Join us on December 8th 2021 at 7pm for a presentation by William Shulba, Senior Freshwater Specialist with the Islands Trust, about an essential natural resource: groundwater.

Groundwater is an important resource of islands in the Salish Sea, supporting community water needs and the function of watersheds. Evidence-based ways to determine the ability of watersheds to recharge groundwater during the rainy season are needed, especially with a changing climate. Groundwater recharge occurs on most places on the islands. However, some locations are more important than others due to slope, elevation, geology, and land use.

Calculating groundwater recharge using traditional hydrogeological modelling methods takes a lot of time and money. A new mapping method using existing available information was developed to identify areas of most important groundwater recharge on the island. Groundwater availability assessments have been calculated and maps showing results will be available online to the public.

The Islands Trust Area of the Canadian Salish Sea is governed by a preserve and protect mandate whereby protection of aquifer recharge is a commitment of local island governments in Official Community Plans. In March 2019, the Islands Trust Council declared a climate emergency in the Islands Trust Area, directing staff to include a central focus on equitable climate change mitigation, adaptation, and resilience into strategic planning. This project advances these commitments by focusing on ecosystem-base land-use planning strategies and evidence-based freshwater conservation measures.

William Shulba, Senior Freshwater Specialist with the Islands Trust

William Shulba is a professional geoscientist exploring freshwater sustainability for the wealth of humanity and the health of our planet. William is currently the Senior Freshwater Specialist with Islands Trust and has held professional employment in groundwater resource consulting; in the Watershed Hydrology and Ecosystems Research program at Environment Canada, and has volunteered for several watershed conservation initiatives in Canada and abroad.  William earned a Bachelors of Science degree in Geology and a Bachelors of Science degree in Environmental Earth Sciences from the University of Alberta. William holds a Graduate Certificate from the Department of Educational Psychology in Learning and Teaching in Higher Education and a Masters of Science in hydrogeography at the University of Victoria. William spends his time exploring nature with his dog near his home on Salt Spring Island and is involved in the arts and music community.