Now that spring has sprung and the melt is on, it got us thinking about where that water goes. Of course, there is evaporation, and the runoff into creeks, rivers, and lakes, but that’s the surface water. What about underground?
Some of the rain and snow we receive each year will end up as groundwater and groundwater is pretty much everywhere. It fills the spaces between rock and soil and, if given the perfect conditions, can form underground reservoirs or aquifers.
And it flows! In some areas it may move several metres in a day, but in other places, it may move only a few centimetres in 100 years! Materials such as clay and shale which are dense make movement slow while more porous material like sand or gavel allow for quicker movement.
Groundwater does not stay underground forever. Like any flowing water it will find its way, eventually, into the creeks, rivers, wetlands, lakes, and oceans!
Statistics Canada says approximately, 30% of Canadians depend on groundwater for municipal, home, and rural use. An example we found indicates that 100% of P.E.I.’s population relies on groundwater for all its uses – municipal, agricultural, industry, domestic. Dependence varies by province, but we all do it, we all pull on that resource to fill our various needs!
So, as you watch the snow melt away, or gaze out your window at that rainfall, remember what’s going on below ground and how dependent we all are on the gift of water that we take for granted!
