Poisoning the well: neoliberalism and the contamination of municipal water in Walkerton, Ontario

In May of 2000, thousands of residents of the town of Walkerton, Ontario became ill from drinking municipal water contaminated by Escherichia coli and Campylobacter jejuni bacteria. Seven people died, while many suffered debilitating injuries. A highly unusual and risk prone local hydrological regime, coupled with manure spreading on farms near municipal wells, and lax oversight by municipal water utility officials, were quickly blamed by Ontario government figures, including then premier Mike Harris. However, the scandal surrounding Walkerton's tragedy and a subsequent public inquiry into the incident also implicated neoliberal reforms of environmental governance introduced by Harris's government subsequent to its election in 1995. This paper examines the Walkerton incident as an important example of a “normal accident” of neoliberalism, one that can be expected from neoliberal environmental regulatory reforms arising from systematic irresponsibility in environmental governance. This irresponsibility is promulgated by an overarching hostility to any regulatory interference with free markets, as well as specific regulatory gaps that produce environmental risks. The paper also serves as a case study of the extent to which neoliberalism is constituted by environmental governance reform, and conversely, how environmental governance reform is reconfigured as part of the emergent neoliberal mode of social regulation.     

An institutional perspective on local capacity for source water protection

Provision of safe drinking water is one of the global challenges of the 21st century. Effective water treatment is a key aspect of drinking water safety. However, just as important is ensuring that sources of drinking water such as rivers and aquifers are protected from contamination. In that context, source water protection is recognized as the first barrier in a multi-barrier approach to drinking water safety. Source water protection occurs at the local scale, and involves numerous local actors with varying capabilities. Consequently, institutional arrangements (IAs) for land use planning and water management are key determinants shaping local capacity for source water protection. The purpose of this research was to evaluate the extent to which existing IAs enhance or constrain the capacity of local governments to protect source waters. An evaluation framework, developed around four core elements drawing from functional and relational perspectives on capacity and capacity building, was applied to the Oldman River basin, Alberta. Results showed that local capacity for source water protection is constrained by existing IAs that do not encourage the generation of a locally relevant technical knowledge base and which assign legal authority for regulating intensive livestock operations to the provincial government. Formal mechanisms for integrating land use planning and water management, which could help overcome these functional constraints and provide opportunities for broad public involvement, have yet to be developed in Alberta. Meaningful participation can provide local governments with an ability to encourage source protection on private lands and enhance their leverage when confronting public land and livestock production issues. However, if local capacity is to be facilitated through IAs that encourage interaction among local governments, stakeholders and residents, then capacity building initiatives should also take into consideration how existing IAs help to maintain and to reproduce local power differentials.     

CAD-DRASTIC: chloride application density combined with DRASTIC for assessing groundwater vulnerability to road salt application

Road salt is pervasively used throughout Canada and in other cold regions during winter. For cities relying exclusively on groundwater, it is important to plan and minimize the application of salt accordingly to mitigate the adverse effects of high chloride concentrations in water supply aquifers. The use of geospatial data (road network, land use, Quaternary and bedrock geology, average annual recharge, water-table depth, soil distribution, topography) in the DRASTIC methodology provides an efficient way of distinguishing salt-vulnerable areas associated with groundwater supply wells, to aid in the implementation of appropriate management practices for road salt application in urban areas. This research presents a GIS-based methodology to accomplish a vulnerability analysis for 12 municipal water supply wells within the City of Guelph, Ontario, Canada. The chloride application density (CAD) value at each supply well is calculated and related to the measured groundwater chloride concentrations and further combined with soil media and aquifer vadose- and saturated-zone properties used in DRASTIC. This combined approach, CAD-DRASTIC, is more accurate than existing groundwater vulnerability mapping methods and can be used by municipalities and other water managers to further improve groundwater protection related to road salt application.     

Locating social capital in resilient community-level emergency management

This paper distinguishes between two types of emergency management at the local scale—municipal government responsibilities and community-level initiatives. It argues that these are interdependent, but separate aspects of emergency management. Communities, whether or not tied to particular places, are posited as being key, but often overlooked resources in both proactive and reactive phases of emergency management. Of particular importance within communities are the social capital resources (networks of strong and weak ties) that may work to improve a community’s resilience to risks and hazards. Two cases studies, the 2003 electricity power blackout in the eastern parts of both Canada and the United States and the 2000 water-borne disaster in Walkerton are utilised to demonstrate the concepts developed in the paper.     

Insights and participatory actions driven by a socio-hydrogeological approach for groundwater management: the Grombalia Basin case study (Tunisia)

Sustainable groundwater management strategies in water-scarce countries need to guide future decision-making processes pragmatically, by simultaneously considering local needs, environmental problems and economic development. The socio-hydrogeological approach named ‘Bir Al-Nas’ has been tested in the Grombalia region (Cap Bon Peninsula, Tunisia), to evaluate the effectiveness of complementing hydrogeochemical and hydrogeological investigations with the social dimension of the issue at stake (which, in this case, is the identification of groundwater pollution sources). Within this approach, the social appraisal, performed through social network analysis and public engagement of water end-users, allowed hydrogeologists to get acquainted with the institutional dimension of local groundwater management, identifying issues, potential gaps (such as weak knowledge transfer among concerned stakeholders), and the key actors likely to support the implementation of the new science-based management practices resulting from the ongoing hydrogeological investigation. Results, hence, go beyond the specific relevance for the Grombaila basin, showing the effectiveness of the proposed approach and the importance of including social assessment in any given hydrogeological research aimed at supporting local development through groundwater protection measures.     

Assessment of arsenic and fluoride pollution in groundwater in Dawukou area,Northwest China,and the associated health risk for inhabitants

Exposure to arsenic and fluoride through contaminated drinking water can cause serious health effects. In this study, the sources and occurrence of arsenic and fluoride contaminants in groundwater are analyzed in Dawukou area, northwest China, where inhabitants rely on groundwater as the source of drinking water. The triangular fuzzy numbers approach is adopted to assess health risk. The fuzzy risk assessment model incorporates the uncertainties that are caused by data gaps and variability in the degree of exposure to contaminants. The results showed that arsenic and fluoride in groundwater were mainly controlled by the dissolution–precipitation of Ca-arsenate and fluorite under weakly alkaline conditions. The arsenic and fluoride concentrations were higher in the shallow groundwater. The most probable risk values for arsenic and fluoride were 4.57 × 10^?4 and 0.4 in the shallow groundwater, and 1.58 × 10^?4 and 0.3 in the deep groundwater. Although the risks of fluoride were almost within the acceptable limit (<1.0), the risk values of arsenic were all beyond the acceptable levels of 10^?6 for drinking water. Further, the local administration should pay more attention to the potential health risk through dietary intake and to the safety of deep water by ensuring it is not contaminated under prolonged pumping conditions. The fuzzy risk model treats the uncertainties associated with a quantitative approach and provides valuable information for decision makers when uncertainties are explicitly acknowledged, particularly for the variability in contaminants. This study can provide a new insight for solving data uncertainties in risk management.     

Transient bacterial contamination of the dual-porosity aquifer at Walkerton,Ontario, Canada

Contamination of the Paleozoic carbonate aquifer at Walkerton (Ontario, Canada) by pathogenic bacteria following heavy rain in May 2000 resulted in 2,300 illnesses and seven deaths. Subsequent tracer testing showed that there was rapid groundwater flow in the aquifer, and also rapid exchange between the aquifer and the ground surface. Electrical conductivity (EC) profiling during a 3-day pumping test showed that most flow was through bedding-plane fractures spaced about 10 m apart, that there were substantial contrasts in EC in the major fracture flows, and that there were rapid changes over time. Total coliform sampling revealed transient groundwater contamination, particularly after heavy rain and lasting up to a few days. These characteristics can be understood in terms of the dual-porosity nature of the aquifer. Most of the storage is in the matrix, but this can be considered to be static in the short term. Almost all transport is through the fracture network, which has rapid groundwater flow (～100 m/day) and rapid transmission of pressure pulses due to the high hydraulic diffusivity. Rapid recharge can occur through thin and/or fractured overburden and at spring sites where flow is reversed by pumping during episodes of surface flooding. These characteristics facilitated the ingress of surface-derived bacteria into the aquifer, and their rapid transport within the aquifer to pumping wells. Bacterial presence is common in carbonate aquifers, and this can be explained by the well-connected, large-aperture fracture networks in these dual-porosity aquifers, even though many, such as at Walkerton, lack karst landforms.     

Groundwater status and associated issues in the Mekong-Lancang River Basin: International collaborations to achieve sustainable groundwater resources

Groundwater is an important and readily available source of fresh water in the Mekong-Lancang River Basin. With a rapid population growth and increasing human activities, an increasing number of countries in the Mekong-Lancang River Basin are experiencing depleted and degraded groundwater supplies. In transboundary river basins, such as the Mekong-Lancang River, prioritizing the use of the shared aquifer by one riparian government may affect the opportunities of other riparian governments and lead to potential water conflicts between neighboring countries. To promote the sharing of strategies and information for the sustainable and equitable use of water resources of the shared basin, international collaborative workshops on groundwater resources have been organized for all Mekong-Lancang River countries. These workshops provide an opportunity to communicate and discuss nationally sensitive issues on groundwater by the associated countries, with topics covering multiple aspects of groundwater, such as the groundwater status in the basin, quality issues, water use conflicts, hydrological information gaps, management policies and capacity building for successful water resource management. Consensus has been reached by all countries on the importance of catchment-based groundwater management and the need for close communication among the countries. Strategies for managing transboundary aquifer issues must foster international collaboration based on the regional network, influence national networks and enhance the capacity to building maps and monitoring systems based on associated databases. The sustainability of water resources cannot be achieved without the integrated involvement and contributions by multiple countries and various stakeholders. Therefore, collaborative workshops provide a great opportunity to further our understanding of the hydrologic processes of the Mekong River Basin, share the benefits of the aquifer and provide a strategy and vision for sustainable water resource management in the Mekong-Lancang River countries.     

Climate change and groundwater resources in Lao PDR

The national economy of Lao PDR is highly dependent on water resources. Consequently, the sustainable management of groundwater and successful adaptations to future climate change are major concerns. Climate projections for Lao PDR predict increased rainfall and hot weather, with more intense rainfall events and more frequent and severe droughts and floods. Under climate change, reductions in the amount and quality of groundwater are two critical problems. Reductions of the groundwater level will restrict the access of local people to groundwater resources, thereby posing a threat to food security and livelihoods. Lao PDR suffers from a limited number of human resources with the requisite skills to perform groundwater investigations and provide sustainable management. For the successful implementation of groundwater management plans, limitations associated with funding and technology should be resolved via support from the government and international cooperation. Advanced action plans for capacity building and training courses should be established to strengthen administrative and individual capacities. Technical measures, such as groundwater monitoring, aquifer characterizations, and water treatment systems, should be implemented to manage future climate change and water resource security.     

Modeling effects of nitrate from non-point sources on groundwater quality in an agricultural watershed in Prince Edward Island, Canada

Intensification of potato farming has contaminated groundwater with nitrate in many cases in Prince Edward Island, Canada, which raises concerns for drinking water quality and associated ecosystem protection. Numerical models were developed to simulate nitrate-N transport in groundwater and enhance understanding of the impacts of farming on water quality in the Wilmot River watershed. Nitrate is assumed non-reactive based on δ¹⁵N and δ¹⁸O in nitrate and geochemical information. The source functions were reconstructed from tile drain measurements, N budget and historical land-use information. The transport model was calibrated to long-term nitrate-N observations in the Wilmot River and verified against nitrate-N measurements in two rivers from watersheds with similar physical conditions. Simulations show groundwater flow is stratified and vertical flux decreases exponentially with depth. While it would take several years to reduce the nitrate-N in the shallow portion of the aquifer, it would take several decades or even longer to restore water quality in the deeper portions of the aquifer. Elevated nitrate-N concentrations in base flow are positively correlated with potato cropping intensity and significant reductions in nitrate-N loading are required if the nitrate level of surface water is to recover to the standard in the Canadian Water Quality Guidelines.     

石羊河流域水资源开发利用与补给之间的协调性评判

在甘肃省石羊河流域历史水资源开发利用情况简述基础上,结合城镇化进程,提出目前武威市的农业用水来源于祁连山山前水库拦蓄地表水,景电二期延伸工程向民勤所调黄河水及部分地方开采地下水;工业、生活用水均取自地下水,水量供给与天然补给上已处于严重失调状态。就城市地下水源地保护区划分而言,以传统的地下水开采影响半径为基本依据所进行的现代地下水源地保护区划分是不合理、不够科学的,应当在地下水补给、径流、排泄条件分析基础上,将水源地上游整个流域划定为保护区,以永久性解决城市地下水供水中存在的水源地安全问题。另外,针对石羊河流域重点治理规划中的调水方案,比较科学、合理的做法是：应从石羊河流域地下水文地质条件出发,遵循第四世地质历史时期形成的地下水补给、径流、排泄通道,在全流域实施压减灌溉面积、减少地下水开采量的同时,将景电二期延伸工程所调黄河水与祁连山山前部分水库地表水部分地或全部地从石羊河上游———武威盆地上游区域通过灌溉或其它方式下渗,补给进入地下水系统中,最终达到六河水系及下游地下水位停止下降,石羊河下游民勤盆地地下水位持续回升的综合治理规划目标,而不是将水直接调入下游民勤盆地。     

基于层次分析法的丹东地区地下水污染防治区划

为查明丹东地区地下水质量与污染现状,提出科学的污染防治区划建议,基于层次分析法原理,选择地下水质量状况、污染现状、天然脆弱性、土地利用状况、地下水资源状况及开采现状为准则层,综合运用模糊评价法、层级阶梯法、DRASTIC法、线性加权函数法和MapGIS空间分析等技术方法开展研究.结果表明：Ⅰ~Ⅲ类水质分布面积占全区面积的91.65%,轻-中度污染水占95.81%,较弱-中等地下水脆弱区域占98.15%,准则层各指标综合评价后全区可划分为重要地下水水源地保护区、自然防护区、一般防护区和重点防护区等4类地下水污染防治保护区.结论：丹东地区总体地下水环境状况良好,但重点防护区内城镇化程度较高,人类活动对地下水环境影响较强,建议地方政府通过定期监测评价水质与水量、改善用水单位取水和排污工艺、合理调配地表水与地下水资源开发等方式加强防护.     

Sensitivity of GRACE-derived estimates of groundwater-level changes in southern Ontario,Canada

Amidst changing climates, understanding the world’s water resources is of increasing importance. In Ontario, Canada, low water conditions are currently assessed using only precipitation and watershed-based stream gauges by the Conservation Authorities in Ontario and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry. Regional groundwater-storage changes in Ontario are not currently measured using satellite data by research institutes. In this study, contributions from the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) data are compared to a hydrogeological database covering southern Ontario from 2003 to 2013, to determine the suitability of GRACE total water storage estimates for monitoring groundwater storage in this location. Terrestrial water storage data from GRACE were used to determine monthly groundwater storage (GWS) anomaly values. GWS values were also determined by multiplying groundwater-level elevations (from the Provincial Groundwater Monitoring Network wells) by specific yield. Comparisons of GRACE-derived GWS to well-based GWS data determined that GRACE is sufficiently sensitive to obtain a meaningful signal in southern Ontario. Results show that GWS values produced by GRACE are useful for identifying regional changes in groundwater storage in areas with limited available hydrogeological characterization data. Results also indicate that GRACE may have an ability to forecast changes in groundwater storage, which will become useful when monitoring climate shifts in the near future.     

Impacts of European settlement (1840–present) in a Great Lake watershed and lagoon: Frenchman’s Bay, Lake Ontario, Canada

The northern shore of Lake Ontario is one of the longest settled parts of Canada beginning around 1795. Accelerated settlement and deforestation after 1840 resulted in massive soil loss from easily-eroded Pleistocene glacial landscapes and the siltation of creeks and lagoons. Channel capacity was reduced but river flow was enhanced by diminished infiltration resulting in straightening of meandering channels, accelerated erosion of stream banks, increased incidence of downstream flooding and large influxes of mud to Lake Ontario. Conservation measures after World War II were successful but rapid urban sprawl after 1970 hardened watersheds and badly impacted the quality and quantity of surface and ground waters flowing to Lake Ontario. The Frenchman’s Bay watershed (27 km²) 50 km east of Toronto is one of the country’s most urbanized (pop: 100,000; 76 % urban cover) and is crossed by Canada’s busiest highway (Highway 401). The watershed drains to Lake Ontario through a coastal lagoon (Frenchman’s Bay) in which pre-settlement postglacial carbonate is abruptly overlain by a ‘European settlement’ mud layer rich in weed pollen and organic debris; the uppermost ‘urban’ part of this deposit shows elevated level of metals and other contaminants. This layer records soil loss after 1840 and more recently, the influx of contaminated urban waters and sediment. Some 7,600 tonnes of road salt have been applied to the lagoon watershed each year producing spikes of brackish surface runoff during winter thaws. Some 50 % of the total salt applied to the entire watershed is conveyed directly to Frenchman’s Bay Lagoon via surface runoff; the rest enters the groundwater system resulting in year-round brackish baseflow to creeks. Chloride continues to be stored in underlying aquifers such that the system has yet to reach a steady-state discharge. Future salinity of baseflow reaching the lagoon can be expected to increase by about 40 %. Rapid migration of contaminated groundwater is facilitated by the widespread presence of thick (<8 m) coarse-grained and heterogeneous fill materials of the built landscape. The watershed is experiencing ongoing changes in land use as urban infilling proceeds. The aquatic ecology of inflowing creeks to the lagoon has been greatly impacted resulting in major loss of wetlands and submergent vegetation and distinct changes in the structure of fish populations. This is the most detailed study of an urban watershed in Canada; lack of knowledge elsewhere is a constraint on the design and testing of mitigation measures and is a major impediment to assessing the impact of ongoing climate change on urban water resources, and the effects of urban runoff on Great Lakes water quality.     

天山北麓中段拗陷带地下水库的特征及其开发利用建议

本文在对天山北麓中段山前拗陷带地下水库的各项特征进行总结的基础上,将天山北麓中段山前拗陷带划分为5个巨型地下水库,它们具有储存量大、补给条件好、调蓄能力强、供水保证程度高、水质优良等诸多优点。进而提出了地下水库勘察评价、开发与保护的4点建议:①尽快开展天山北麓构造洼地巨型地下水库天然和人工调蓄能力的勘察评价,为水资源合理利用提供科学依据;②山前构造洼地巨型地下水库是首选饮水水源和重要的工业供水基地;③优化渠系利用方式,实现地表水与地下水联合利用;④实施地下水保护战略,确保人民群众饮水长治久安。     

Tracer tests, hydrochemical and microbiological investigations as a basis for groundwater protection in a remote tropical mountainous karst area, Vietnam

The Tam Duong karst area in NW Vietnam is among the poorest and remotest regions in the country. The local population largely depends on water from two main karst springs. Due to agricultural activity and untreated domestic wastewaters, the spring water is often microbiologically contaminated. In order to provide a scientific basis for groundwater protection in the area, different field methods have been applied including hydrogeological framework investigations, tracer tests, and hydrochemical and microbiological sampling and analyses. All methods had to be adapted to the conditions of a poor and remote area. These adaptations included, amongst other measures, the use of a portable microbiological water_testing kit and the involvement of the local population in the sampling campaign. The tracer tests showed simple and direct connections between two important swallow holes and the two main springs, and made it possible to determine the linear groundwater flow velocities, which are extremely high (up to 875 m/h). The hydrochemical and microbiological data confirmed the strong impact of the streams sinking into the swallow holes on the spring water quality. Future groundwater source protection strategies should consequently focus on the reduction of polluting activities near the sinking streams and within their catchment areas.     

Saltwater intrusion in coastal regions of North America

Saltwater has intruded into many of the coastal aquifers of the United States, Mexico, and Canada, but the extent of saltwater intrusion varies widely among localities and hydrogeologic settings. In many instances, the area contaminated by saltwater is limited to small parts of an aquifer and to specific wells and has had little or no effect on overall groundwater supplies; in other instances, saltwater contamination is of regional extent and has resulted in the closure of many groundwater supply wells. The variability of hydrogeologic settings, three-dimensional distribution of saline water, and history of groundwater withdrawals and freshwater drainage has resulted in a variety of modes of saltwater intrusion into coastal aquifers. These include lateral intrusion from the ocean; upward intrusion from deeper, more saline zones of a groundwater system; and downward intrusion from coastal waters. Saltwater contamination also has occurred along open boreholes and within abandoned, improperly constructed, or corroded wells that provide pathways for vertical migration across interconnected aquifers. Communities within the coastal regions of North America are taking actions to manage and prevent saltwater intrusion to ensure a sustainable source of groundwater for the future. These actions can be grouped broadly into scientific monitoring and assessment, engineering techniques, and regulatory approaches.     

Water lily (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Nymphaea</Emphasis> sp.): an alternative organic amendment for treatment of hydrocarbon-contaminated soil by chemical–biological stabilization

The chemical–biological stabilization technology has been employed in several successful studies using sugarcane cachasse as the organic amendment. However, in some petroleum-producing areas, there are no sugar mills nearby (which is the source of this material), and the cost of transport to the contaminated site is prohibitive. Therefore, water lily, which is considered a weedy plant in many tropical and subtropical areas, was evaluated as an alternative. In 3-month experiment, water lily was compared (with and without addition of molasses) with cachasse for the treatment of clayey sediment contaminated with > 6% extra-heavy crude oil. All treatments resulted in a reduction in the hydrocarbon concentration of 15–23%, without significant differences (P > 0.05). During this process, the pH was reduced to the 7–7.5 range and water repellency (molarity ethanol drop) to 3.5–3.6 M. Also, field capacity increased to 36.3–38.5% humidity, establishing adequate conditions for the development of vegetation at this site. Likewise, toxicity was reduced to practically null (Vibrio fischeri bioassay), and hydrocarbons in leachates were reduced to 3.4–4.3 mg/l, conditions adequate for the protection of groundwater and human health in rural areas. This study confirms that water lily is an adequate substitute for the application of this treatment method for hydrocarbon-contaminated sites that are far from sugar production areas.     

开采浅层地下水对地面沉降影响的探讨

苏锡常地区由于长期过量开采深层地下水，已诱发了严重的地面沉降灾害。为此，江苏省政府下达了在2005年全面禁采深层地下水的文件。为解决用水问题，许多专家、学者建议开采利用浅层地下水。在苏锡常地区开采浅层地下水是否会同样诱发严重的地面沉降问题，是目前争议的焦点。文章详述了苏锡常地区水文地质条件及地面沉降现状，确定了地面沉降的各种影响因素，分析对比了浅层地下水与深层地下水在开采条件下所能引起的地面沉降量，说明采用合理的开采工艺开发利用浅层地下水不会诱发严重的地面沉降。     

黑龙江绥芬河市北寒葱河河谷地下水水质保护及开发利用建议

为掌握绥芬河市北寒葱河河谷地下水的水质状况,向地方提供合理的水资源开发建议,本研究以地质、水文地质调查、水样采集等手段为基础,利用模糊综合评价法和层级阶梯法分别进行了研究区地下水水质和污染状况评价,应用物探测试、抽水试验等原位测试技术论证了区域地下水的富水性。以上工作基本查明了研究区地下水的水量和水质现状.认为研究区裂隙承压水一般为Ⅰ~Ⅲ类水质,污染等级为未污染水,水质状况较好,污染程度较低,宜于饮用;中生代构造破碎带涌水量可达350m³·d^-1以上,建议地方政府应重点围绕构造破碎带开展物探找水,并开展地下水源地分区保护规划.