PlaceDossier / BC places / Cariboo
Cariboo, Electoral Area E
An electoral area of the Cariboo Regional District. 4,112 people lived here in 2021, up 1.2% from 2016, on 1,774 km² of land. It takes in Dog Creek, Esler, Springhouse and St. Joseph Mission.
BC place · electoral area
How Area E compares with BC's other rural areas
- Evacuations: 3 orders to leave since April 2017 (fire). The latest order in July 2017. One of 65 of BC's 159 rural electoral areas with one.
- Homes: the 10th most affordable of BC's 125 rural electoral areas with 1,000 people or more. The typical home costs 3.7 years of a typical household's income, compared with 7.1 years in a typical rural area.
- Farmland reserve: the 3rd most land in it of BC's 159 rural electoral areas. 68% of its land, compared with 4% in a typical rural area.
Typical for its size No scheduled buses, 4 licensed child care providers, 1 fire hall and a 24-hour emergency department.
How we compare
Each figure is set against BC's places of the same kind: cities of 50,000 or more, towns of 10,000 to 50,000, towns of 2,000 to 10,000, villages and towns under 2,000, or rural electoral areas. A figure stands out when it's among the top tenth of its kind at the end that matters to a buyer and clearly off the typical one, the middle place of that kind. Where fewer than 15 places of its kind have the figure, it's set against all BC places with it. A figure only counts when its source speaks for the place: a climate or air station within 15 km and 300 m of its ground, the place's own police service, at least 1,000 people for census figures and 25 homes for internet. A point that stands out has an ochre bar on its left, its section's stamp is filled ochre, and a dot in the bar at the top of the page marks that section; "Typical for its size" is a plain outline and "Nothing on record" a dotted one. In each strip a tick is one place, the tall tick the typical one, the dot this place, and the end that matters on the right. Facts that matter at any size (an evacuation order, emergency care far away, little mobile coverage) are said whatever the size, and mark a section as standing out only when they too are in the top tenth of its kind. A section is marked typical only where a figure in it is set against the typical one and none sits far from it (outside the middle half of its kind, or clearly off the typical one), and "nothing on record" only where it shows nothing.
Hazards Typical for its size
Evacuations: 3 orders to leave since April 2017 (fire). The latest order in July 2017. One of 65 of BC's 159 rural electoral areas with one.
- Burned by wildfire since 1996
- 4.7% typical rural area: 2%
- Years with a mapped wildfire since 1917
- 45, the latest 2025
- Evacuation events since April 2017
- 3 with an order to leave, 4 with alerts only; the latest order July 2017, the latest alert July 2026
- Poor-air days at the nearest air station
- 7 days a year (median), 5 km away typical rural area: 4
- Radon: homes tested at or above the guideline in its health region
- 6.4% in Thompson Cariboo Shuswap (BC: 7.9%)
More on hazards
Its land, ranked in BC
| Here | Rank in BC | |
|---|---|---|
| In the farmland reserve (ALR) | 68% | 6th of 267 (tied) |
| Burned by wildfire since 1996 | 4.7% | 78th of 215 (tied) |
| Years with a mapped wildfire since 1917 | 45 | most recent 2025 |
| Under mineral, placer or coal titles | 3.2% | 173rd of 219 |
| Land area | 1,774 km² |
Shares of the land area, worked out from the Province's maps. Fire perimeters before the 1950s are less complete. A title or a past fire somewhere in the area says nothing about a given lot: a property report checks the parcel itself.
Large fires (1,000 ha or more) since 1990
Since 1990, 2 wildfires of 1,000 ha or more burned in Area E, together 11,070 ha, 6% of its land (ground that burned twice counts once). The most here was the Dog Creek wildfire in 2010, 7,487 ha.
- 2026Felker wildfire4,237 ha in all · 85% of it here3,583 ha here
- 2010Dog Creek wildfire7,495 ha in all7,487 ha here
Smaller mapped fires since 2016
Since 2016, the BC Wildfire Service mapped 23 smaller fires (under 1,000 ha) that reached Area E, newest first. This season's are as mapped by November 9, 2026.
- 2026Unnamed fire C2015361 ha in all61 ha here
- 2026Unnamed fire C200389.6 ha in all9.6 ha here
- 2026Unnamed fire C208518.9 ha in all8.9 ha here
- 2026Unnamed fire C200017.5 ha in all7.5 ha here
- 2026Unnamed fire C214575.3 ha in all5.3 ha here
- 2025Emerald Lake wildfire246 ha in all246 ha here
- 2024Unnamed fire C219637.9 ha in all7.9 ha here
- 2024Unnamed fire C200560.8 ha in all0.8 ha here
And 15 more
- 2023Emerald Lake wildfire537 ha in all · 20% of it here110 ha here
- 2023Unnamed fire C200954.9 ha in all4.9 ha here
- 2023Unnamed fire C223741.5 ha in all1.5 ha here
- 2023Unnamed fire C215651.3 ha in all1.3 ha here
- 2023Unnamed fire C215011.1 ha in all1.1 ha here
- 2022Unnamed fire C215901.9 ha in all1.9 ha here
- 2022Unnamed fire C224351.8 ha in all1.8 ha here
- 2022Unnamed fire C200121.6 ha in all1.6 ha here
- 2021Unnamed fire C217391.7 ha in all1.7 ha here
- 2018Unnamed fire C22371372 ha in all372 ha here
- 2018Unnamed fire C205911.2 ha in all1.2 ha here
- 2018Unnamed fire C214991.2 ha in all1.2 ha here
- 2017Unnamed fire C2035226 ha in all26 ha here
- 2017Unnamed fire C212682 ha in all2 ha here
- 2017Unnamed fire C203470.1 ha in all0.1 ha here
Small fires that were never mapped as a perimeter aren't listed: the BC Wildfire Service maps an outline for only some of the fires it records. Past fire is history, not a forecast. The chance of fire on a lot today depends on what the record doesn't show: the forest and grass around it, the slope, what has been thinned or burned since, and how far it is from a fire hall. Every BC season and large fire since 1990.
Sources: BC Wildfire Fire Perimeters – Historical, BC Wildfire Service; BC Wildfire Fire Perimeters – Current, BC Wildfire Service; BC Wildfire Fire Incident Locations – Historical, BC Wildfire Service; BC Wildfire Fire Locations – Current, BC Wildfire Service (Open Government Licence – British Columbia), as published on November 10, 2026; 2021 census subdivision boundaries, Statistics Canada (Statistics Canada Open Licence). Outlines simplified and places measured by PlaceDossier.
How the land burned
On the Province's ecosystem map, Area E's land is 99% NDT4 (burned often and lightly, every 4 to 50 years) and 1% NDT3 (burned in large fires about every 100 to 150 years). Its main biogeoclimatic zone is Interior Douglas-fir (90%). In the dry forest and grassland of NDT4, a century of putting fires out has let many stands fill in, building up fuel that can carry a crown fire instead of a light surface fire. This is how the land burned before fires were put out, not its fire risk today. A report names the type over a lot. Every place's natural fire regime.
Source: BEC Map (biogeoclimatic zones and natural disturbance types), Province of BC (Open Government Licence – British Columbia), read 2026-10-12; areas worked out on the census boundaries.
Evacuations since April 2017
Since April 2017, the Province's record holds 7 wildfire events with an evacuation order or alert over Area E, 3 with an order. The latest order: Wildwood Wildfire, July 2017.
- 2026French Bar CreekJuly 2026 · evacuation alert · Cariboo Regional District1 home
- 2026Felker Lake WildfireJuly 2026 · evacuation alert · Cariboo Regional District201 homes
- 2021Flat Lake WildfireAugust 2021 · evacuation alert · Cariboo Regional District93 homes
- 2018Mayfield Lake WildfireAugust 2018 · evacuation alert · Cariboo Regional District175 homes
- 2017Wildwood WildfireJuly 2017 · evacuation order · Cariboo Regional District148 homes
- 2017White Lake WildfireJuly 2017 · evacuation order · Cariboo Regional District1,563 homes
- 2017Hanceville-Riske Creek WildfireJuly 2017 · evacuation order · Cariboo Regional District25 homes
Listed when an order or alert area covered at least 5% of the land in Area E, or lay mostly in Area E and held at least 5% as many homes as the 2021 census counted there. An order means people were told to leave; an alert, to be ready to leave. Homes are the record's own counts, area by area, shown where the areas lie mostly in Area E. The Province's record starts in April 2017: earlier evacuations aren't in it. A lot's report checks every order and alert over the lot itself, and any in effect now.
Sources: Historical Orders and Alerts, Emergency Management and Climate Readiness (Open Government Licence – British Columbia), as published on November 2, 2026; 2021 census subdivision boundaries and dwelling counts, Statistics Canada (Statistics Canada Open Licence). Each order and alert area placed in the municipalities and electoral areas it covers by us.
Evacuations for floods, landslides and other hazards since April 2017
None of the flood, landslide or other non-fire evacuation orders or alerts in the Province's record since April 2017 covered 5% or more of the land or homes in Area E.
Sources: Historical Orders and Alerts, Emergency Management and Climate Readiness (Open Government Licence – British Columbia), as published on November 2, 2026; 2021 census subdivision boundaries and dwelling counts, Statistics Canada (Statistics Canada Open Licence). Each order and alert area placed in the municipalities and electoral areas it covers by us.
41 landslides are recorded inside Area E in the Preliminary Canadian Landslide Database (version 14.0), including 16 rock rotational slides, 6 earth slides and 5 earth falls. The database lists slides known to have happened, mapped from inventories, satellite images and lidar. It isn't a hazard map, and some parts of BC are mapped in far more detail than others. Landslides near a given lot.
The Province lists 59 dams in Area E, 2 of them classed High or above for the harm a failure would do downstream: Brigham Lake Dam (High) and Alixton Lake Dam (High). Of these, 3 are recorded as breached (failed). The class rates what a failure would do, not how likely one is; a report names the dams within 1 km of a lot. Dams in BC, by place.
One Water Survey of Canada gauge in Area E has 5 or more years of yearly peak flows: San Jose River above Borland Creek peaked highest at 36.2 m³/s in 2020 (29 years on record). That set its record in the last 10 years. A gauge's record is the river where it stands, not a flood line; a report gives the nearest gauge on a river by the lot. River gauges in BC, by place.
Poor-air days: at the Williams Lake Columneetza School air monitoring station, 5 km from Williams Lake, fine particles passed the level of BC's 24-hour objective (25 µg/m³) on a median of 7 days a year over the 11 years with a full record, 2015 to 2025; the most was 48 days in 2017. Most of these days fell from June to September, the wildfire season (our reading: mostly wildfire smoke). How smoky it gets across BC.
Radon
In the Thompson Cariboo Shuswap health region, 7 of the 109 homes tested (6.4%) in Health Canada's 2009–2011 survey were at or above the 200 Bq/m³ guideline; across BC, 143 of 1,817 (7.9%).
The survey tested about a hundred volunteer homes per health region, with one long-term test each. That gives a rough regional picture: it isn't a map, and a region where few or none tested high can still have homes above the guideline. The only way to know is to test the home: radon and buying a home in BC.
Source: Cross-Canada Survey of Radon Concentrations in Homes (2009–2011), Health Canada (Open Government Licence – Canada); Health Service Delivery Area Boundaries, Province of BC (Open Government Licence – British Columbia).
Check one lot: has it burned? · is it on a floodplain map? · is it behind a dike? · is there a dam nearby? · landslides nearby? · contaminated sites nearby? · radon? · how much is too steep?
Source: Agricultural Land Reserve polygons, Agricultural Land Commission (Open Government Licence – British Columbia); Fire perimeters – historical, BC Wildfire Service (Open Government Licence – British Columbia); Mineral, placer and coal tenures, Mineral Titles Branch (Open Government Licence – British Columbia); Preliminary Canadian Landslide Database, version 14.0 (May 2026), Brideau et al. (CC BY 4.0); 2021 census subdivision boundaries, Statistics Canada (Statistics Canada Open Licence).
Cost to own Stands out
Homes: the 10th most affordable of BC's 125 rural electoral areas with 1,000 people or more. The typical home costs 3.7 years of a typical household's income, compared with 7.1 years in a typical rural area.
- Typical home value against typical household income
- 3.7 years of income typical rural area: 7.1 years
- Median home value (owners' estimate, 2021)
- $348,000
- Median monthly rent (2021)
- $960
- Speculation and vacancy tax
- doesn't apply here
More on cost to own
Property tax
In Area E, the Province collects the property tax. At 2026 rates every home here pays at least $4.92 per $1,000 of assessed value: about $4,921 a year on a $1,000,000 home, before the home owner grant. Local service areas (fire protection, recreation, street lighting, water and others) cover parts of the area and add to that, up to $1.61 per $1,000 each; which ones cover a given lot is on its tax notice.
- Regional district (the electoral area's share) $1.17
- Regional hospital district $1.06
- School (set by the Province) $2.06
- Provincial rural tax $0.39
- Police tax $0.21
- Other $0.04
On $500,000: at least about $2,460 a year; on $1,000,000: at least about $4,921, at 2026 rates, before the home owner grant.
Your bill uses BC Assessment's value for the property, which can differ from its price, and may also include parcel taxes and utility fees (water, sewer, garbage) that aren't rates on value. The home owner grant takes up to $570 off the bill of a home its owner lives in ($770 in the Province's northern and rural area in 2026, and up to $845, or $1,045 there, for seniors, veterans and people with a disability), for homes assessed at $2,075,000 or less in 2026; above that it shrinks by $5 for each $1,000. From 2027 the northern and rural extra ends and the regular grant is $570 everywhere. The owner applies each year, and must pay at least $350 in tax ($100 for the higher grant) after it. Our summary of the Province's page, read 2026-10-04. Rural rates aren't ranked: what a home pays depends on the service areas it's in. Confirm with the Province's Surveyor of Taxes. How property tax works in BC.
Source: The Surveyor of Taxes' rural tax rates, 2026, Province of BC (the rates only: facts set in public bylaws, not open data); Home owner grant, Province of BC (summarised in our words, read 2026-10-04).
Area E is outside the Province's speculation and vacancy tax area, so the tax doesn't apply to a home here. Our summary of the Province's pages, read 2026-10-04. Where the tax applies, and who pays.
The typical home here is the median value owners gave the 2021 census, and the typical household's income is the median for 2020: a home that costs 3.7 years of income took that many years of a typical household's whole income. "Typical" for places its size is the middle of BC's rural electoral areas.
Land for sale nearby
The 5 nearest listings on AcreScout within 25 km of the middle of the area's addresses at Williams Lake, nearest first.
| Listing | Asking price | Size | Per acre | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 406 Gibbon RoadWilliams Lake, listed 171 days ago | $99,000 | 1.45 acres | $68,276 an acre | 200 m |
| 523 Tamarack RoadWilliams Lake, listed 52 days ago | $889,000 | 2 acres | $444,500 an acre | 800 m |
| 754 Roberts DriveWilliams Lake, date not given | $659,900 | 2.01 acres | $328,308 an acre | 800 m |
| 550 Dog Creek RoadWilliams Lake, listed 182 days ago | $374,500 | 24.7 acres | $15,162 an acre | 1.7 km |
| 1401 Paxton RoadWilliams Lake, listed 31 days ago | $99,900 | 3.17 acres | $31,514 an acre | 2 km |
Distances are straight lines to the listing's pin. Where AcreScout places a listing only roughly, no distance is given, only the place it's near. Per acre is left out under about an acre. Asking prices are what sellers ask, not what land sells for.
Listings: AcreScout, a Buretto site; active listings as of 2026-11-15. Asking prices set by the sellers; not a valuation.
Source: Census of Population 2021, Statistics Canada (Statistics Canada Open Licence).
What you can build Stands out
Farmland reserve: the 3rd most land in it of BC's 159 rural electoral areas. 68% of its land, compared with 4% in a typical rural area.
- Homes allowed on a house lot (provincial minimum)
- the provincial minimum doesn't apply or is unclear: see More
- Short-term rentals
- The Province's principal residence requirement doesn't apply in Area E (list in force from June 1, 2026).
- In the farmland reserve (ALR)
- 68% typical rural area: 4%
More on what you can build
In Area E, more than one of the Cariboo Regional District's bylaws may zone a lot, so whether the Province's floor applies is unclear. Under the Central Cariboo Area Rural Land Use Bylaw No. 3503, 1999, a rural land use bylaw (Local Government Act s. 457), the small-scale multi-unit housing rules, suites and accessory homes included, don't apply; under the Williams Lake Fringe and 150 Mile House Area Zoning Bylaw No. 3502, 1999, a zone limited to detached houses must allow at least one secondary suite or detached accessory home (a garden suite or carriage house) next to a house. Ask the Cariboo Regional District which bylaw applies to the lot; in the Agricultural Land Reserve the Commission's limits come first. How many homes you can build on a lot.
The Province's principal residence requirement doesn't apply in Area E (list in force from June 1, 2026), so the provincial rule doesn't limit short-term rentals to the host's home. Local bylaws, including the zone's own rules, can be stricter. Hosts anywhere in BC register each unit with the provincial registry. Short-term rental rules in BC.
Reports for rural lots in Area E can't name the zone: the Cariboo Regional District doesn't publish its zoning map as open data. They show what the rural and lakeshore zones of the 2 bylaws that may apply allow and say to ask.
- Central Cariboo Area Rural Land Use Bylaw No. 3503, 19997 rural and lakeshore zones summarised in plain words, checked against the bylaw 2026-10-29.
- Williams Lake Fringe and 150 Mile House Area Zoning Bylaw No. 3502, 19997 rural and lakeshore zones summarised in plain words, checked against the bylaw 2026-10-29.
Two bylaws zone Electoral Areas D, E and F: No. 3502 the land around the City of Williams Lake it names (Esler, Chimney Valley, Pine Valley, Commodore Heights, Wildwood, Fox Mountain, Borland Valley, 150 Mile House and Dog Creek), No. 3503 the rest, Horsefly and the Beaver Valley among it. Their rural zones differ in a few figures, so both are shown; other parts of the district have bylaws of their own.
Ask the CRD's planning department which zone a lot is in, or find it on the CRD's planning map, and confirm what it allows before you buy or build.
The federal boundaries put 22 reserves of Esk'etemc, Stswecem'c Xget'tem First Nation and Williams Lake First Nation in or beside Area E. On reserve land the First Nation decides land use, not the local zoning bylaw; a report says when a lot is on reserve land or within 500 m of it. Reserve land in BC, by place.
The Cariboo Regional District's building inspection covers part of Area E (Building Bylaw No. 4997): the Central Cariboo service area around Williams Lake. There a building permit is needed and the work is inspected; elsewhere in the area it issues none. The BC Building Code applies everywhere all the same. Our reading of the Cariboo Regional District's own page, checked 2026-10-07. Do you need a building permit on rural land?
The Province maps 2 designated community watersheds, Weetman Community Watershed and Harold Community Watershed, over less than 1% of Area E: land draining to a licensed drinking-water intake, where logging and roads on Crown land must protect the supply. A report says whether a lot lies in one and whose water it is. Community watersheds in BC, by place.
Check one lot: is it in the ALR? · is the soil good for farming? · is it in a community watershed?
Source: Agricultural Land Reserve polygons, Agricultural Land Commission (Open Government Licence – British Columbia); 2021 census subdivision boundaries, Statistics Canada (Statistics Canada Open Licence).
Living here Typical for its size
No scheduled buses, 4 licensed child care providers, 1 fire hall and a 24-hour emergency department.
- Homes with 50/10 Mbps internet or faster
- 80% typical rural area: 81%
- Homes with LTE mobile coverage
- 69%
- Nearest emergency department open around the clock
- Williams Lake, 4.2 km in a straight line
- Fire halls
- 1 on the Province's list; the nearest 1.8 km from the middle of the area's addresses at Williams Lake
- Buses
- no scheduled buses
- Licensed child care
- 4 (2 group facilities, 2 family homes)
- Crime, weighted for how serious it is
- no police service of its own in Statistics Canada's figures: those of the Williams Lake RCMP detachment (rural) are under More
More on living here
Internet
80% of homes in Area E have 50/10 Mbps or faster recorded, wired or fixed wireless, against 97.6% across BC. 7.6% have nothing at 25/5 Mbps or faster.
| Share of homes here | BC | |
|---|---|---|
| 50/10 Mbps or faster, wired or fixed wireless | 80% | 97.6% |
| 50/10 Mbps or faster over a wired line | 80% | 96.2% |
| 50/10 Mbps or faster over fixed wireless | 50% | 87% |
| Nothing at 25/5 Mbps or faster | 7.6% | 1.4% |
| LTE mobile coverage | 69% | 99.1% |
| Homes counted (2021) | 1,867 | 2,170,255 |
| Rank in BC, homes without 50/10 Mbps | 81st of 248 (tied) | |
This is the service providers report to the federal government (ISED), counted over each area's homes in the 2021 census. It isn't a promise for any address: ask providers whether they serve it and what it costs to connect. Satellite service, which needs only a clear view of the sky, isn't counted. Data released May 2026. What internet can a given lot get?
Source: National Broadband Data (May 2026) and Pseudo-Household Demographic Distribution (2021), Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (Open Government Licence – Canada); 2021 census subdivision boundaries, Statistics Canada (Statistics Canada Open Licence).
Nearest hospital
The nearest hospital on the Province's list (updated 2026-10-01) is Cariboo Memorial Hospital and Health Centre, Williams Lake, about 4.2 km in a straight line from the middle of the area's addresses at Williams Lake. Its emergency department's hours on HealthLink BC's list: 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Roads are longer than these straight lines, and a small town's emergency department can close for a shift when it's short of staff: the health authority posts these as service changes. In an emergency, call 9-1-1. How far is the nearest hospital from a property?
Source: Hospitals in BC, HealthLinkBC (Open Government Licence – British Columbia); Emergency Rooms in BC, HealthLinkBC (Open Government Licence – British Columbia).
Fire protection
In Area E, a fire department answers calls only inside the fire protection area its service bylaw sets, so a hall nearby doesn't by itself mean a lot is covered: ask the Cariboo Regional District which department responds, if any. The Province's list (updated 2026-09-11) has one fire hall in Area E: Chimney And Felker Lake Fire Department. The nearest to the middle of the area's addresses at Williams Lake is Williams Lake Fire Department, about 1.8 km away in a straight line. Home insurers ask the road distance to the hall that responds, which can be far longer than the straight line. How far is the nearest fire hall, and what insurers ask
Source: First Responders (fire halls and ambulance stations), GeoBC (Open Government Licence – British Columbia).
Child care
The Province lists 2 licensed group child care facilities and 2 licensed family child care homes in Area E. By the ages their operators list, 1 takes school-age children; 1 lists no ages. All 4 take part in the fee reduction (CCFRI). Family child care homes are counted but not named or mapped, since they are private homes. Many operators list no ages, and the list holds the licensed facilities the Province funds, so a licensed one without that funding isn't on it. A report on a lot names its nearest group facility and counts those within 1 and 2 km; ask each facility about spaces and its wait list.
Source: Child Care Map Data, Child Care Programs and Services (listed 2026-10-11) (Open Government Licence – British Columbia); placed by us in the 2021 census boundary 2026-10-11. Licensed child care in every BC place.
Crime
The Williams Lake RCMP detachment (rural) reported a crime severity index of 47 in 2025, below BC's 92; down 4% since 2015 (BC unchanged).
| Crime severity index, 2025 | 47 (BC 92) |
|---|---|
| Violent / non-violent index | 61 / 42 (BC 98 / 91) |
| Crime severity index, 2015 | 49 (BC 93) |
| Change since 2015 | Down 4% (BC unchanged) |
| Break and enter, per 100,000 people, 2025 | 126 (BC 281) |
| Theft of a vehicle, per 100,000 people, 2025 | 164 (BC 138) |
| Theft from a vehicle, per 100,000 people, 2025 | 52 (BC 441) |
| Violent crime, per 100,000 people, 2025 | 959 (BC 1,531) |
| All Criminal Code offences (not traffic), per 100,000 people, 2025 | 2,617 (BC 6,943) |
Inferred: the nearest RCMP rural detachment Statistics Canada publishes figures for, about 38 km away. BC's police boundaries aren't open data, so the detachment that actually polices this place may be another.
The crime severity index weighs each offence by how serious it is (one assault counts for more than several thefts), with Canada in 2006 set at 100. Rates are per 100,000 people living in the police service's area, so places with many visitors, commuters or seasonal homes read high, and in small places a few incidents swing the figures a lot. These are crimes reported to police, not all crime.
Source: Statistics Canada, Table 35-10-0063-01, Crime severity index and weighted clearance rates, police services in British Columbia (Statistics Canada Open Licence); Statistics Canada, Table 35-10-0184-01, Incident-based crime statistics, by detailed violations, police services in British Columbia (Statistics Canada Open Licence).
Water
985 water-supply wells on record; half are deeper than 40 m, and the median tested yield is 26 L/min.
- Water-supply wells on record
- 985; half deeper than 40 m; median tested yield 26 L/min
- Rank in BC for well depth
- 130th of 245 (tied)
More on water
The Province's monitoring records hold groundwater samples from 22 wells in Area E, 2005 to 2025, among them 1 of the Province's observation wells and 8 water systems' wells. The median passed Health Canada's limit for uranium (1 well) and nitrate (2 wells). A report names the nearest sampled wells within 10 km of a lot. A neighbouring well isn't your water: test your own. What BC's well water tests for, by place.
Mapped aquifers
8 mapped aquifers lie in Area E, most wells first.
- 1Aquifer 148: Between Chimney Creek and Williams Lakeflat-lying to gently-dipping volcanic bedrock342 wells · moderate productivity
- 2Aquifer 147: Hill southwest of Williams Lake townsiteconfined sand and gravel (glacial)40 wells · moderate productivity
- 3Aquifer 151: Frost Creekconfined sand and gravel (glacial)32 wells · moderate productivity
- 4Aquifer 150: South of Williams Lake on Dog Creek Roadconfined sand and gravel (glacial)24 wells · moderate productivity
- 5Aquifer 149: Chimney Creek Valleyconfined sand and gravel (glacial)23 wells · moderate productivity
- 6Aquifer 152: South of Williams Lake on Dog Creek Roadconfined sand and gravel (glacial)18 wells · moderate productivity
- 7Aquifer 153: Lower Pablo Creekfractured crystalline bedrock12 wells · moderate productivity
- 8Aquifer 144: Southeast side of Williams Lakeconfined sand and gravel (glacial)12 wells · moderate productivity
An aquifer is listed for each place that holds at least a twentieth of it, so a sliver of one at the edge can be left out. Wells and productivity are for the whole aquifer, which can reach well beyond Area E. The province maps aquifers mostly in settled valleys, so a lot outside every outline can still have groundwater. Every mapped aquifer in BC · sampled lakes.
Sampled lakes
3 sampled lakes lie in Area E (one only partly), largest first.
- 1Williams Lake7 km² · 16% of it hereclarity 1.2 m (2017–2025)
- 2Chimney Lake4 km²clarity 2.9 m (2017–2025)
- 3Felker Lake2 km²too few readings to judge
A lake is listed for each place that holds at least a twentieth of it or 100 ha of it. Clarity is the median summer Secchi depth; the nutrient class is our reading of Carlson's index from phosphorus or chlorophyll, not a provincial rating. Either is given only for a lake with at least 10 summer readings from open water, spread over at least 3 different years, since 2012. Most lakes have never been sampled, so a lake missing here may simply have no record. Every sampled lake in BC.
Source: Groundwater wells (GWELLS), Province of BC (Open Government Licence – British Columbia); Ground Water Aquifers, Water Protection and Sustainability Branch, Province of BC (Open Government Licence – British Columbia); BC Environmental Monitoring Data System (EnMoDS) results, Province of BC (Open Government Licence – British Columbia); 2021 census subdivision boundaries, Statistics Canada (Statistics Canada Open Licence).
Climate and sun
January averages −5.9 °C and July 17.9 °C, with 91 cm of snow a year, at the Williams Lake River station, 3 km from Williams Lake (1981-2010 normals).
- January mean temperature
- -5.9 °C* typical rural area: −1.2 °C
- July mean temperature
- 17.9 °C*
- Yearly precipitation
- 426 mm*
- Yearly snowfall
- 91 cm* typical rural area: 88 cm
- Days a year over 30 °C
- 16 days* typical rural area: 7
- Frost-free period
- 117 days a year*
Winter sun
About 5 h 50 min of possible direct sun on December 21 at the middle of the area's addresses at Williams Lake, against 7 h 30 min on open ground; a lot on a slope or bench can differ by hours: open any lot's report for its own.
On March 21, 11 h 20 min against 12 h; on June 21, 16 h 10 min against 16 h 30 min. Our estimate from the terrain around the point, ground at about 796 m, seen from head height: trees, buildings and cloud aren't counted. On BC's least winter sun ranking (December sun as a share of open ground) it is 118th of 310 (tied). How winter sun is read.
More on climate and sun
| 1981-2010 normals | Rank in BC | |
|---|---|---|
| January mean temperature | -5.9 °C* | Not ranked* |
| July mean temperature | 17.9 °C* | Not ranked* |
| Yearly precipitation | 426 mm* | |
| Yearly snowfall | 91 cm* | Not ranked* |
| Frost-free period | 117 days a year* | |
| Average last spring and first fall frost | May 23 and September 18* | |
| Days a year over 30 °C | 16 days; 1.6 days over 35 °C* | Not ranked* |
| Wettest day in the station's record to 2010 | 45 mm of rain and melted snow, August 1, 1989 | |
| Most snow in a day in the station's record to 2010 | 33 cm, December 19, 1989 | |
| Deepest snow on the ground in the station's record to 2010 | 91 cm, January 13, 1993 | |
| Heating degree days, below 18 °C | 4,242 a year* | |
| Growing degree days, above 5 °C | 1,776 a year; 873 above 10 °C* |
Normals for 1981-2010 at the Williams Lake River station, about 3 km from the middle of the area's addresses at Williams Lake (of the communities here with a station within 30 km, the one with the most addresses); ECCC has no fuller 1991-2020 set for it. Its normals don't include days with snow on the ground, so that is left out. * Based on at least 20 or 15 of the 30 years, short of the World Meteorological Organization's standard: treat as a rougher guide. The records are single days measured at the station: the most rain, snow and wind it saw in its record up to 2010 (ECCC's 1981-2010 sets give records over the station's whole history, so some dates are older than 1981). Each is one event, not what to expect in a year, and the lot can get more or less than the station. Elevation matters a lot in BC: a hillside lot can be much colder and snowier than the station.
Plant hardiness zone: most homes here are in zone 4a (62%); 32% are in 4b, on Natural Resources Canada's 2025 map. Higher numbers are milder winters. What the zones mean.
Solar panels: a south-facing panel tilted at the latitude would make about 990 kWh a year for each kW of panels at the middle of the area's addresses at Williams Lake, about 36 of it in December (estimated from Natural Resources Canada's 1998-2022 sunshine map). An open sky is assumed: the hills, trees and buildings around a lot cut it, and a report sets the lot's own skyline beside it. What solar panels would make in BC.
By the 2050s (2041-2070) at Williams Lake, climate models project about 13 more days over 30 °C a year, a longest frost-free run about 40 days longer and about 8 percentage points less of winter's precipitation falling as snow, each against the same models' 1971-2000 (model projections under SSP2-4.5, a middle path for emissions). The models work on a grid of about 9 by 6 km, which averages valley floors with the slopes around them, so their own figures can sit well off a station's normals and aren't comparable with them. Their own figures there: about 19 days over 30 °C a year in 2041-2070 (range 14 to 35 across the models), against about 6 days in 1971-2000; a longest frost-free run of about 155 days (range 140 to 170), against about 115; and about 82% of winter's precipitation falling as snow (range 74% to 86%), against about 90%. The ranges run from the 10th to the 90th percentile of the models' 2041-2070 figures. The 2050s across BC.
Light at night within 1 km of the middle of the area's addresses at Williams Lake: faint, as around Wells or Lytton (our reading), and darker than about 87% of BC's homes (2024 satellite record). A lot away from the centre can be much darker. How dark are BC's nights?
Lightning: around the middle of the area's addresses at Williams Lake, a cloud-to-ground flash within 10 km on about 10 days a year and 0.23 flashes per km² a year, more than at 3 in 4 BC homes (the Canadian Lightning Detection Network, 1998-2025 average, on a grid of about 11 by 7 km).
Source: Canadian Climate Normals 1991-2020 and 1981-2010, Environment and Climate Change Canada (Open Government Licence – Canada); Plant hardiness zones of Canada (2025 map), Natural Resources Canada (Open Government Licence – Canada); Medium Resolution Digital Elevation Model (MRDEM-30), Natural Resources Canada (Open Government Licence – Canada); Solar position: General Solar Position Calculations (NOAA Global Monitoring Laboratory; Spencer, 1971) (Public domain); Daily average solar irradiance on tilted surfaces for all of Canada (1998-2022), Natural Resources Canada (Open Government Licence – Canada); Photovoltaic Potential and Solar Resource Maps of Canada (performance ratio), Natural Resources Canada (Open Government Licence – Canada); Statistically downscaled climate indices from CMIP6 global climate models (CanDCS-M6), Environment and Climate Change Canada and the Pacific Climate Impacts Consortium, via the Canadian Centre for Climate Services (Open Government Licence – Canada); Air Quality and Climate Monitoring: Verified Hourly Air Quality and Meteorological Data (fine particulate matter, PM2.5), BC Ministry of Environment and Parks (Open Government Licence – British Columbia); VIIRS Nighttime Lights, 2024 annual composite, Earth Observation Group, Payne Institute for Public Policy, Colorado School of Mines (Elvidge et al. 2021, Remote Sensing 13(5):922), via Hengl, OpenGeoHub, Zenodo doi 10.5281/zenodo.7750174 (CC BY 4.0); Canadian Lightning Detection Network cloud-to-ground flashes (CanCPLDv1), Environment and Climate Change Canada (Open Government Licence – Canada).
Land use around
2 major projects in assessment or approved in or near Area E on the Environmental Assessment Office's register; 3.2% of its land is under mineral, placer or coal titles.
- Major projects in assessment or approved, in or within 5 km
- 2: Mt. Polley Copper; North Lakeside Well
- Under mineral, placer or coal titles
- 3.2%
- Who holds them
- Largest company holders: Fortescue Canada Resources Ltd. (79% of the land under title), 1559791 BC Ltd (0.1%); private individuals hold titles over 21% of it, on the Province's record as of October 29, 2026.
More on land use around
Major projects in Area E
The Environmental Assessment Office's register places 2 major projects in assessment or approved in Area E or within 5 km of it: Mt. Polley Copper (mineral mine, approved before the Environmental Assessment Act, operating); North Lakeside Well (groundwater extraction, certificate issued Oct 24, 2001, operating).
| Project | Decision | Phase | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mt. Polley CopperMineral Mines | Pre-EA Act Approval, Jun 30, 1995 | Post Decision – Operation | In Area E |
| North Lakeside WellGroundwater Extraction | Certificate Issued, Oct 24, 2001 | Post Decision – Operation | About 1.8 km outside |
Major projects are those large enough to need a provincial environmental assessment: mines, power plants, pipelines, transmission lines, highways, ports and resorts. The register places each at one point; a mine, pipeline or line can reach well past it, so check the project's own page for its maps. A property report lists those within 10 km of a lot; every project in BC by place.
Source: Environmental Assessment Office project points (EPIC), Province of BC, as of 2026-11-02 (Open Government Licence – British Columbia); 2021 census subdivision boundaries, Statistics Canada (Statistics Canada Open Licence).
The Province lists 5 active waste discharge authorizations in Area E; the commonest kinds: sewage treatment or discharge site (3), sawmill or other primary wood processing (1) and wood-waste landfill (1). Of these, 2 may discharge to air, 3 effluent to water or land and 1 refuse to land. A report lists any within 2 km of a lot, and flags one whose point is on it. Permitted discharges in BC, by place.
The Province maps one open gravel pit or quarry in Area E: Onward Pit. A report lists the permits within 2 km of a lot, names an open pit or quarry within 500 m and flags one whose permit area takes in the lot. Gravel pits and mine permits in BC, by place.
On ParcelMap BC, the land in Area E is 22% private, 33% Crown land with a parcel drawn (31% with no title), 1% federal; no parcel is mapped over 44%, likely most of it untitled Crown land, with lakes and road allowances. A report says who owns the land along a lot's line. Crown land next to a property, and every place's land by owner.
The Ministry of Forests maps 26 active Crown range tenures (26 grazing) reaching into Area E, over 82% of its area, licensed for about 56,347 animal unit months of grazing a year in all. Outside a pound district, keeping livestock off a lot is the owner's fence to build. A report lists any tenure within 1 km of a lot. Open range and grazing in BC, by place.
The Province maps 7 registered traplines over 99% of the area and one guide outfitter territory over 12% in Area E. The maps are drawn over titled land too, but traplines are registered on Crown land: on titled land, anyone but the owner or occupier needs their written permission to trap. A report says whether either takes in a lot. Traplines and guiding territories in BC, by place.
Area E lies in wildlife management unit 5-2 (99% of its land): the Hunting and Trapping Regulations Synopsis sets seasons and closed areas by unit. Hunting and shooting on your own property.
BC Parks maps one park or protected area, Westwick Lakes Ecological Reserve, reaching into Area E, over less than 1% of its land. Recreation Sites and Trails BC lists 5 sites there. A report names the nearest park and recreation site within 25 km of a lot. Parks and recreation sites in BC, by place.
Check one lot: is there a mineral claim? · power lines nearby? · pipelines nearby? · a gravel pit nearby? · a landfill or plant nearby? · logging planned nearby? · cattle on open range? · is there a trapline? · can I hunt on it? · a park nearby? · Crown land next door?
Source: Mineral, placer and coal tenures, Mineral Titles Branch (Open Government Licence – British Columbia); 2021 census subdivision boundaries, Statistics Canada (Statistics Canada Open Licence).
People
4,112 people in 2021, up 1.2% from 2016; the median age is 45.2.
| Here | BC | |
|---|---|---|
| Population, 2021 | 4,112 | 5,000,879 |
| Change since 2016 | +1.2% | +7.6% |
| Median age | 45.2 | 42.8 |
| Under 15 | 17.4% | 14.3% |
| 65 and over | 21.1% | 20.3% |
| Median household income (2020) | $93,000 | $85,000 |
| Homes owned by the people living in them | 89.9% | 66.8% |
| Single-detached houses | 73.6% | 42.4% |
| Movable dwellings (mobile homes and the like) | 22.9% | 2.5% |
| Built before 1961 | 7.2% | 12.5% |
| Needing major repairs | 9.3% | 5.8% |
| Median home value (owners' estimate) | $348,000 | $785,000 |
| Median monthly rent | $960 | $1,370 |
| Worked from home | 9.2% | 22.6% |
| Unemployment rate | 7.4% | 8.4% |
Bars: the dark bar is this place, the red mark is BC.
Who lives here
| Here | BC | |
|---|---|---|
| Indigenous identity | 15.3% | 5.9% |
| Immigrants | 7.4% | 29.0% |
| Visible minority | 1.7% | 34.4% |
| No religion or a secular outlook | 59.6% | 52.1% |
Census figures, shown for context like the others. We don't rank or score places on these.
More on people
Census figures are from 2021; the next census results start in 2027. Area boundaries are Statistics Canada's census subdivisions, which follow municipal and electoral area lines. The places named at the top are the official place names in the area (BC Geographical Names) with the most 2021 homes nearer them than any other name, on ISED's home points: our reading.
Source: Census of Population 2021, Statistics Canada (Statistics Canada Open Licence); BC Geographical Names, Province of BC (Open Government Licence – British Columbia); Pseudo-Household Demographic Distribution (2021), Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (Open Government Licence – Canada).