WSA Outram

Observation well WSA Outram is the oldest well in the observation well network.  It was completed in 1961 to depth of 111.25 metres in Empress Group sands and gravels of the Estevan Valley aquifer.  WSA Outram was initially constructed as a production well for a groundwater evaluation of the Estevan Valley aquifer and was then incorporated into the observation well network in 1966.  The aquifer rests directly on the bedrock Ravenscrag Formation and is overlain by glacial drift, which mainly consists of till.  Recharge moves down vertically into the aquifer then to the north toward the Souris River, near Outram.

For the first 18 years of record, the hydrograph shows minimal fluctuations.  However, the affects of a 29-day pumping test conducted in 1984 can be seen on the hydrograph.  Following that, water levels in WSA Outram were impacted by large scale groundwater withdrawals from September 1988 until May 1994. This water was used during a major drought as supplementary cooling water at Boundary and Shand Power Stations. This withdrawal dominates the hydrograph with almost 37 metres of drawdown occurring during the production period during which withdrawals averaged 3,750 cubic decametres per year.  Since 1994, the aquifer has not been used for any large scale uses and water levels have been recovering, but approximately five metres of residual drawdown remains. The slow recovery indicates that the rate of recharge to the aquifer through the overlying thick glacial till is very slow. 

Water obtained from the well is of the sodium-bicarbonate type and is characterized by the virtual absence of sulfate. The water has a sum of ions concentration of approximately 1690 mg/L.