NGWA 2025 Darcy Lecture Considers Ancient Groundwater
Did you know that most of the Earth’s groundwater is over 12,000 years old? The WRRC and the U of A Department of Hydrology & Atmospheric Sciences co-sponsored a Darcy Lecture on Living Fossils: Ancient Groundwaters in the Anthropocene, given by Grant Ferguson on February 5, 2025. Ferguson is a Professor of Hydrogeology in the Department of Civil, Geological and Environmental Engineering at the University of Saskatchewan, where he holds a joint appointment in the School of Environment and Sustainability. He is also an adjunct professor at the University of Arizona and University of Waterloo. The National Ground Water Association’s Henry Darcy Distinguished Lecture Series in Groundwater Science fosters interest and excellence in groundwater science and technology. Ferguson and his collaborators, including Jennifer C. McIntosh, who is a distinguished scholar, professor, and associate head of Hydrology and Atmospheric Sciences at the U of A, study ancient groundwaters and the challenging task of determining recharge rates where wells extract water from aquifers. In many water-stressed areas, a substantial number of water wells tap into fossil groundwater, and ethical concerns arise around using groundwater that will not be naturally replenished within our lifetime.