BC Groundwater Wells and Aquifers (GWELLS) – Aquifer Records for Bowen Island
Basics
Title
BC Groundwater Wells and Aquifers (GWELLS) - Aquifer Records for Bowen Island
Description
The BC Government Groundwater Wells and Aquifers (GWELLS) application is a publicly accessible, live database providing searchable records of registered water wells, provincially mapped aquifers, and registered well drillers and pump installers across British Columbia. This EcoLibrary entry describes the GWELLS aquifer search interface as a web resource, with particular relevance to the seven mapped aquifers on Bowen Island (Aquifer #743-749). A compiled PDF collection of aquifer factsheets and classification worksheets for these aquifers has been archived locally for convenience as bcgov_gwwells_aquifers_bowen_collection_2605122009.pdf. Readers should consult the GWELLS application directly for current data, as records are updated on an ongoing basis. Note: the local PDF compilation was assembled on 2025-03-26 based on factsheets generated on that date; it does not reflect subsequent updates to the provincial database. To find all maps of this type at source: https://apps.nrs.gov.bc.ca/gwells/aquifers
Date
January 1, 2016
Creator Organization
Province of British Columbia - Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship | Ministry of Environment and Parks
Authors
A.P. Kohut (aquifer classification worksheets, 2005-2006)
Document Type
Web Resource / Database
Document URL
Subject Area
Aquifer Mapping | Environmental monitoring | Water Resources > Groundwater | Hydrogeology | Water Resources | Water Wells
Metadata
Keywords
aquifer
|groundwater
|wells
|GWELLS
|BC groundwater
|aquifer classification
|aquifer mapping
|well yield
|water quality
|confined aquifer
|bedrock aquifer
|glacio-fluvial aquifer
|Grafton Lake
|Explosives Creek
|Tunstall Bay
|Bowen Bay
|Blue Water Park
|Killarney Lake
|observation well
|water supply
|domestic water
|groundwater recharge
|contamination vulnerability
Time Period
2005/2006 (aquifer classification); 2016-ongoing (GWELLS application and well record submission)
Relationship - hasPart
Document ID
2605122009
Document ID
2605122009
Document ID
2605122009
Document ID
2605122009
Document ID
2605122009
Document ID
2605122009
Document ID
2605122009
Document ID
2605122009
Copyright holder
Crown copyright, Province of British Columbia
Document Filename
bcgov_gwwells_aquifers_bowen_collection_2605122009.pdf
Storage Location
analysis/other-sources/
Key Findings
Bowen Island has seven provincially mapped aquifers (#743-749), classified between 2005 and 2006 by A.P. Kohut of the BC Ministry of Environment. Two aquifers (743, 744) are confined glacio-fluvial sand and gravel deposits; five (745-749) are fractured crystalline bedrock aquifers. Aquifer sizes range from 0.2 km2 (743, 744) to approximately 16.3 km2 (747). Productivity is generally low to moderate across all aquifers. Vulnerability to contamination is moderate for most aquifers, with the exception of Aquifer 745 (north Bowen Island, rated high vulnerability). Key water supply systems drawing from these aquifers include the Tunstall Bay Water System (Aquifer 744, 749), the Blue Water Park Water System (Aquifer 748), the Cove Bay / Grafton Lake Water System (Aquifer 747), and the Eaglecliff Water System (Aquifer 745). Water quality concerns include elevated arsenic at Queen Charlotte Heights (Aquifer 747), elevated iron (Aquifer 743), and elevated phosphate and manganese (Aquifer 746). Two active provincial observation wells are associated with Bowen Island aquifers: OW 473 (Aquifer 747) and OW 495 (Aquifer 746). Monthly groundwater level data from OW 473 (2019-2025) shows seasonal fluctuation correlated with precipitation patterns.
Methodology
Aquifer boundaries delineated using registered water well records, terrain mapping, topography, surface drainage features, bedrock geology, and major geological structural (fault/lineament) features. Aquifer classification applied the BC Aquifer Classification system (Berardinucci and Ronneseth, 2002) using a ranked scoring system across seven components: productivity, vulnerability, size, demand, type of use, quality concerns, and quantity concerns. Statistical summaries computed from available well records using geometric mean, median, minimum, and maximum values. Observation well data collected via the Provincial Groundwater Observation Well Network (PGOWN).
Map Descriptions
The GWELLS application interface provides a searchable map and tabular database. The local PDF compilation includes individual aquifer factsheets, each containing: (1) a topographic map of Bowen Island showing the aquifer boundary (red polygon), registered water wells (dot symbols), and active observation wells (triangle symbols), with roads, waterways, and contour lines; (2) a small inset locator map showing the aquifer position within British Columbia's South Coast region.
Graph Descriptions
The local PDF compilation includes box-and-whisker plots for each aquifer showing distributions of: reported well yields (L/s), reported static water depths below ground (m), and reported well depths below ground (m), with sample sizes noted. For Aquifer 746, a time-series chart shows monthly groundwater levels at Observation Well 495 (2018-2024) overlaid with monthly precipitation from Gambier Harbour climate normals (1981-2010). For Aquifer 747, a similar chart shows monthly groundwater levels at Observation Well 473 (2019-2025) with the same climate normal precipitation overlay; a Piper plot is also included showing groundwater chemistry type (Ca-Na-HCO3-Cl-SO4).
Publisher Location
Victoria, British Columbia
File Format
text/html
Geographic Locations
Bowen Island, British Columbia, Canada | Grafton Lake Valley | Explosives Creek Valley | Tunstall Bay | Bowen Bay | Killarney Lake | Grafton Lake | Josephine Lake | Snug Cove | Dorman Bay | Mt. Gardner | Mt. Collins | Queen Charlotte Heights
Coordinate Reference Systems
NAD83 | NTS Map Sheet 92G/6 | BCGS TRIM 1:20000 (092G.033, 092G.034, 092G.044)
GIS Bounding Box
49.35,-123.48,49.43,-123.28
GIS Layer Geometry
Polygon (aquifer boundaries) | Point (registered water wells, observation wells)
web-service-url
AI model
Claude Sonnet 4.6