Groundwater Connections

Bedrock aquifers and sand and gravel aquifers behave differently and it is important to monitor both. Bedrock aquifers in our region are generally lower yielding and more vulnerable to drought. In sand and gravel aquifers, productivity and seasonal impacts are variable – some are high yielding with lots of storage; others are more moderate yielding and more susceptible to overpumping and drought. Groundwater levels can vary across an aquifer depending on connectivity or the movement of water between aquifers or to a surface water source.

The table attached shows water level trends in aquifers across the region. Of the 22 aquifers mapped and monitored in the region for groundwater levels in 2024, longer term trends indicate that:

• five show increasing trends where groundwaters levels are observed to be closer to the surface,
• four have stable water levels where no significant changes are seen,
• five sites have declining trends where water levels are moving deeper, and
• eight of the aquifers have variable results where long-term trends are inconsistent across the monitoring sites of an aquifer.

It is hard to manage what you don't measure - groundwater is one of those elusive things that is relatively hard to measure, but with the use of groundwater level monitoring equipment, water table depth measurements can be taken on an ongoing basis to understand what is going on underground. This provides a means to observe if water levels are changing over time, to get early warning if supply may be impacted and to better inform development that occurs in our region.

The Drinking Water & Watershed Protection (DWWP) supported two initiatives as a part of this project, a collaboration to expand the B.C. Groundwater Observation Well Network within the region and the creation of the RDN Volunteer Observation Well (VOW) Network.

To expand groundwater level data collection in our region beyond the provincial Observation Wells, 31 private well owners volunteered to have groundwater level monitoring equipment (pressure transducers) installed in their wells. The transducers record level data every 15 minutes; the data is downloaded by RDN staff four times per year. Fourteen of the loggers measure conductivity, to track saline (saltwater) intrusion potential in coastal wells. The monitoring of volunteer wells began in the spring of 2013, with expansions occurring in 2015, 2016 and 2017. It takes a minimum of five - ten years of data collection to begin to discern long-term trends from the information gathered. Since 2020, the RDN has supported annual pre-summer water level analysis reports. The figure below shows the sites included in analysis.

Learn more about the Volunteer Observation Well (VOW) Network at rdn.bc.ca/groundwater-monitoring(External link).

The Drinking Water and Watershed Protection (DWWP) program is a regional service tasked with helping to protect the region’s water resources. Through the DWWP program, we are working to: learn more about water in the region (Water Information & Science), use this information to make better land use decisions (Water-centric Planning and Policy Support) and help communities protect the environment (Water Awareness & Stewardship). All this is achieved through partnerships and collaboration!

The RDN’s Drinking Water and Watershed Protection program goals are to facilitate and/or support regional initiatives that:

• Protect, manage and restore ecosystems and the overall health and functioning of our watersheds and aquifers.
• Safeguard and manage source waters to secure a sustainable drinking water supply.
• Increase water-use efficiency and optimize infrastructure investments for water and wastewater systems.
• Foster the enjoyment and protection of social, cultural, and recreational values and amenities in our watersheds to maintain well-being and quality of life.
• Mitigate and better prepare for climate change impacts on the region’s water resource.

Learn more about the RDN's Drinking Water & Watershed Protection program at rdn.bc.ca/drinking-water-and-watershed-protection(External link).