Groundwater

Target groundwater separation

In many areas of Ontario the target separation between the base of an exfiltrating LID practice and the water table is 1.0 m. This is to mitigate risks due to short periods of groundwater mounding and potentially unobserved seasonal fluctuations. In areas where a 1.0 m separation cannot be provided, or where conditions dictate that an even greater separation may be warranted, additional discussion and/or analysis specific to the physical characteristics of the site and the proposed design should be completed. The design practitioner is advised to consult with approval agencies to understand their requirements and/or expectations prior to undertaking work, and to complete an appropriate level of analysis to support their conclusion. The requirement for additional investigation and/or documentation supporting a proposed design may be reduced in areas where ≥ 1.0 m separation is anticipated.

Retention of an unsaturated zone beneath the practice :

• Minimizes the potential for functional impacts associated with reduced percolation rates,
• Maintains the physical and biochemical water quality treatment benefits provided within the vadose zone.

Groundwater mounding

Groundwater mounding describes the localised raising of the water table beneath infiltration practices. It may be of concern if it affects nearby structures including building foundations. When you wish to model the extent of groundwater mounding beneath an infiltration facility, use this Tool that incorporates Hantush's derivation (1967).

Download the Hantush groundwater mounding tool

Note that this is a minor adaptation (metric units and formatting) from the original tool, written and hosted by the USGS.

Preventing groundwater interaction

Many LID systems rely upon reuse, or evaporation and transpiration instead of infiltration to the ground. If the site cannot support any infiltration, consider

• Rainwater harvesting,
• Stormwater planters,
• Green roofs, or
• Blue roofs.

Oak Ridges Moraine Groundwater Program

Depth to groundwater raster and contours from the ORMGP

https://oakridgeswater.ca/

The Oak Ridges Moraine focused program stretches from the Credit and Nottawasaga River watersheds in the west to the Trent River in the east and reaches from the shores of Lake Ontario northwards to beyond Lake Simcoe and the Kawartha Lakes. Within the publicly accessible [mapping] portion of the website you have the ability to generate maps of model predicted water table elevation and depth to water table for sites captured within the regional groundwater model.

Other sources of groundwater data

• Ontario groundwater
• Provincial groundwater monitoring network map

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Low Impact Development. A stormwater management strategy that seeks to mitigate the impacts of increased urban runoff and stormwater pollution by managing it as close to its source as possible. It comprises a set of site design approaches and small scale stormwater management practices that promote the use of natural systems for infiltration and evapotranspiration, and rainwater harvesting.

The upper surface of the zone of saturation, except where the surface is formed by an impermeable body.

Subsurface water level which is defined by the level below which all the spaces in the soil are filled with water; The entire region below the water table is called the saturated zone.

Abiotic transfer of water vapour to the atmosphere.

The slow movement of water into or through a soil or drainage system.

Penetration of water through the ground surface.