Hydrogeology of the Peerless Lake area, Alberta

The Peerless Lake map area (NTS 84B) is situated in north-central Alberta. The area is sparsely populated and access is poor.

The area is covered by thick surficial deposits, primarily of glacial origin, overlying Cretaceous shales. Yields of up to 38 l/sec (500 igpm) may be obtained from glaciofluvial deposits. The greatest yields are available from preglacial sands and gravels located in portions of the Misaw and Atikameg Buried Valleys. In general, the bedrock is a poor aquifer yielding usually less than 0.4 l/sec (5 igpm).

Groundwater from surficial deposits is predominantly the calcium/magnesium bicarbonate type with an average total dissolved solids concentration of 1000 mg/l. Muskeg waters chemically resemble waters from surficial deposits, but total dissolved solids concentration rarely exceeds 250 mg/l. Bedrock groundwaters are the sodium/potassium-chloride type with an average total dissolved solids concentration of over 2000 mg/l.