The Oak Ridges Moraine of southern Ontario: a ground-water resource at risk

In south-central Ontario, the Oak Ridges Moraine is a prominent glacial moraine complex on the rapidly urbanizing northern margin of the Greater Toronto Area and constitutes a major regional aquifer system. Given the pre-eminent economic importance of the region, the ground-water resource can be argued to have provincial significance, and there is much current debate regarding the impact of urbanization and other anthropogenic activities on ground-water quality and supply. This paper reviews what is currently understood of the geology and hydro-geology of the Oak Ridges Moraine, and provides an overview of quantitative modelling studies.