PlaceDossier / BC places / Aquifers
BC aquifer 1273 · sand and gravel · 107 km² · Peace River
Aquifer 1273: Peace-Valley Aquifer System
Aquifer 1273 (Peace-Valley Aquifer System) is an unconfined sand and gravel (deltaic) aquifer of 107 km² in the Peace River regional district, mapped in 2022. The province rates its productivity moderate, its vulnerability to contamination from the surface high, and the demand on it not rated. 4 wells on record are linked to it; water-supply wells there are typically 38.3 m deep and tested at a median 56.8 L/min.
How the province rates it
Productivity moderate, vulnerability high, demand not rated.
| Rating | What it means | |
|---|---|---|
| Productivity how much water the aquifer gives up to wells, judged from well yields, the aquifer material and pumping tests | moderate | Middling yields: the guide's moderate band is medium sand, or typical well yields of about 0.3 to 3 L/s (18 to 180 L/min). |
| Vulnerability how easily something spilled at the ground surface could reach the water, judged from what lies above the aquifer and how deep the water is | high (class A) | Little natural protection (the guide's class A): a shallow water table or sand and gravel above it lets surface water and spills soak down quickly. |
| Demand how much the aquifer is used now, judged from the number and density of wells and what they're used for | not rated | The province hasn't rated this for this aquifer. |
| Level of development Inferred demand compared with productivity | unclear | Unclear: the province hasn't rated both demand and productivity. |
Ratings are the province's, set when the aquifer was mapped (2022) from wells, geology and local studies. Vulnerability is about the ground, not what's built on it: a well-protected aquifer under a busy area can still be at more risk than an exposed one in the bush.
Sources: Ground Water Aquifers, Water Protection and Sustainability Branch, Province of BC and Groundwater Wells (GWELLS), Province of BC, as published on October 1, 2026 (Open Government Licence – British Columbia); ratings explained after Berardinucci and Ronneseth (2002), Guide to Using the BC Aquifer Classification Maps for the Protection and Management of Groundwater, BC Ministry of Water, Land and Air Protection. Summaries by PlaceDossier.
The wells in it
4 wells on record are linked to this aquifer.
| Wells linked | 4 |
|---|---|
| Water-supply well depth | median 38.3 m; middle half 24.7 m to 50.1 m (4 wells) |
| Tested yield | median 56.8 L/min; middle half 47.3 L/min to 596 L/min (3 wells tested) |
| Water level below ground | median 26.7 m when drilled (4 wells) |
| Drilled | 1962 to 2018 |
Depths are how deep the driller finished the well; yields are the driller's test, often an hour or less, in litres per minute. A domestic well's yield is usually judged against the household's peak use; ask a driller what's enough for yours.
Where it is
Outline simplified by us from the provincial map; not for locating a lot. It lies under Peace River, Electoral Area B (48%), Peace River, Electoral Area E (38%), Peace River, Electoral Area C (14%).
| Kind | Unconfined sand and gravel - deltaic |
|---|---|
| Geological unit | Holocene fluvial sand and gravels and late Wisconsinan outwash sand and gravel |
| Location, as described | Along the Peace River between Farrel Creek and the City of Fort St. John |
| Area | 107 km² |
| Water quality concerns | Isolated: concerns documented at a few wells |
| Mapped | 2022 |
Unconfined: nothing tight lies over it, so rain and surface water soak straight down to it; the water table rises and falls with the seasons. The province's page for this aquifer lists the studies behind it and its observation wells: GWELLS aquifer 1273.
Sources: Ground Water Aquifers, Water Protection and Sustainability Branch, Province of BC and Groundwater Wells (GWELLS), Province of BC, as published on October 1, 2026 (Open Government Licence – British Columbia); ratings explained after Berardinucci and Ronneseth (2002), Guide to Using the BC Aquifer Classification Maps for the Protection and Management of Groundwater, BC Ministry of Water, Land and Air Protection. Summaries by PlaceDossier.
What this record doesn't cover
The province maps aquifers where wells and studies give enough to go on, mostly in settled valleys; most of BC isn't mapped, and a lot outside every outline can still have groundwater. Outlines are drawn from geology and well logs at the scale of the study, so an edge can be well off on the ground, and one aquifer can lie under another. Wells are linked to an aquifer by provincial staff from the driller's log: not every well inside an outline is linked, and well depths and yields are as the driller reported them, often from a short test.
These are mapped ratings and drillers' records, not a test of any one lot. Before you buy a property on a well, or plan to drill, ask a qualified hydrogeologist or a registered well driller what this aquifer gives where you are, and test the water.