Grant: Alliance Grants

This research is aimed at developing a groundwater protection plan for sustainable water supply in a First Nation Reserve community in northern British Columbia through a research partnership between the University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC) and the Lheidli T'enneh First Nation (LTFN). The research will use an integrated approach, which consists of field observation, lab experiments, numerical modeling, and community engagement. It will represent the first comprehensive groundwater protection study in the partner community. Considerable new information will be obtained through a series of efforts, including the installation of groundwater observation wells, aquifer mapping, groundwater monitoring, aquifer vulnerability and well head protection area (WHPA) assessment, groundwater and surface water interaction model development, fit-for-purpose water treatment method investigation, and groundwater protection plan development. The new knowledge generated from this project will help LTFN to address their drinking water security issues, which could bring significant economic and health benefits. The methods and findings from this project can also be applied to other communities and provide important inputs to improve the methods of developing on-reserve source water protection plan for First Nations communities. The academic research team will engage in regular interaction and discussion with the partner organization to identify challenges, collect research data, and address research problems. One postdoctoral research fellow (PDF), two PhD students and two Master's (MSc) students at UNBC will be trained. Equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) will be considered and integrated into the research and training plan for these highly qualified personnel (HQP).