Hydrogeology of the Medicine Hat area, Alberta

The Medicine Hat map area is predominantly flat, with rolling hills in the central, eastern and northern parts of the region; the South Saskatchewan, Red Deer and Bow Rivers cut deeply incised valleys into the plains surface.

The great majority of wells produce water from the Oldman Formation. However, a wide and deep bedrock valley which runs from the south central part of the map area to the northeast corner could possibly provide yields of 1 to 500 igpm (0.1 to 38 l/sec) from gravels resting on the bedrock.

Total dissolved solids contents of groundwater over the map area vary from 1,000 to 3,000 mg/l. Water types are sodium bicarbonate in the channels, sodium sulfate in lowland surficial aquifers, calcium bicarbonate in uplands; deep Foremost formation aquifers are of sodium sulfate type and brackish.