The Town of Gibsons received an update on the aquifer mapping program during the May 8 committee of the whole meeting.
Both Darren David of Waterline Resources and Sue Gordon of Gordon Groundwater Consultancy were on hand to provide the Town with updates on the progress of its $500,000 initiative to map out the aquifer.
According to Environment Canada's 2011 municipal water use report, British Columbia ranks among the nation's highest per-capita water users, trailing only Quebec, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador.
David said the Town of Gibsons fell somewhat below the provincial average, but recommended that strategies designed to encourage residents to use less water still be explored.
One of the guiding questions behind the work of the consultants on the Gibsons aquifer is whether the Town's water supply could theoretically support a population of 10,000 people.
"How much water can we take out of the aquifer without changing the basic functional dynamics?" Coun. Dan Bouman asked David at the meeting.
The consultant estimated that the Gibsons aquifer could support a maximum use rate of about 3,250 cubic metres.
"The risk relates to salt water intrusion, so as long as the theoretical predictions tell us we're not dropping the water level in the aquifer below the sea levels, you're not going to expect water to migrate in," said David, who described his calculations as "very conservative."
The first phase of the mapping project was completed in June of 2010. That part of the project was needed to understand the physical properties of the aquifer, including an initial estimate of its capacity.
According to Town staff, the second phase has been focused on the development of a groundwater management plan, in addition to performing continued evaluations of the system.
The team studying the aquifer has also included University of British Columbia master's student Jessica Doyle, who has been using a technique of isotope monitoring to determine the age of the water in various parts of the system.
Different chemicals, like chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and tritium, an isotope that can be the by-product of nuclear fusion technologies, have helped Doyle track the length of time the Town's water has spent since it was last exposed to the atmosphere.
Combined with a detailed understanding of the behaviour of the Town's aquifer water, Gibsons is hoping the project will help them sustain and protect the vital water source.
In 2009 the Town committed $100,000 to the program while also receiving a grant for $400,000. The final report is expected to be completed by March, 2013.
