Water Sustainability on PEI: Environmental Flows Research on Groundwater Abstraction

Presented by the Institute of Island Studies at UPEI, this November 19th lecture by Dr. Michael van den Heuvel (Biology and Biomedical Sciences, former Canada Research Chair in Watershed Ecological Integrity) explores the issue of water sustainability on Prince Edward Island. Water extraction from groundwater for agricultural irrigation on PEI has been a controversial issue. Research is being conducted to evaluate the sustainability of water extraction for agricultural and domestic use on PEI under the framework of environmental flows. Environmental flows describe the “quantity, timing, and quality of water flows required to sustain freshwater and estuarine ecosystems and the human livelihoods and well-being that depend on these ecosystems.” Environmental flows are examined on PEI under the broad context of biodiversity, fisheries, hydrology, hydrogeology, legislative and social dimensions.