PlaceDossier / BC places / Kootenay Boundary
Kootenay Boundary E / West Boundary
An electoral area of the Kootenay Boundary Regional District. 3,004 people lived here in 2021, up 39.4% from 2016, on 4,316 km² of land. It takes in Big White, Rock Creek, Kettle Valley, Beaverdell and 10 more.
BC place · electoral area
How Kootenay Boundary E / West Boundary compares with BC's other rural areas
- Evacuations: an order to leave, in May 2018 (flood). The Province's record starts in April 2017. One of 65 of BC's 159 rural electoral areas with one.
- Growth: the 2nd fastest-growing of BC's 125 rural electoral areas with 1,000 people or more in 2016 and 2021. +39.4% from 2016 to 2021, compared with +6.3% in a typical rural area.
Typical for its size No scheduled buses, no licensed child care on the Province's list, 4 fire halls and a 24-hour emergency department 44 km away.
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: an order to leave, in May 2018 (flood). The Province's record starts in April 2017. One of 65 of BC's 159 rural electoral areas with one.
- Burned by wildfire since 1996
- 1.5% typical rural area: 2%
- Years with a mapped wildfire since 1917
- 60, the latest 2025
- Evacuation events since April 2017
- 1 with an order to leave; the latest May 2018
- Radon: homes tested at or above the guideline in its health region
- 29% in Kootenay Boundary (BC: 7.9%)
More on hazards
Its land, ranked in BC
| Here | Rank in BC | |
|---|---|---|
| In the farmland reserve (ALR) | 8.9% | 137th of 267 |
| Burned by wildfire since 1996 | 1.5% | 111th of 215 (tied) |
| Years with a mapped wildfire since 1917 | 60 | most recent 2025 |
| Under mineral, placer or coal titles | 34% | 26th of 219 |
| Land area | 4,316 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, one wildfire of 1,000 ha or more burned in Kootenay Boundary E / West Boundary: unnamed fire N60584 in 2015, 4,417 ha here, 1% of its land.
- 2015Unnamed fire N605844,417 ha in all4,417 ha here
Smaller mapped fires since 2016
Since 2016, the BC Wildfire Service mapped 32 smaller fires (under 1,000 ha) that reached Kootenay Boundary E / West Boundary, newest first. This season's are as mapped by November 9, 2026.
- 2026Unnamed fire K508692.8 ha in all2.8 ha here
- 2026Unnamed fire N612101.9 ha in all1.9 ha here
- 2026Unnamed fire K515221 ha in all1 ha here
- 2026Unnamed fire K503360.9 ha in all0.9 ha here
- 2025Unnamed fire N616325.9 ha in all5.9 ha here
- 2024Lower Campbell Creek wildfire224 ha in all224 ha here
- 2024Unnamed fire N6139419 ha in all19 ha here
- 2024Unnamed fire N618502.5 ha in all2.5 ha here
And 24 more
- 2024Unnamed fire N625631.2 ha in all1.2 ha here
- 2024Unnamed fire N618810.7 ha in all0.7 ha here
- 2024Unnamed fire N620720.5 ha in all0.5 ha here
- 2024Unnamed fire N614570.4 ha in all0.4 ha here
- 2023Unnamed fire N604653.3 ha in all3.3 ha here
- 2022Rendall Creek wildfire54 ha in all54 ha here
- 2022Wallace Creek wildfire39 ha in all39 ha here
- 2022West Kettle wildfire6.8 ha in all6.8 ha here
- 2022Unnamed fire N626934.6 ha in all4.6 ha here
- 2022Nevertouch wildfire1.2 ha in all1.2 ha here
- 2022Midway wildfire1.1 ha in all1.1 ha here
- 2021Goatskin Creek wildfire268 ha in all268 ha here
- 2021Henderson Creek wildfire3.9 ha in all3.9 ha here
- 2021Mt Ferroux wildfire1.6 ha in all1.6 ha here
- 2020Carmi Creek wildfire55 ha in all55 ha here
- 2020Solomon Mountain wildfire23 ha in all23 ha here
- 2020Lower Tuzo wildfire5.3 ha in all5.3 ha here
- 2019Tuzo Creek wildfire11 ha in all11 ha here
- 2018Unnamed fire N626236.8 ha in all6.8 ha here
- 2017Unnamed fire K5204737 ha in all37 ha here
- 2017Unnamed fire N618742.1 ha in all2.1 ha here
- 2017Unnamed fire N620401.5 ha in all1.5 ha here
- 2016Unnamed fire N600173.7 ha in all · 82% of it here3 ha here
- 2016Unnamed fire N601311 ha in all1 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, Kootenay Boundary E / West Boundary's land is 57% NDT3 (burned in large fires about every 100 to 150 years), 27% NDT4 (burned often and lightly, every 4 to 50 years), 16% NDT2 (burned in large fires about every 200 years) and under 1% NDT5 (alpine tundra and subalpine parkland). Its main biogeoclimatic zones are Montane Spruce (42%), Interior Douglas-fir (27%), Engelmann Spruce–Subalpine Fir (20%) and Interior Cedar–Hemlock (11%). 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
None of the wildfire evacuation orders or alerts in the Province's record since April 2017 covered 5% or more of the land or homes in Kootenay Boundary E / West Boundary.
Listed when an order or alert area covered at least 5% of the land in Kootenay Boundary E / West Boundary, or lay mostly in Kootenay Boundary E / West Boundary 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 Kootenay Boundary E / West Boundary. 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
Since April 2017, the Province's record holds 1 flood event with an evacuation order or alert over Kootenay Boundary E / West Boundary, an order. The latest order: Zone 130,132,133,134,135,136, May 2018.
- 2018Zone 130,132,133,134,135,136May 2018 · evacuation order (flood) · Regional District of Kootenay Boundary601 homes
Listed when an order or alert area covered at least 5% of the land in Kootenay Boundary E / West Boundary, or lay mostly in Kootenay Boundary E / West Boundary 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 Kootenay Boundary E / West Boundary. 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.
8 landslides are recorded inside Kootenay Boundary E / West Boundary in the Preliminary Canadian Landslide Database (version 14.0), including 3 rock falls, 1 debris flow and 1 rock slide. The latest with a date of its own: a debris flow, 16 Apr 2018. 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 40 dams in Kootenay Boundary E / West Boundary, 6 of them classed High or above for the harm a failure would do downstream: Turtle Lake South Cut-Off Dam (Very High), Lind Creek (Very High) and McCulloch Haynes Dam (Very High) among them. Of these, 6 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.
8 Water Survey of Canada gauges in Kootenay Boundary E / West Boundary have 5 or more years of yearly peak flows: West Kettle River near Mcculloch peaked highest at 91.2 m³/s in 1997 (61 years on record), Trapping Creek near the Mouth peaked highest at 61.1 m³/s in 2018 (59 years on record) and West Kettle River below Carmi Creek peaked highest at 150 m³/s in 1981 (20 years on record), among others. 3 set their 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.
Radon
In the Kootenay Boundary health region, 32 of the 109 homes tested (29%) 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 Typical for its size
Homes: the typical home costs 6.6 years of a typical household's income, compared with 7.1 years in a typical rural area.
- Typical home value against typical household income
- 6.6 years of income typical rural area: 7.1 years
- Median home value (owners' estimate, 2021)
- $400,000
- Median monthly rent (2021)
- $628
- Speculation and vacancy tax
- doesn't apply here
More on cost to own
Property tax
In Kootenay Boundary E / West Boundary, the Province collects the property tax. At 2026 rates every home here pays at least $3.56 per $1,000 of assessed value: about $3,561 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 $1.76 per $1,000 each; which ones cover a given lot is on its tax notice.
- Regional district (the electoral area's share) $1.04
- Regional hospital district $0.16
- School (set by the Province) $1.86
- Provincial rural tax $0.39
- Police tax $0.07
- Other $0.04
On $500,000: at least about $1,780 a year; on $1,000,000: at least about $3,561, 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).
Kootenay Boundary E / West Boundary 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 6.6 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 Big White, nearest first.
| Listing | Asking price | Size | Per acre | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kettle View RoadBig White, listed 24 days ago | $6,000,000 | 0.99 acres | $6,060,606 an acre | 200 m |
| 440 Feathertop WayBig White, listed 404 days ago | $433,000 | 0.07 acres | – | 700 m |
| 355 Feathertop Way Kootenay BoundaryBig White, listed 90 days ago | $425,000 | 0.78 acres | – | 800 m |
| 5940 Snow Pines Way 23 Kootenay BoundaryBig White, listed 59 days ago | $369,000 | 0.25 acres | – | 900 m |
| 10737 Highway 33 EKelowna, listed 120 days ago | $1,099,900 | 2.17 acres | $506,866 an acre | 23 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 Typical for its size
On a lot zoned for a house, the zoning must allow at least a secondary suite or a garden suite (the provincial minimum).
- Homes allowed on a house lot (provincial minimum)
- a house and a secondary suite or garden suite
- Short-term rentals
- The Province's principal residence requirement doesn't apply in Kootenay Boundary E / West Boundary (list in force from June 1, 2026).
- In the farmland reserve (ALR)
- 8.9% typical rural area: 4%
More on what you can build
In Kootenay Boundary E / West Boundary, 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. A floor of 3 or 4 homes applies on rural land only inside an urban containment boundary drawn in a regional growth strategy, and most rural land is outside one. None of it applies on land in an Islands Trust local trust area or under a rural land use bylaw, and 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 Kootenay Boundary E / West Boundary (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 lots in Kootenay Boundary E / West Boundary can't name the zone: we have no open zoning map for it (see the places covered).
Ask the Kootenay Boundary Regional District for a lot's zone and what it allows.
The Regional District of Kootenay Boundary's building inspection covers all of Kootenay Boundary E / West Boundary (Building Bylaw No. 1753): building, adding on, moving or demolishing a building needs a building permit, and the work is inspected. Our reading of the Regional District of Kootenay Boundary's own page, checked 2026-10-07. Do you need a building permit on rural land?
The Province maps 6 designated community watersheds, Hydraulic Community Watershed, Mckinney Community Watershed and Affleck Community Watershed among them, over less than 1% of Kootenay Boundary E / West Boundary: 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, no licensed child care on the Province's list, 4 fire halls and a 24-hour emergency department 44 km away.
- Homes with 50/10 Mbps internet or faster
- 67% typical rural area: 81%
- Homes with LTE mobile coverage
- 88%
- Nearest emergency department open around the clock
- Kelowna, 44 km in a straight line
- Fire halls
- 4 on the Province's list; the nearest 400 m from Big White
- Buses
- no scheduled buses
- Licensed child care
- none on the Province's list
- Crime, weighted for how serious it is
- no police service of its own in Statistics Canada's figures: those of the Boundary/Midway RCMP detachment (rural) are under More
More on living here
Internet
67% of homes in Kootenay Boundary E / West Boundary have 50/10 Mbps or faster recorded, wired or fixed wireless, against 97.6% across BC. 21% have nothing at 25/5 Mbps or faster.
| Share of homes here | BC | |
|---|---|---|
| 50/10 Mbps or faster, wired or fixed wireless | 67% | 97.6% |
| 50/10 Mbps or faster over a wired line | 48% | 96.2% |
| 50/10 Mbps or faster over fixed wireless | 66% | 87% |
| Nothing at 25/5 Mbps or faster | 21% | 1.4% |
| LTE mobile coverage | 88% | 99.1% |
| Homes counted (2021) | 3,708 | 2,170,255 |
| Rank in BC, homes without 50/10 Mbps | 49th 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 Kelowna General Hospital, about 44 km in a straight line from Big White. 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 Kootenay Boundary E / West Boundary, 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 Kootenay Boundary Regional District which department responds, if any. The Province's list (updated 2026-09-11) has four fire halls in Kootenay Boundary E / West Boundary: Beaverdell Volunteer Fire Department, Big White Village Volunteer Fire Department, Midway Volunteer Fire Department - Kettle Valley Fire Hall and Midway Volunteer Fire Department - Rock Creek Fire Hall. The nearest to Big White is Big White Village Volunteer Fire Department, about 400 m 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).
Crime
The Boundary/Midway RCMP detachment (rural) reported a crime severity index of 84 in 2025, below BC's 92; down 24% since 2015 (BC unchanged).
| Crime severity index, 2025 | 84 (BC 92) |
|---|---|
| Violent / non-violent index | 115 / 73 (BC 98 / 91) |
| Crime severity index, 2015 | 111 (BC 93) |
| Change since 2015 | Down 24% (BC unchanged) |
| Break and enter, per 100,000 people, 2025 | 373 (BC 281) |
| Theft of a vehicle, per 100,000 people, 2025 | 156 (BC 138) |
| Theft from a vehicle, per 100,000 people, 2025 | 187 (BC 441) |
| Violent crime, per 100,000 people, 2025 | 2,705 (BC 1,531) |
| All Criminal Code offences (not traffic), per 100,000 people, 2025 | 7,618 (BC 6,943) |
Inferred: Statistics Canada publishes figures for no RCMP detachment within 40 km of here; the nearest it does is about 43 km away, so these figures are for that detachment's area, which may not include this place. BC's police boundaries aren't open data; the local RCMP can say who polices it.
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
779 water-supply wells on record; half are deeper than 24 m, and the median tested yield is 91 L/min.
- Water-supply wells on record
- 779; half deeper than 24 m; median tested yield 91 L/min
- Rank in BC for well depth
- 188th of 245 (tied)
More on water
The Province's monitoring records hold groundwater samples from 1 well in Kootenay Boundary E / West Boundary, 2000 to 2016, among them 1 of the Province's observation wells. No well's median passed Health Canada's limits for arsenic, fluoride, manganese, uranium, nitrate or lead. 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 Kootenay Boundary E / West Boundary, most wells first.
- 1Aquifer 477: Kettle River, eastward from Rock Creekunconfined sand and gravel (small stream system)89 wells · high productivity
- 2Aquifer 482: Kettle river Valley near Beaverdellunconfined sand and gravel (small stream system)70 wells · moderate productivity
- 3Aquifer 810: East of Osoyoosfractured crystalline bedrock48 wells · moderate productivity
- 4Aquifer 481: Kettle River Valley at West ridgeunconfined sand and gravel (small stream system)22 wells · high productivity
- 5Aquifer 809: East of Osoyoosconfined sand and gravel (glacial)11 wells · moderate productivity
- 6Aquifer 474: Kettle Valley - Rock Creekunconfined sand and gravel (medium stream system)8 wells · high productivity
- 7Aquifer 476: Low lying area northeast of Rock Creekconfined sand and gravel (glacial)6 wells · moderate productivity
- 8Aquifer 475: Bedrock slope north of Rock Creekfractured crystalline bedrock4 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 Kootenay Boundary E / West Boundary. 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
4 sampled lakes lie in Kootenay Boundary E / West Boundary, largest first.
- 1Jewel Lake77 hatoo few readings to judge
- 2Bolduc Lake10.6 hatoo few readings to judge
- 3Stump Lake (Kettle River watershed)7.3 hatoo few readings to judge
- 4Graham Lake3.1 hatoo 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
No climate station with published normals sits near the height of Kootenay Boundary E / West Boundary: the nearest, Joe Rich Creek, 21 km away, stands at about 875 m, 878 m below its main settled place (about 1,753 m). There January averages −5.1 °C and July 15.6 °C, with 146 cm of snow a year (1981-2010 normals): the station's climate, not the place's own.
- January mean temperature
- -5.1 °C*
- July mean temperature
- 15.6 °C*
- Yearly precipitation
- 596 mm*
- Yearly snowfall
- 146 cm*
- Days a year over 30 °C
- 8.8 days*
- Frost-free period
- 81 days a year*
Winter sun
About 7 h 50 min of possible direct sun on December 21 at Big White, against 7 h 50 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 40 min against 12 h; on June 21, 14 h 30 min against 16 h 10 min. Our estimate from the terrain around the point, ground at about 1,753 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 301st of 310 (tied). How winter sun is read.
More on climate and sun
| 1981-2010 normals | Rank in BC | |
|---|---|---|
| January mean temperature | -5.1 °C* | No figure on record here, so not ranked |
| July mean temperature | 15.6 °C* | No figure on record here, so not ranked |
| Yearly precipitation | 596 mm* | |
| Yearly snowfall | 146 cm* | No snowfall in this station's normals, so not ranked |
| Frost-free period | 81 days a year* | |
| Average last spring and first fall frost | June 10 and August 31* | |
| Days with snow on the ground (1 cm or more) | 115 days a year; 30 days in January* | |
| Days a year over 30 °C | 8.8 days; under half a day over 35 °C* | No days over 30 °C in this station's normals, so not ranked |
| Wettest day in the station's record to 2010 | 63.5 mm of rain and melted snow, June 30, 1935 | |
| Most snow in a day in the station's record to 2010 | 54 cm, November 30, 1977 | |
| Deepest snow on the ground in the station's record to 2010 | 72 cm, January 4, 1993 | |
| Heating degree days, below 18 °C | 4,740 a year* | |
| Growing degree days, above 5 °C | 1,302 a year; 536 above 10 °C* |
Normals for 1981-2010 at the Joe Rich Creek station, about 21 km from Big White (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. * 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. We don't set this station's figures against other places: it's more than 15 km from the place.
Plant hardiness zone: most homes here are in zone 4a (64%); 16% are in 5b, 12% are in 5a, 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 1,020 kWh a year for each kW of panels at Big White, about 42 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 Big White, climate models project about 4 more days over 30 °C a year, a longest frost-free run about 40 days longer and about 6 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 4 days over 30 °C a year in 2041-2070 (range 1 to 14 across the models), against under 1 day in 1971-2000; a longest frost-free run of about 125 days (range 110 to 145), against about 85; and about 92% of winter's precipitation falling as snow (range 86% to 94%), against about 98%. 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 Big White: like a small town such as Gibsons, Sooke or Valemount (our reading), and darker than about 79% 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 Big White, a cloud-to-ground flash within 10 km on about 13 days a year and 0.26 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); 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
No major project in assessment or approved in or near Kootenay Boundary E / West Boundary on the Environmental Assessment Office's register; 34% of its land is under mineral, placer or coal titles.
- Major projects in assessment or approved, in or within 5 km
- none on the register
- Under mineral, placer or coal titles
- 34%
- Who holds them
- Largest company holders: Grizzly Discoveries Inc. (39% of the land under title), Ximen Mining Corp (17%), Equity Metals Corporation (3.8%); private individuals hold titles over 30% of it, on the Province's record as of October 29, 2026.
More on land use around
Major projects in Kootenay Boundary E / West Boundary
No major project in assessment or approved is placed in Kootenay Boundary E / West Boundary or within 5 km of it on the Environmental Assessment Office's register.
Closed: 1 withdrawn, terminated, refused, expired or not reviewable
- Big White Ski Resort Expansion (ski resort, found not to need an assessment 2023 (it may still go ahead under other permits); in Kootenay Boundary E / West Boundary)
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 BC Energy Regulator maps about 95 km of active oil and gas pipeline in Kootenay Boundary E / West Boundary, permitted to FortisBC Energy Inc. A report lists any pipeline within 200 m of a lot, and flags one within 30 m, where digging needs the permit holder's agreement. Pipelines in BC, by place.
The Province lists 20 active waste discharge authorizations in Kootenay Boundary E / West Boundary; the commonest kinds: sewage treatment or discharge site (7), soil amendment (biosolids or other wastes spread on land) (4) and landfill, transfer station or other solid waste site (3). Of these, 1 may discharge to air, 11 effluent to water or land and 2 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 no open gravel pit or quarry in Kootenay Boundary E / West Boundary, but 7 open mine permits: 1 mineral exploration permit area and 6 mineral exploration or mine permit areas. 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 Kootenay Boundary E / West Boundary is 10% private, 8% Crown land with a parcel drawn (5% with no title); no parcel is mapped over 82%, 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 33 active Crown range tenures (32 grazing, 1 hay cutting) reaching into Kootenay Boundary E / West Boundary, over 57% of its area, licensed for about 19,786 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 22 registered traplines over nearly all of the area and 6 guide outfitter territories over nearly all in Kootenay Boundary E / West Boundary. 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.
Kootenay Boundary E / West Boundary lies in wildlife management units 8-14 (50%), 8-12 (48%): the Hunting and Trapping Regulations Synopsis sets seasons and closed areas by unit. Hunting and shooting on your own property.
BC Parks maps 9 parks and protected areas (Big White Mountain Ecological Reserve; Boundary Creek Park, a provincial park; Conkle Lake Park, a provincial park; Granby Park, a provincial park; and 5 more) reaching into Kootenay Boundary E / West Boundary, over 1% of its land. Recreation Sites and Trails BC lists 32 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 Stands out
Growth: the 2nd fastest-growing of BC's 125 rural electoral areas with 1,000 people or more in 2016 and 2021. +39.4% from 2016 to 2021, compared with +6.3% in a typical rural area.
| Here | BC | |
|---|---|---|
| Population, 2021 | 3,004 | 5,000,879 |
| Change since 2016 | +39.4% | +7.6% |
| Median age | 48.8 | 42.8 |
| Under 15 | 12.5% | 14.3% |
| 65 and over | 23.3% | 20.3% |
| Median household income (2020) | $60,400 | $85,000 |
| Homes owned by the people living in them | 78.8% | 66.8% |
| Single-detached houses | 62.7% | 42.4% |
| Movable dwellings (mobile homes and the like) | 3.5% | 2.5% |
| Built before 1961 | 11.7% | 12.5% |
| Needing major repairs | 8.5% | 5.8% |
| Median home value (owners' estimate) | $400,000 | $785,000 |
| Median monthly rent | $628 | $1,370 |
| Worked from home | 33.7% | 22.6% |
| Unemployment rate | 14.5% | 8.4% |
Bars: the dark bar is this place, the red mark is BC.
Who lives here
| Here | BC | |
|---|---|---|
| Indigenous identity | 4.4% | 5.9% |
| Immigrants | 12.9% | 29.0% |
| Visible minority | 2.4% | 34.4% |
| No religion or a secular outlook | 65.6% | 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).