A comparative analysis of groundwater conditions in two study areas on till and glaciolacustrine sediments

x, 169 leaves : ill. ; 29 cmIrrigation rates in excess of plant evapotranspiration requirements have been identified as a major contributor to the development of raised water tables in the City of Lethbridge. These high water tables have created problems such as coulee slope instability, basement flooding and structural instability. This study characterized water table conditions in Lakeview subdivision, an area that experiences basement flooding. Soil texture data from this subdivision is used to address speculation that geologic controls contribute to high water tables in the city of Lethbridge, Linear regression analysis comparing mean sand and clay fractions to mean water table depth revealed that variations in soil texture have no statistical relationship to variations in water table depth. Glacio-lacustrine sediments underlie Lakeview subdivision while tills predominate in the Varsity Village area. Lakeview subdivision is also approximately 20 years older than Varsity Village and the two are compared to gain some understanding of how water tables develop over time. Comparison of mean water table depths in irrigated and non-irrigated land cover classes in both Varsity Village and Lakeview revealed a significant difference in Varsity Village whilc Lakeview showed no statistical difference. Finally, a water scheduling program is developed to decrease or reduce the build-up of water tables and alleviate some of the problems that result