WSA Armley

WSA Armley was constructed in 1972 in Mannville Group sands to a total depth of 154.83 metres.  The well was initially used as a supply well for freeze desalination experiments conducted from 1973 until 1978 by the Saskatchewan Research Council.  Following the end of this project the well was incorporated into the observation well network in 1980.

High water level elevations of about 346.5 to 346.7 metres occurred from the time monitoring began in December 1980, until mid-1982.  Following that, a long term water level decline lasting until 1992 occurred, during which water levels dropped by over two metres.  In 1993 water levels in the well began to recover leading to a record peak water level in the spring of 2013 of about 346.7 metres.  The cause of the water level decline and subsequent recovery is unknown. 

WSA Armley is located in the northern portion of the Mannville Group where the aquifer water is less saline than in locations further south in the province.  The aquifer at the well site yields water of the sodium-chloride type with a sum of ions of about 4130 mg/L.