Severe water stress and water scarcity can bring political disorder. Conflict, and even war, over water resources has been observed. According to UNESCO (UNESCO website accessed in 2022), “Water is a unique and non-substitutable resource of limited quantity. As the foundation of life, societies and economies, it carries multiple values and benefits. But unlike most other valuable resources, it has proven extremely difficult to determine its true ‘value’”. Because most of the world’s freshwater supply is underground, known as groundwater, it is often overlooked and undervalued. In addition, there is a perception that groundwater is poorly understood, which further contributes to challenges in sustainable water resources management.

This talk will present methods and suggested approaches of how to estimate the value of groundwater, including aspects that should be considered and incorporated into the valuation. The talk will present recommendations for how water resources managers might communicate the resulting valuation to the public. This topic will be of interest to regulatory authorities, groundwater and environmental managers, and practising groundwater specialists.

Presenter - Sheila Duchek, M.Sc., P. Geol. 
Service Manager, Hydrogeology and Earth Sciences 

Ms. Sheila Duchek is a senior hydrogeologist with over 20 years of experience and her current focus is managing and providing senior technical support for groundwater assessment, monitoring, and operational compliance programs. As a lead technical advisor in hydrogeology, Ms. Duchek has reviewed, analyzed, and provided recommendations to various clients with varied groundwater assessment needs. Ms. Duchek is adept at groundwater assessments and working with regulators and the public in addressing concerns with respect to groundwater use and management. In addition to providing senior hydrogeology support to Environmental Site Assessment and Remediation Teams, Sheila is also the Chair of CEA’s Environmental Committee.