Developing science-based policy for protecting the Waterloo Moraine groundwater resource

Abstract

The Waterloo Moraine has been used as a municipal water source for more than 100 years. Groundwater currently provides about 80% of the Region of Waterloo’s municipal water needs with much of this water originating from the Waterloo Moraine. Water supply management and land-use controls are both critical in sustaining and maintaining the groundwater resource. In order to manage the water resource one must understand the science of the resource. As the science becomes more refined, primarily through the development of numerical groundwater models, this information is used to increase the understanding of the sustainability of each well field and to develop appropriate land-use policies to protect the groundwater resource from surface threats of contamination. Over the last 40 years, the scientific understanding of the Waterloo Moraine has increased substantially; however, there will always be uncertainty associated with understanding natural systems. During this time, the Region of Waterloo has continued to develop land-use policies and risk management programs to protect municipal water supply wells in the Waterloo Moraine and elsewhere in the Region. The Province of Ontario has also strengthened the protection of water resources through the Clean Water Act. As the understanding of the science continues to evolve through data collection and development of new technologies, the uncertainty associated with the science needs to be reconciled with the certainty expected of protection policy. Although uncertainty cannot be eliminated, it needs to be adequately explained in order to minimize the credibility gap and increase the level of transparency in the process. This paper explores the evolution of the science and policies and the many factors that are considered in translating scientific data into a defensible policy framework to protect municipal groundwater supplies, both in the Region of Waterloo and throughout Ontario.