| The Wagner Natural Area (WNA) is a conservation area on the outskirts of Edmonton, Alberta. It is renowned for its mineral-rich fens composed of wet meadows, marl ponds, black spruce, and tamarack forest. WNA owes its unusual biodiversity to the calcareous springs that flow year-round. Conservation of the WNA depends on protection of its recharge area. To better understand the WNA groundwater flow system, and delineate the recharge area, a three-dimensional numerical groundwater model was constructed. The model was calibrated using available water well data. Particle tracking analysis was used to delineate the recharge area. Results showed that the recharge area is located in sections 5, 6, 8 (TP 53, R26, W4), sections 30, 31, 32 (TP 52, R26, W4), and sections 24, 25, 36 (TP 52, R27, W4). Scenarios in which recharge was reduced, resulted in significant declines in groundwater levels in the vicinity of the marl ponds. |
