With the introduction of the Alberta Environment and Park's Guide to Water Act Authorizations Required for Dugouts, Borrow Pits, and Other Types of Pits/Excavations in 2016, groundwater has become an increasingly important consideration when developing aggregate resources. To meet current legislative requirements within Alberta, sand and gravel developers need to consider the potential influence of their sand and gravel development on surrounding groundwater and surface water resources, including activities such as pit dewatering, wet pit excavation, end-pit lakes and water bodies, groundwater disturbance by backfilling with fine-grained overburden beneath the water table, etc. In this increasingly complex regulatory environment, Waterline has the experience and expertise to help aggregate producers successfully navigate aggregate development permitting by offering the following services in Alberta and BC: Determining pit locations to minimize permitting costs related to groundwater; Aggregate exploration; Water Act applications; Dewatering studies; Surface water/groundwater interaction studies; Predicting thermal effects and water balances of end-pit wetlands and ponds; and Attending and presenting at open houses and council meetings. Waterline often partners with other subject matter experts to offer the full suite of services required for aggregate permitting and Waterline have active working relationships with a number of small and large aggregate companies in Alberta and BC. Call Waterline today at 1-888-542-5611 for more information. #wateract #aggregatepermitting #sandandgravel #hydrogeologists

The Village of Salmo in British Columbia relies on groundwater for 100% of their water needs and Waterline is helping to manage and protect their groundwater resources. Learn more about the project and the village's water resources here: http://salmo.ca/community-initiatives/water-smart-salmo/aquifer-health/ #municipalwater #groundwatermanagement

The deadline to submit an existing use groundwater licence application and avoiding the application fees is December 31, 2017. Submitting a groundwater licence application ensures that applicants keep their priority date, which is based on the first-time groundwater was used by the applicants. Existing groundwater users have until March 1, 2019 to apply for a licence and keep their precedence. Once the March 1, 2019 deadline passes, all groundwater users are considered new applicants. All users must apply for a new groundwater licence, pay the application fees and their date of precedence is the date the licence is authorized. Please see the table below for the requirements on groundwater use: For more information, please contact Maheen Scott, Waterline Resources Inc.’s Water Sustainability Coordinator at 250-585-0802 or maheen.scott@waterlineresources.com. #municipalwater #watersustainabilityact #groundwaterlicencing #groundwaterpermitting #hydrogeology

Introduction Waterline provides complete soil monitoring consulting services to satisfy Alberta Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act (EPEA) approval requirements for industrial facilities. Soil monitoring is typically an approval requirement at facilities that have the potential to release substances that may impact soil quality. These substances may include spills or leaks of process chemicals (e.g., amines and glycols), products (e.g., petroleum hydrocarbons), or by-products (e.g., produced water and sulphur). The timely assessment, reporting, remediation and management of soil impacts, and the proactive management of sources are necessary steps to ensure the protection of human health and the environment. In Alberta, the Soil Monitoring Directive provides requirements and guidance for the monitoring and management of soil contamination. Waterline personnel are experienced in the development and implementation of Baseline and Operational Soil Monitoring Programs and Soil Mnaagement Programs that will satisfy our client's EPEA approval requirements. Baseline and Operational Soil Monitoring Programs are developed by identifying key potential sources of impact and the facility-specific soil quality parameters of concern. Once identified, this information is used to design a suitable soil sampling program that meets the requirements of the Soil Monitoring Directive. If required, Soil Management Programs are developed that identify source control measures to be implemented, establish appropriate remediation objectives, and establish a management plan for the contaminated areas, which may include remediation and/or risk management. Remediation objectives are developed, following guidance provided in either the Alberta Tier 1 or Tier 2 soil and groundwater remediation guidelines, with consideration of the baseline soil quality, current and end land uses, and receptor exposure pathways. Baseline Soil Monitoring Programs New facilities or existing facilities that are expanding over previously undeveloped land require the implementation of a Baseline Soil Monitoring Program. The purpose of the Baseline Soil Monitoring Program is to assess pre-development soil quality prior to the initiation of facility operations. The Baseline Soil Monitoring Program provides a benchmark of soil quality to which future soil assessment results can be compared to ensure facility operations have not adversely impacted the soil. If an impact has occurred, this benchmark soil quality data may be used to establish remediation objectives. Operational Soil Monitoring Programs Operational Soil Monitoring Programs are undertaken to assess soil quality at regular intervals (typically every 5 years) during the operational life-span of the facility. The purpose of the Operational Soil Monitoring Program is to ensure any soil impacts resulting from facility-related operations are identified in a timely manner, such that they can be appropriately managed to eliminate the risk to potential receptors. Soil Management Programs Soil management programs are developed, if a soil quality impact is identified during an Operational Soil Monitoring Program. The objectives of the Soil Management Program are to initiate source control measures to prevent further releases, delineate impacted areas, develop remediation objectives (if required), and commence appropriate remedial measures. The goal of the Soil Management Program is to eliminate the potential for an adverse effect to either human health or the environment. The EPEA requirements for Soil Management Programs typically include yearly reporting of the progress of the soil management activities until the remediation objectives have been achieved. #soilmonitoring #soilmanagement #soiltesting #soilremediation #boreholedrilling

Albertans are blessed with big skies and panoramic mountain views which are the envy of many around the world. However, being in the lee of the Rocky Mountains, we experience drought conditions, which vary by region, duration and severity. Southern Albertans typically rely of rivers to sustain our municipal, industrial, agricultural, recreational and residential water requirements. As such, southern Albertans are amongst those most impacted by droughts, and associated low river flow conditions. For example, in 2017 the Alberta government issued 40 water shortage advisories across Alberta, with some towns south of Calgary banning non-essential outdoor water use. For the Sheep and Highwood rivers and Fish Creek, the province suspended issuing temporary diversion licences. These measures are in addition to the broader 2006 moratorium that the province placed on issuing surface water diversion licences in the South Saskatchewan River Basin (SSRB). Although various restrictions apply to accessing surface water in southern Alberta, the restrictions do not apply to groundwater. Thus, to mitigate the risk associated with surface water availability during droughts, water managers and planners often turn to water wells (i.e., a groundwater supply) to augment, or replace their existing surface water supplies. Groundwater supplies can also provide a sustainable water resource to meet the future development needs of the community or industry. Unlike surface water, groundwater is typically not subject to seasonal supply variability. Moreover, groundwater quality is consistent and is not subject to seasonal and storm-related fluctuation (e.g., turbidity, bacteria, BOD, COD, etc.), or to erosion or deposition of sediments at river intake structures. Water wells are drilled and tested to determine their sustainable water yield. The water wells are then licensed by the province in a manner that protects the interests of current and future generations. Contact Waterline to learn more about groundwater, and to see whether a groundwater supply could be developed to augment, or replace your existing surface water supply to help you improve your drought resilience. #drought #groundwater #municipalwater #droughtresiliency #droughtproofing

Waterline is excited to announce that we have opened a field office in Kelowna, BC so that we can better service our Okanagan clients. #kelowna #hydrogeologyokanagan #waterwell #geothermalenergy #environmentalconsulting

The Waterline Nanaimo office has moved! The new address is 2430 Jingle Pot Rd, Nanaimo, BC V9R 6W3

Did you know? Waterline and its associates can assess water from deep saline to groundwater to surface water. http://www.integratedwaterresources.ca/ #integratedwaterresources #surfacewater #hydrology #hydrogeology #salinewater #waterexploration

Waterline is looking to hire a full-time, junior environmental scientist. Be part of a great team and learn more here: http://www.waterlineresources.com/careers

To ensure that our client’s potable and non-potable water supplies are safe, Waterline actively manages well maintenance for hundreds of water supplies, including groundwater wells, cisterns, etc. Our streamlined, database-driven processes ensure that our client’s water supplies are properly maintained by offering the following services: Initial site visits by our water specialists to identify the water source type, use, and potential sources of contamination; Laboratory bottle order placement and scheduling reminders for sampling events; Notifications of exceedances and recommended corrective actions; and Auto-generated summary reports about all water wells and water supplies in your portfolio. All of these processes have been automated and carefully reviewed by our water experts to ensure accountability, efficiency and cost-effectiveness and can be scaled to suit our client’s unique needs. Contact Waterline today to learn more at 1-888-542-5611. #waterwell #shockchlorination #groundwater #waterwellmaintenance #cisternmaintenance #watersampling

To complement our growing downhole geophysical logging capabilities (gamma, SP, camera, etc.), Waterline now has the capability to log conductivity, temperature and flow for environmental, water exploration, and geothermal programs! #gammalogging #downholegeophysics #boreholelogging #findwater #hydrogeologist