Environmental Trends 2002

Ground Water

Where is Groundwater Use the Heaviest in British Columbia?

Number of Heavily Used Aquifers in British Columbia

SOURCE: Ministry of Water, Land and Air Protection, Water, Air and Climate Change Branch, Groundwater Section, 2001. NOTES: The number in each circle represents the number of aquifers of concern within the given area. The BC Water Quality Status Report, 1996, describes in more detail the state of water quality in some aquifers. Most information is collected in areas where population is reliant on groundwater use. Little is known about groundwater in British Columbia outside these areas.

Where is groundwater use the heaviest in British Columbia?

• Groundwater is a major source of water for drinking and crop irrigation in British Columbia.

• The provincial government has identified and classified 438 groundwater reservoirs (aquifers) based on their level of development and vulnerability to contamination, and on geological and water use criteria. Since 1996, 246 aquifers have been added to the inventory.

• Heavily used aquifers are those where the extraction rate is high relative to the natural recharge rate. This designation is applied to 35 aquifers (up from 17 in 1996). Most are in the Fraser Valley or Southern Interior and on the East Coast of Vancouver Island.

• Heavy use puts water quality at risk. Excessive groundwater withdrawals in coastal regions are causing salt-water intrusion and groundwater quality degradation in some areas of the Gulf Islands and the Saanich Peninsula.

• Continued aquifer classification mapping will likely identify additional heavily used aquifers.

For detailed information, including graph data, see In-Depth report [pdf].