The Region of Waterloo (ROW) and Oxford County contain a significant landscape unit called the Waterloo Moraine that provides multiple ecological and water resource functions to surrounding communities. These functions include; providing a clean and abundant source of water, natural landscapes for plant and animal habitats, natural areas for recreational enjoyment, prime agricultural lands on which to grow food and aggregate resources in close proximity to large markets. This landscape unit is similar to the Oak Ridges Moraine (ORM) located in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). The purpose of this research is to conduct an examination of the current state of management for the Waterloo Moraine within the ROW and Oxford County. Attributes of the Waterloo Moraine examined include; water resources, agricultural resources, mineral aggregate resources, Environmentally Sensitive Landscapes (ESLs), natural core areas, natural linkage areas and settlement areas. While the hydrologic functions have been most studied within this landscape unit, the Moraine has predominantly been studied from a focused perspective rather than a comprehensive one. Using expert knowledge and available secondary sources the following research questions are investigated: (1) What do we currently know about the Waterloo Moraine and how is this knowledge (or lack thereof) applied to its future existence and sustainability? (2) Who are the stakeholders when it comes to growth and management of the Waterloo Moraine? (3) Which places need to be protected from development most throughout the Waterloo Moraine? (4) Where does the Waterloo Moraine fit into management policies and plans existing in the Region of Waterloo and within the Province of Ontario? Key results of this research include; (1) The boundary of the Waterloo Moraine remains undefined; however, rough estimates of the overall size and various portions within each county, township and city it encompasses have been projected. To date, the largest portion of the Moraine lies in Wilmot Township (36.9%) and the smallest portion lies in North Dumfries (3%). (2) Many stakeholders are involved in the protection and management of the Waterloo Moraine. Regional and provincial officials ultimately control where development and growth occur and which areas in the ROW should be protected most. Those responsible for the initial ‘push’ for Moraine protection are grassroots groups and individuals coupled with the local media. (3) Criteria designating development ‘hot spots’ across the Waterloo Moraine has been established and six ‘hot spots’ within the Waterloo Moraine are designated. Limited recognition has been given to the Waterloo Moraine complex in regional policies. It is therefore suggested that the creation of a Waterloo Moraine Act be considered in order to protect and manage this landscape unit. The Act would promote protection measures for the Moraine’s valuable attributes at the highest provincial level and eventually lead to a conservation plan. It is recommended that the ROW further refine the Waterloo Moraine’s boundaries, develop a database to monitor changes in various features and functions across the Waterloo Moraine’s landscape and promote the implementation of a Waterloo Moraine Act.

The Region of Waterloo (ROW) and Oxford County contain a significant landscape unit called the Waterloo Moraine that provides multiple ecological and water resource functions to surrounding communities. These functions include; providing a clean and abundant source of water, natural landscapes for plant and animal habitats, natural areas for recreational enjoyment, prime agricultural lands on which to grow food and aggregate resources in close proximity to large markets. This landscape unit is similar to the Oak Ridges Moraine (ORM) located in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). The purpose of this research is to conduct an examination of the current state of management for the Waterloo Moraine within the ROW and Oxford County. Attributes of the Waterloo Moraine examined include; water resources, agricultural resources, mineral aggregate resources, Environmentally Sensitive Landscapes (ESLs), natural core areas, natural linkage areas and settlement areas. While the hydrologic functions have been most studied within this landscape unit, the Moraine has predominantly been studied from a focused perspective rather than a comprehensive one. Using expert knowledge and available secondary sources the following research questions are investigated: (1) What do we currently know about the Waterloo Moraine and how is this knowledge (or lack thereof) applied to its future existence and sustainability? (2) Who are the stakeholders when it comes to growth and management of the Waterloo Moraine? (3) Which places need to be protected from development most throughout the Waterloo Moraine? (4) Where does the Waterloo Moraine fit into management policies and plans existing in the Region of Waterloo and within the Province of Ontario? Key results of this research include; (1) The boundary of the Waterloo Moraine remains undefined; however, rough estimates of the overall size and various portions within each county, township and city it encompasses have been projected. To date, the largest portion of the Moraine lies in Wilmot Township (36.9%) and the smallest portion lies in North Dumfries (3%). (2) Many stakeholders are involved in the protection and management of the Waterloo Moraine. Regional and provincial officials ultimately control where development and growth occur and which areas in the ROW should be protected most. Those responsible for the initial ‘push’ for Moraine protection are grassroots groups and individuals coupled with the local media. (3) Criteria designating development ‘hot spots’ across the Waterloo Moraine has been established and six ‘hot spots’ within the Waterloo Moraine are designated. Limited recognition has been given to the Waterloo Moraine complex in regional policies. It is therefore suggested that the creation of a Waterloo Moraine Act be considered in order to protect and manage this landscape unit. The Act would promote protection measures for the Moraine’s valuable attributes at the highest provincial level and eventually lead to a conservation plan. It is recommended that the ROW further refine the Waterloo Moraine’s boundaries, develop a database to monitor changes in various features and functions across the Waterloo Moraine’s landscape and promote the implementation of a Waterloo Moraine Act.

The Region of Waterloo relies mainly (75 %) on local groundwater resources for its drinking water supply. The water demand is increasing with the growth of the population and there is a need to enhance the present water supplies. The Regional Municipality of Waterloo (RMOW), which is the governing body in charge of providing the drinking water supply, is conducting an extensive program to protect the groundwater resources of the Waterloo Moraine aquifer. The focus of that work is defining the wellhead protection areas of the existing production wells as well as the investigation of potential further water supply. The main goal of the work presented here is to delineate the capture zones for the major well fields of the Region. To achieve that goal, the flow for the expected pumping conditions is simulated using a fully 3D finite element model (WATFLOW) which has been proven to be highly flexible to represent the natural boundaries and the highly irregular stratigraphy by previous researchers and scholars. The modified version of this model which includes a pseudo-unsaturated module is used for the solution of flow equation. For the delineation of capture zones, a new particle tracking code (WATRAC) as well as two advective-dispersive transport models are used by using a probabilistic approach presented by Neupauer and Wilson [1999]. For the probabilistic approach (Wilson's method), two transport models, a conventional time-marching code (WTC) and a time-continuous code (LTG) are usedand their results are compared. The LTG is computationally more efficient than the WTC, but it gives oscillatory results close to the steady state condition. A combined used of LTG and WTC istherefore recommended to obtain the steady state capture zones. The 0. 25 probability contour agrees very well with the particle tracks, except for somewhat greater transverse spreading due tothe dispersion which is not considered by the particle tracking algorithm. Both methods, backward particle tracking and probabilistic advective-dispersive modelling are clearly more informative and give better insight when considered together than each by itself.

The Region of Waterloo relies mainly (75 %) on local groundwater resources for its drinking water supply. The water demand is increasing with the growth of the population and there is a need to enhance the present water supplies. The Regional Municipality of Waterloo (RMOW), which is the governing body in charge of providing the drinking water supply, is conducting an extensive program to protect the groundwater resources of the Waterloo Moraine aquifer. The focus of that work is defining the wellhead protection areas of the existing production wells as well as the investigation of potential further water supply. The main goal of the work presented here is to delineate the capture zones for the major well fields of the Region. To achieve that goal, the flow for the expected pumping conditions is simulated using a fully 3D finite element model (WATFLOW) which has been proven to be highly flexible to represent the natural boundaries and the highly irregular stratigraphy by previous researchers and scholars. The modified version of this model which includes a pseudo-unsaturated module is used for the solution of flow equation. For the delineation of capture zones, a new particle tracking code (WATRAC) as well as two advective-dispersive transport models are used by using a probabilistic approach presented by Neupauer and Wilson [1999]. For the probabilistic approach (Wilson's method), two transport models, a conventional time-marching code (WTC) and a time-continuous code (LTG) are usedand their results are compared. The LTG is computationally more efficient than the WTC, but it gives oscillatory results close to the steady state condition. A combined used of LTG and WTC istherefore recommended to obtain the steady state capture zones. The 0. 25 probability contour agrees very well with the particle tracks, except for somewhat greater transverse spreading due tothe dispersion which is not considered by the particle tracking algorithm. Both methods, backward particle tracking and probabilistic advective-dispersive modelling are clearly more informative and give better insight when considered together than each by itself.

Accessibility to consistent subsurface hydrostratigraphic information is crucial for the development of robust groundwater flow and contaminant transport models. However, full three-dimensional understanding of the subsurface geology is often the missing link. Construction of watershed-scale hydrostratigraphic models continues to be limited by the quality and density of borehole data which often lack detailed geologic information. This can become a serious problem where rapid sediment facies changes and intricate sediment architecture occur. This research is motivated by the idea that if we can understand more about the distribution of sediments and structures of complex deposits, we learn more about depositional processes and how they affect the internal geometry of a deposit and the distribution of hydraulic properties. One approach is to study surficial excavations (e.g. sand and gravel pits) that often punctuate shallow aquifers. The purpose of this study is to develop and test a method of integrating high-resolution georeferenced stratigraphic and sedimentologic information from sand and gravel pits as a means to better document sedimentologic data and improve understanding of the depositional environments. The study area is located within the Waterloo Moraine, in southwestern Ontario, and is an unconsolidated shallow aquifer system with a complex internal architecture and sediment heterogeneity. The method involves the integration of high-resolution field data with borehole and geophysical information in a computer-based 3D environment. A total of fourteen virtual sedimentary sections were constructed by georegistering digital photographs within a framework of georeferenced positions collected using a reflectorless total station and GPS. Fourteen sediment facies have been described in the field. These include crudely stratified gravel beds, planar and cross-laminated sandy strata (ripple and dune scales), along with laminated and massive silty and clayey beds. Calculated hydraulic conductivities span over seven orders of magnitude. The analysis of a single excavation has shown contrasting sediment assemblages from one end of the pit to the other, highlighting the complexity of the Waterloo Moraine. The heterogeneous and deformed layers of gravel, sand, and mud may be the product of an ice-contact to ice-proximal environment, whereas the extensive sandy assemblages may reflect an intermediate subaqueous fan region. The results also suggest that the borehole database overestimates the amount of fine-grained material in the study area. Finally, this research demonstrates that it is possible to build in a timely manner a 3D virtual sedimentologic database. New emerging technologies will lead to increased resolution and accuracy, and will help streamline the process even further. The possibility of expanding the 3D geodatabase to other excavations across the region in a timely manner is likely to lead to improved hydrostratigraphic models and, by extension, to more efficient strategies in water resources planning, management and protection.

Accessibility to consistent subsurface hydrostratigraphic information is crucial for the development of robust groundwater flow and contaminant transport models. However, full three-dimensional understanding of the subsurface geology is often the missing link. Construction of watershed-scale hydrostratigraphic models continues to be limited by the quality and density of borehole data which often lack detailed geologic information. This can become a serious problem where rapid sediment facies changes and intricate sediment architecture occur. This research is motivated by the idea that if we can understand more about the distribution of sediments and structures of complex deposits, we learn more about depositional processes and how they affect the internal geometry of a deposit and the distribution of hydraulic properties. One approach is to study surficial excavations (e.g. sand and gravel pits) that often punctuate shallow aquifers. The purpose of this study is to develop and test a method of integrating high-resolution georeferenced stratigraphic and sedimentologic information from sand and gravel pits as a means to better document sedimentologic data and improve understanding of the depositional environments. The study area is located within the Waterloo Moraine, in southwestern Ontario, and is an unconsolidated shallow aquifer system with a complex internal architecture and sediment heterogeneity. The method involves the integration of high-resolution field data with borehole and geophysical information in a computer-based 3D environment. A total of fourteen virtual sedimentary sections were constructed by georegistering digital photographs within a framework of georeferenced positions collected using a reflectorless total station and GPS. Fourteen sediment facies have been described in the field. These include crudely stratified gravel beds, planar and cross-laminated sandy strata (ripple and dune scales), along with laminated and massive silty and clayey beds. Calculated hydraulic conductivities span over seven orders of magnitude. The analysis of a single excavation has shown contrasting sediment assemblages from one end of the pit to the other, highlighting the complexity of the Waterloo Moraine. The heterogeneous and deformed layers of gravel, sand, and mud may be the product of an ice-contact to ice-proximal environment, whereas the extensive sandy assemblages may reflect an intermediate subaqueous fan region. The results also suggest that the borehole database overestimates the amount of fine-grained material in the study area. Finally, this research demonstrates that it is possible to build in a timely manner a 3D virtual sedimentologic database. New emerging technologies will lead to increased resolution and accuracy, and will help streamline the process even further. The possibility of expanding the 3D geodatabase to other excavations across the region in a timely manner is likely to lead to improved hydrostratigraphic models and, by extension, to more efficient strategies in water resources planning, management and protection.