This dataset provides information submitted by well contractors as prescribed by Regulation 903, and is stored in the Water Well Information System (WWIS). Spatial information for all of the well records reported in Ontario are also provided. Well record map *[WWIS]: Water Well Information System This data is related to: * Well records * Map: Well records * Topic: Drinking water * Law: Reg. 903: Wells Related data: * Petroleum wells

The Provincial Groundwater Monitoring Network (PGMN) datasets report on ambient (baseline) groundwater level and chemistry conditions. Groundwater monitoring map

The map shows the location of the six hydrogeological regions in Canada and the location of observation wells. The terrain composition is also shown on the map, which includes crystalline rocks, mixed crystalline rocks, folded sedimentary rocks and flat lying sedimentary rocks. The southern limit of continuous permafrost zone and the limit of the discontinuous permafrost zone appear on the map. Canada has been divided into six hydrogeological regions on the basis of similarities of geology, climate, and topography. These six hydrogeological regions are (1) the Appalachians, covering the area of New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, and the Gaspé and Eastern Townships of Quebec; (2) the St. Lawrence Lowlands, covering Anticosti Island, the extreme southern area of Quebec, and the southern part of Ontario; (3) the Canadian Shield, lying north of the St. Lawrence Lowlands and extending northward to a line joining the north end of Lake Winnipeg to Anticosti Island; (4) the Interior Plains, lying approximately south of the southern limit of discontinuous permafrost and consisting largely of the southern prairie regions of the provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta; (5) the Cordilleran Region, the mountainous part of western Canada within British Columbia; and (6) the Northern Region, approximately covering the area north of the southern limit of discontinuous permafrost. To monitor the groundwater flow systems and fluctuations in these hydrogeological regions a series of groundwater observation wells and piezometers have been established in various parts of Canada, as is shown on the map. The groundwater observation well map indicates the extent of provincial observation well and piezometer networks in Canada. Because of scale limitations, the symbols on the map may indicate more than one well. These wells and piezometers have been established in the southern part of Canada to monitor groundwater fluctuations and may also be used to monitor groundwater quality. Since this region of Canada has the largest population density, groundwater is of more immediate interest here. In the areas of discontinuous and continuous permafrost little has been done at present to monitor groundwater conditions, although this is changing as mineral exploration looks north for new reserves.

The Provincial Groundwater Monitoring Network (PGMN) is a partnership program between the Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks and the province’s Conservation Authorities, as well as some municipalities in areas not covered by a Conservation Authority. There are almost 400 wells monitored across the province. The PGMN program began in 2000 and is designed to monitor ambient groundwater level and chemistry conditions across Ontario. Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) is responsible for maintaining the digital telemetry systems at 21 monitoring wells in our jurisdiction, collecting water level data and arranging for chemical analyses of water quality samples at dedicated wells. This dataset includes water level observations for PGMN monitoring wells located within TRCA’s jurisdiction, including: seven wells in the Oak Ridges Moraine Aquifer Complex, five in the Thorncliffe Formation, six in the Scarborough Formation, one in the Lower Newmarket Till, and one in a bedrock unit. Wells are identified by PGMN Well No., coordinates, and aquifer.

This layer comprises all the available water wells in GIN (Yukon, British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador) and published through the open data platforms. This layer is a combination of all individual provincial and territorial layers. The original databases are dynamically converted by an automatic process managed by Natural Resources Canada (Groundwater Information Network).

These maps contain data of 11 major Land Use - Land Cover (LULC) categories and their E. coli contamination potential for groundwater wells. The LULC categories included in this dataset include agricultural/pastural land, urban, open/barelands, aggregate mines, scrubland, disturbance, bedrock, forest, grasslands, wetlands, and water. The LULC impact on E. coli contamination potential for wells is classified as very high, high, moderate, and low.

Data on physical conditions in Ontario’s lakes and streams:

• For lakes this includes measurements such as temperature, dissolved oxygen levels and water transparency, ice dates, as well as sampling location details.
• For streams this includes measurements such as stream flow discharge from monitoring stations in south-central Ontario.

Meteorological conditions for climate stations close to monitored lakes in south-central Ontario, includes measurements such as air temperature, humidity, precipitation and wind speed.

This data set includes information on sampling locations and physical conditions in lakes and streams across Ontario, as well as meteorological and lake ice-cover conditions from monitoring stations in south-central Ontario. Data were collected since 1976, as part of routine monitoring of water quality of inland waters and for scientific and research purposes.

Keywords: water quality, meteorology, hydrology, wind, dissolved oxygen, environmental monitoring

The water level data comes from the Provincial Groundwater Monitoring Network (PGMN) of Ontario. Each well in the observation network is equipped with a hydrostatic pressure transducer and a temperature sensor connected to a data logger. A second pressure transducer located above the water surface allows for adjusting the water level according to atmospheric pressure variations. The time series refers to the level below which the soil is saturated with water at the site and at the time indicated. The water level is expressed in meters above sea level (MASL). Groundwater levels are recorded hourly. The dataset consists of a general description of the observation site including; the identifier, the name, the location, the elevation, and a series of numerical values designating the water levels at a defined date and time of measurement.

This layer comprises all the available water wells in GIN (Yukon, British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador) and published through the open data platforms. This layer is a combination of all individual provincial and territorial layers. The original databases are dynamically converted by an automatic process managed by Natural Resources Canada (Groundwater Information Network).

From July through November 2018, 48 environmental samples and four quality-control samples were collected throughout the Lower Hudson, Chemung, and Eastern Lake Ontario River Basins. Samples were collected from seven production wells and eight domestic wells in the Eastern Lake Ontario Basin, 13 production wells and 12 domestic wells in the Lower Hudson River Basin, and four production wells and four domestic wells in the Chemung River Basin. Of the wells sampled, 27 were completed in bedrock and 21 were completed in sand and gravel. Approximately 20 percent of samples were collected from wells that were previously sampled in 2003, 2008, and 2013. Groundwater samples were collected prior to any treatment or filtration systems, from existing domestic and production wells equipped with permanently installed pumps.
Samples were collected and processed using standard USGS methods and were analyzed for 372 constituents including physicochemical properties, dissolved gases, major ions ...

A source water assessment identifies the vulnerability of the drinking water supply to contamination from typical human activities. The assessments are intended to facilitate and provide the basic information necessary for a local community to develop a program to protect the drinking water supply.

A source water assessment identifies the vulnerability of the drinking water supply to contamination from typical human activities. The assessments are intended to facilitate and provide the basic information necessary for a local community to develop a program to protect the drinking water supply.

Shows the Vulnerability Scoring (VS) zones in accordance with the Technical Rules for the Clean Water Act (issued in December 2008) for all municipal well fields in York Region. VS values of 2-10 are provided within Wellhead Protection Areas (WHPA) A, B, C and D (which represent the 100 metre, 0-2 year, 2-5 year and 5-25 year zones respectively), as based on scoring rules provided by the Ministry of the Environment (MOE) in the Clean Water Act. The figures and the final report present results of data compilation and computer simulations of a complex geologic setting. As outlined in the final report, data errors and data gaps are likely present in information provided to the consultant (EarthFX Inc.). In addition, computer models represent a simplification of the actual geologic and hydrogeologic conditions, and are subjected to simplifying assumptions. The data has been created by EarthFX Inc. The geologic and hydrogeologic data used as input into the numerical modelling procedure has been provided by various sources, including the MOE water-well records, previous consulting/research reports, and York Region.Please refer to the Clean Water Act approved symbology when using this data. (http://www.ontario.ca/environment-and-energy/mapping-symbology-clean-water-act)

Directory of Licensed Well Contractors This directory lists all well contractors licensed in Ontario. Listings in the directory should not be taken as advice or a recommendation of any individual contractor. The directory is updated periodically. We strongly recommend that you ask well contractors and technicians to provide proof of a valid ministry-issued licence before you retain their services. Licences expire on March 31 following the year of issue. You can also confirm license status by contacting the Wells Help Desk at: * wellshelpdesk@ontario.ca * toll-free: 1-888-396-9355 (Ontario residents only) About well contractors A well contractor is a person, partnership or company in the business of well construction. They must be licensed under the Ontario Water Resources Act. Specific licensing requirements are in the Wells Regulation. The work a contractor is allowed to do depends on the type of license held by its well technician employees. Keywords: well contractor, well technician, abandonment

A source water assessment identifies the vulnerability of the drinking water supply to contamination from typical human activities. The assessments are intended to facilitate and provide the basic information necessary for a local community to develop a program to protect the drinking water supply.

The southern Nottawasaga River Watershed is an area of intensive agriculture where the unconfined surficial groundwater aquifer is known to be impacted by agricultural practices, including high fertilizer application rates. As part of several water quality studies conducted in the Nottawasaga River Watershed in southern Ontario, groundwater samples were collected from private domestic wells, multi-level monitoring wells, and riverbank seeps (i.e., groundwater springs), at various times between 2010 and 2013. Water quality analysis of the samples included parameters measured during sampling (pH, temperature, specific conductivity, dissolved oxygen), general chemistry parameters (e.g., major anions and cations, nutrients) as well as some specialized parameters (water, nitrate, and sulfate isotope ratios, four artificial sweeteners, select herbicides). Information on the analytical methods used and interpretation of the dataset can be found in the following publications: - Pest Management Science 72: 1862-1872. (2016) https://doi.org/10.1002/ps.4218 - Journal of Environmental Quality 46: 1434-1443. (2017) https://doi.org/10.2134/jeq2017.06.0233 - Groundwater 59(5): 658-670. (2021) https://doi.org/10.1111/gwat.13093 - University of Waterloo M.Sc. thesis. https://uwspace.uwaterloo.ca/items/0a992b84-416a-445a-882d-1b8aa3405fda

Data set includes the smaller areas of sensitivity (a standard radius around water intake points) and the larger areas of concern (determined by land, soil and water characteristics of the surrounding area).

Additional Documentation

Fish Culture Operation Areas of Impact - Data Description (PDF)

Fish Culture Operation Areas of Impact - Documentation (Word)

Status

On going: Data is continually being updated

Maintenance and Update Frequency

Irregular: Data is updated in intervals that are uneven in duration

Contact

Kevin Collins, Fish and Wildlife Services Branch, Kevin.Collins@ontario.ca

To support improved groundwater geoscience knowledge for southern Ontario, a regional 3-D model of the surficial geology of southern Ontario has been developed as a part of a collaboration between the Ontario Geological Survey and the Geological Survey of Canada. Covering approximately 66,870 km2 in area, the model is a synthesis of existing geological models, surficial geology mapping, and subsurface data. The model is a simplified 9-layer reclassification of numerous mapped local surficial sediment formations in places over 200 m thick with a total volume of approximately 2,455 km3. The model integrates 1:50,000 scale surficial geology mapping with 90 m bathymetrically corrected topographic digital elevation model (DEM) and 8 existing local 3-D models. Archival subsurface data include 10,237 geotechnical and stratigraphic boreholes, 3,312 picks from geophysical surveys, 15,902 field mapping sites and sections, 537 monitoring and water supply wells and 282,995 water well records. Roughly corresponding to regional aquifer and aquitard layers, primary model layers are (from oldest to youngest): Bedrock, Basal Aquifer, Lower Sediment, Regional Till, Post Regional Till Channel Fill, Glaciofluvial Sediment, Post Regional Till Mud, Glaciolacustrine Sand and Recent Sediment / Organics. Modelling was completed using an implicit modelling application (LeapFrog®) complemented by an expert knowledge approach to data classification and rules-based Expert System procedure for data interpretation and validation. An iterative cycle of automated data coding, intermediate model construction and manual data corrections, expert evaluations, and revisions lead to the final 3-D model. A semi-quantitative confidence assessment has been made for each model layer surface based on data quality, distribution and density. This surficial geology model completes the development of a series of regional 3-D geological and hydrogeological models for southern Ontario.

The Source Water Protection Information Atlas is compiled by the Ontario Ministry of the Environment,Conservation and Parks (MECP) to display data on source water protection and vulnerability from Ontario's Conservation Authorities, including the Severn Sound Environmental Association and Municipality of Northern Bruce Peninsula, as well as Ontario parcel data from the Ontario Ministry of Northern Development, Mines, Natural Resources and Forestry.Search a location to see if it is in a vulnerable area – that is, close to a municipal drinking water well or other drinking water intake. In these areas certain land or water activities, if left unchecked, could pollute the water supply. If your location is in a vulnerable area, follow the link to the Help section, identify the threats for the zone, check the policy tab and if needed go to the source protection plan to find out what activities are prohibited or need to be managed.You may also follow the link to the Threats Tool, in the Help section to identify what activities pose a threat to drinking water sources in the zone.

To download the data, scroll down, click on the layer name, and then click the Download button.Click for Metadata here: SWP Drinking Water Well Metadata (2024).