The City of Guelph is located in the Grand River Watershed, which is part of the Lake Erie Source Protection Region. Guelph is one of the largest municipalities in Canada to rely almost exclusively on groundwater for its drinking water supply.

Groundwater is water that is found beneath the ground surface. It comes from rain and snow that seeps into open spaces and cracks in soil and rock. Groundwater can be found almost everywhere below the surface but is not usually found in sufficient quantities for municipal water supply. We are fortunate in Guelph that we are located on top of an extensive permeable bedrock aquifer — rock that can contain and transmit groundwater.

The City of Guelph’s municipal supply system includes 21 operational groundwater wells . The City of Guelph also gets water from the Arkell Spring Grounds Glen collector system which collects shallow groundwater through a series of underground perforated pipes. To enhance the supply of water into this collection system, the City operates the Eramosa River intake and an artificial recharge system at the Spring Grounds. Each year, when in operation between April 15 and November 15, water is pumped from the Eramosa River into an infiltration pond and trench where it replenishes groundwater supplies.

For more information visit:
www.guelph.ca/water