WSA Riceton

Observation well WSA Riceton was constructed in 1968 to observe natural groundwater level fluctuations in a shallow aquifer in south-central Saskatchewan.  It is completed to a depth of 22.40 metres in Empress Group sand and gravel.  The aquifer is overlain by approximately 15 metres of glacial drift and lacustrine sediments and rests directly on the bedrock Bearpaw Formation. 

The hydrograph for WSA Riceton shows virtually no seasonal fluctuations and while the water level has been rising since the well’s installation in 1968, the total rise is still less than 0.3 metres.  The largest fluctuation occurred in 2006 when just over 0.1 metres of decline occurred.  

Water obtained from WSA Riceton is of very poor quality with a sum of ions in the order of 6700 mg/L and is of the sodium-sulphate type.