The Alberta Energy Regulator (AER), which hosts the Alberta Geological Survey (AGS), recently signed an MoU to work closer together in the field of groundwater resources and subsurface. In Alberta, the availability and quality of water resources is becoming more and more important. Especially in the southern part of the Province of Alberta that has a semi-arid climate.
The Province of Alberta is growing fast because of the large amount of available natural resources. Industrial activities associated with energy development continue to grow and attract new investors. As a consequence, this generates more demand on the agricultural market. All these growing activities put increased pressure on the province’s water resources. The present and future supply and demand of surface and groundwater resources need to be balanced and require a more integrated approach.
The AGS and Deltares already cooperate in groundwater modelling projects. This MoU strengthens the relationship and allows for a closer cooperation in a wide field of expertise in strategic research, knowledge transfer (training) and specific projects for the next five years.
Other news from Deltares includes its development of a new type of passive sampler that will make it possible to trace polluting elements, even in very low concentrations. It will make earlier intervention possible and reduce the risk of the extensive spread of any pollutants.
That is important for any operation that relies on groundwater for its water supplies. Current analysis techniques fail to detect extremely low concentrations of substances.
Concentrating compounds by using passive samplers makes this possible and establishes a better picture of water quality. The passive samplers will consist of sheets of special material that are suspended in the water and continuously absorb substances from the water. The substances are concentrated on the sheets, making it possible to measure extremely low concentrations.
The samplers have already been used successfully, but so far only in surface water applications. Deltares is now developing an adapted sampler that can be suspended in observation wells to monitor groundwater.
