PlaceDossier / BC places / Aquifers
BC aquifer 26 · sand and gravel · 15 km² · Metro Vancouver
Aquifer 26: Kanaka/Whonnock Creek
Aquifer 26 (Kanaka/Whonnock Creek) is a confined sand and gravel (glacial) aquifer of 15 km² in the Metro Vancouver Regional District, mapped in 2016. The province rates its productivity moderate, its vulnerability to contamination from the surface moderate, and the demand on it high. 353 wells on record are linked to it; water-supply wells there are typically 18.9 m deep and tested at a median 37.9 L/min. It lies under Maple Ridge (91%), Mission (8%).
How the province rates it
Productivity moderate, vulnerability moderate, demand high.
| 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 | moderate (class B) | Some natural protection (class B), which can vary across the aquifer. |
| Demand how much the aquifer is used now, judged from the number and density of wells and what they're used for | high | Heavily used: where homes rely on private wells, the guide's heavy band is over 20 domestic wells per km². |
| Level of development Inferred demand compared with productivity | Heavy or moderate (class I or II) | Read by us from the guide's table of demand against productivity; where it gives two classes the mapper chose with local knowledge. Heavy (I): new wells should be carefully assessed; moderate (II): given careful thought; light (III): more use is usually fine if the aquifer can supply it. |
Ratings are the province's, set when the aquifer was mapped (2016) 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
353 wells on record are linked to this aquifer.
| Wells linked | 353 (208 water-supply) |
|---|---|
| Water-supply well depth | median 18.9 m; middle half 4.9 m to 36 m (199 wells) |
| Tested yield | median 37.9 L/min; middle half 22.7 L/min to 75.7 L/min (94 wells tested) |
| Water level below ground | median 6.1 m when drilled (141 wells) |
| Flowing (artesian) wells | 1: water rose to or above the ground when drilled |
| Drilled | 1901 to 2020 |
This aquifer's medianIts middle half of wellsAnother BC aquifer's median
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.
| Kind | Confined sand and gravel - glacial |
|---|---|
| Geological unit | Vashon Drift Fort Langley Formation |
| Location, as described | Kanaka/Whonnock Creek |
| Area | 15 km² |
| Water use | Several uses (for example household wells, water systems, irrigation or industry) |
| Mapped | 2016 |
Confined: a layer of clay, silt or till lies over it, which slows water (and spills) from the surface; wells reach it through that layer. The province's page for this aquifer lists the studies behind it and its observation wells: GWELLS aquifer 26.
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.