Environmental Trends 2007

Fresh Water

Heavily Developed Aquifers in British Columbia

Much of the groundwater extracted in B.C. comes from aquifers (underground layers of rock and sand containing usable amounts of water) near large urban centres and major agricultural areas. Outside of Victoria and Vancouver Island, groundwater provides about a quarter of the municipal drinking water in the province.

• ‘Heavily developed’ aquifers are those where the extraction rate is high relative to the natural rate of recharge. Of the 815 aquifers mapped in B.C., 64 aquifers are designated as heavily developed.

• About 65 per cent of the heavily developed aquifers are found on Vancouver Island, the Gulf Islands and in the Southern Interior areas.

Salty water is the most common water quality problem in B.C. aquifers.

Source: B.C. Ministry of Environment, Groundwater and Aquifer Science Section, 2007

Note: Figure shows dominant concern; an aquifer can have more than one water quality problem.

• There are 28 heavily developed aquifers vulnerable to contamination and 53 aquifers with documented water quality problems, such as salty water or nitrates. The majority are in the Southern Interior, on the Gulf Islands, the east coast of Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland.

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

Next: Daily water use per person in British Columbia >>