Niagara Escarpment important…

Niagara Escarpment important recharge area in Melancthon / Mulmur Townships #ProtectOurWater #FoodAndWaterFirst #GrowTheGreenbelt

Protecting Water for Future Generations: Growing the Greenbelt in the Outer Ring

The Melancthon / Mulmur area west of the Niagara Escarpment World Biosphere lands includes specialty crop agricultural food lands, natural dolostone recharge and groundwater reservoir areas above about 455 m asl. West of the groundwater divide between Lake Erie and Georgian Bay, the Guelph Amabel Aquifer flows in the subsurface in the Grand River watershed to the southwest towards Lake Erie contributing drinking water to urban centres, rural communities and individual farms and residences. The groundwater divide is dynamic and shifts under aquifer stresses.

The Melancthon / Mulmur area Aquifers also feeds the extensive Niagara Escarpment springs and headwater tributaries of the Nottawasaga River and further downstream contributes recharge to the geographically extensive Alliston Aquifer which provides drinking water to many residents of east Dufferin and central Simcoe Counties. The recharge and headwater source hydrological function of the Melancthon/ Mulmur area dolostone aquifers is similar to that of the Oak Ridges Moraine.

The Backwoods Life -Munro 1869- described the constant flowing never failing stream with a succession of water powered grist mills and sawmills below the Escarpment at Hornings Mills as follows:

"Rising in a small lake not a half a mile from the mills and fed by innumerable springs, all the way down it had a splendid fall, and neither the drought of summer nor the frost of winter affected its even flow."

The Melancthon area water budget may be summarized as follows:

Precipitation: 1,000 mm -Ruskview-

Evapotranspiration: 550 mm

Water Surplus: 450 mm

Within the Pine -22,000 acres- and Noisy River -18,000 acres- groundwater catchments above the Niagara Escarpment most of this estimated 450 mm -2,300 L/sec- water surplus recharges the dolostone Aquifers upgradient of the 455 m asl contour Escarpment slope spring line. The local water surplus is equivalent to 30 to 40% of the dry season base flow at Wasaga Beach. The late summer dry weather flow observations in the Pine River Valley above Terra Nova are about 1,000 L/sec, further downstream at Everett at about 750 L/sec and in the Nottawasaga River at Edenvale upstream of Wasaga Beach at about 5,000 L/sec. Downstream losses on the Pine River valley are likely due to recharge and groundwater underflow at stream gauging stations and near Everett due to agricultural irrigation withdrawals.

Note:  The underlying data and groundwater elevation charts are available upon request.

[Original Comment ID: 213499]