Thursday, January 22, 2026
Non-governmental organization (NGO) Living Lakes Canada has released a scientific assessment that finds many of the high-risk aquifers in the Columbia Basin in British Columbia are unmonitored.
The assessment, summarized in the NGO’s latest Watershed Bulletin, found 15 per cent of mapped aquifers were flagged as high priority for monitoring based on factors such as water demand, proximity to communities, and agricultural use but that 80 per cent of those aquifers were currently not being monitored.
Several at-risk aquifer “hotspots” critical to agricultural and community water supplies were identified, including the Baynes Lake area, the Sparwood and Fernie areas, and southwest of Golden. A, a Living Likas release said.
Creston, B.C. is already being monitored by Living Lakes and the Province of BC, while the remaining hotspot areas currently have no groundwater monitoring in place.
“For years, we’ve voiced concerns about groundwater uncertainty in our community,” Regional District of East Kootenay Area B director Stan Doehle said. “To have that validated by a formal scientific assessment is incredibly powerful. This report shows the desperate need for the sustained monitoring we’ve been advocating for, and a path toward protecting our water for future generations.”
Through the Columbia Basin Groundwater Monitoring Program, Living Lakes partnered with 32 well owners to track seasonal and annual changes in groundwater levels, the release said.
“By strategically expanding monitoring in those hotspot areas, we can support more informed, data-driven decisions that ensure safe and equitable access to freshwater,” Living Lakes Canada program manager Arlo Bryn-Thorn said.
