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Estimating deep recharge rates beneath an interlobate moraine using temperature logs
Grant Ferguson1, Allan D Woodbury, Gaywood L D Matile
1University of Manitoba, Department of Civil Engineering, 342 Engineering Building, 15 Gillson St., Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, R3T 5V6. umferg13@cc.umanitoba.ca
Ground Water
|September 19, 2003
Summary
Groundwater flow in Manitoba
Area of Science:
- Hydrogeology
- Environmental Science
- Geophysics
Background:
- The Sandilands area in southeastern Manitoba features an interlobate moraine, a critical zone for groundwater recharge.
- Beneath the moraine lie till deposits and the Winnipeg Formation, which hosts a significant sandstone aquifer.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate groundwater flow within the till layer of the Sandilands moraine.
- To quantify the recharge rate to the underlying sandstone aquifer using thermal profiling.
Main Methods:
- Utilized high-resolution temperature profiles to analyze groundwater movement.
- Applied solutions to the differential equation for heat flow in porous media.
- Compared thermal-based flux estimates with conventional hydraulic and environmental tracer methods.
Main Results:
- Indicated groundwater recharge to the sandstone aquifer at approximately 2 x 10(-8) m/sec.
- Results align with rates from conventional groundwater hydraulics and environmental tracer studies.
- Demonstrated temperature profiling as a viable, tracer-independent method for flux estimation.
Conclusions:
- Thermal profiling offers a cost-effective method for estimating groundwater recharge and discharge rates over extended periods.
- This technique is not constrained by the half-lives of environmental tracers.
- Confirms the Sandilands moraine as a key area for groundwater recharge to the sandstone aquifer.
