notebook PCs older than two years may not be able to run it.

Public Water Supplies

• The province has adopted a multi-barrier approach to ensure that its public water systems deliver clean and safe water. The main components of the multi-barrier approach are: source protection, water treatment, water system operation and maintenance, water quality monitoring and reporting, regulatory inspection and mitigation planning, and operator education and training. The protection of public water supplies is an important stage in the multi-barrier approach and the Division has several products that show the locations of these supplies.
  • Map
  • GIS Data
  • Google Earth

Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Agreements

• The province has a number of co-operative cost-shared agreements for water resources programs with the Government of Canada. Some of these relate to the collection of environmental data though an established network of stations. You can see the location of some of these stations and browse data links through Google Earth by using the hyperlink below.
  • Google Earth

Flood Risk Public Information Maps

• The province, in cooperation with the federal government, undertook hydrotechnical studies and mapping of flood risk areas. The maps, completed for 38 communities, delineate the flood risk zones for floods with a return period of 20 years (5% chance in any year) and 100 years (1% chance in any year). These maps are used for public information, municipal planning, development control, and the setting of structural design criteria. All proposed developments in flood risk zones are evaluated against potential impacts on water resources, the structures themselves, and the surrounding areas. The public information versions of the flood risk maps presented on these pages are suitable for general reference only. More detailed flood risk maps for use by municipal authorities, developers, planners, consultants and other government agencies are available in GIS format only.
  • Maps
  • GIS Data

Groundwater Quality Risk Maps

• Map and summary information on the risks of uranium in well water.
• Map and summary information on the risks of arsenic in well water.
• Map and summary information on the risks of fluoride in well water.

Ambient Water Quality Contour Maps

• In order to understand ambient water quality, it is very useful to display data in a visual manner. Because environmental data is also inherently spatial in nature (i.e. it varies geographically and due to environmental conditions), viewing the data in a way which displays this geographical variation is of particular use. For example, seeing where different water quality parameters are higher in concentrations can help explain causes and sources of contaminants. To this end, contour maps of each of the water quality parameters sampled under the Water Quality Management Agreement are available.
  • Maps