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The District of Highlands is one of 13 municipalities located within the Capital Regional District (CRD), encompassing approximately 37 square kilometers and located northwest of Victoria, B.C. The majority of the residential population of approximately 2,100 obtains potable water from private, individual water wells. A small number of individual residences obtain potable water from local streams and lakes under surface water licenses.
Highlands Bylaw No. 154 outlines the standards for regulating the subdivision or development of land within the Highlands, including standards for sanitary sewage systems and standards for water service. Under Bylaw No. 154, each lot is required to have an individual well that has been evaluated by a qualified professional and meets the bylaw requirements, including a yield of at least 4,000 litres per day and compliance with minimum water quality guidelines.
This study:
Link to Study and staff report: https://www.highlands.ca/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Item/7018?fileID=6691
One of the first work items to come out of the Groundwater Protection Implementation and Work Plan is groundwater mapping.
LINKS:
* Appendices 2, 3, 4, 5: Fracture Table, Yields, Contaminated Sites, Discharges and Authorizations
(technical information used to create groundwater model)
* Appendix 4 was a draft version of groundwater model to be used on the Leapfrog Viewer. The links
below are final versions that can be used on the Leapfrog View.
*Larger Map*
Community Aquifers, Fig 8 from GW Solutions June 2020 Report
To view a 3-dimensional model of the aquifer underlying the Highlands, download the model viewer first and then the model as shown below:
1. Download the Leap Frog Groundwater Model Viewer (this step is necessary to view the model:
a) Go to link: https://my.seequent.com/releases/leapfrog-viewer/latest
b) Sign up for an account by clicking on "Create a Seequent ID"
c) Go back to the model viewer download page (if needed), by re-entering the following link in the address bar:
https://my.seequent.com/releases/leapfrog-viewer/latest
d) Download the viewer by clicking on the download button near the top of the page.
e) Once the viewer file has downloaded, open it to start installing.
f) Once that install is finished, open the groundwater model file in Step 2.
g) Here is some brief info on using the view: Leapfrog Viewer Tutorial
h) For more information on using the viewer: https://my.seequent.com/learning/2092/2093/2095
2. Download/use one of the District of Highlands 3-Dimensional Groundwater Models:
* Lower resolution file (faster to respond)
* Higher resolution file (slower to respond)
At its meeting of November 18, 2019, Council endorsed the Groundwater Protection Implementation and Work Plan.
The Plan provides a clear understanding of the groundwork necessary for the long term sustainability of Highlands’ aquifer, a critical community asset. It points out the critical relationship between science, policy, and community stewardship initiatives and the importance of understanding the sequencing of work to be done to ensure that the program is as effective as possible.
In 2007 the District of Highlands contracted with Golder Associates to conduct research around local groundwater use which resulted in a three-phase groundwater protection report. You can find more information regarding that report here.
A major outcome of the Golder Associates Groundwater Study has been the annual monitoring program. Initial data from 2009-2001 can be found in the study itself (link here) and below are additional years:
2022 Annual Groundwater Report
2021 Annual Groundwater Report
2020 Annual Groundwater Report
2019 Annual Groundwater Report
2018 Annual Groundwater Report
2017 Annual Groundwater Report
2016 Annual Groundwater Report
2015 Annual Groundwater Report
2015 Mid-Year Groundwater Report
2014 Annual Groundwater Report
2013 Annual Groundwater Report
The Province of BC on February 29, 2016 announced several initial regulations that have now come into force under the Water Sustainability Act.
Water Sustainability Regulation
Groundwater Protection Regulation
Other new regulations include: Dam Safety Regulation, Violation Ticket and Fines Regulation, Fees and Rentals Regulation.
Further essential regulations will be developed under the Water Sustainability Act such as:
For more information see the Provincial website.