South Area Groundwater Level Conditions

Background

The province maintains a network of groundwater observation wells to monitor water levels in priority aquifers. These observation wells (OW) record water level fluctuations which allow for improved understanding of how aquifers respond to changes in climate, precipitation, and effects from pumping. Many of the observation wells are equipped with satellite telemetry to provide real time information on water levels.

The following summaries compare recent groundwater levels to all historical continuous daily records to determine percentile classes, with a minimum of 5 years of data. Historical monthly water level samples (before ~2004) are not included. A percentile is on a scale of 100 and indicates the percent of a distribution that is equal to or below it. For example, a groundwater level at the 10th percentile is equal to or greater than 10% of the water level values recorded on this day of the year during all previous years of data.

In general, a groundwater level value that is:

the highest ever measured for the day of year is considered High
greater than the 90th percentile is considered Much Above Normal
between 75th percentile and 90th percentile is considered Above Normal
between 25th and 75th percentiles is considered Normal
less than the 25 percentile is considered Below Normal
less than 10 percentile is considered Much Below Normal
the lowest ever measured for the day of year is considered Low

Wells classified as “Not Available” in this report do not have recent groundwater level data within the past 14 days or do not have sufficient data (less than 5 years continuous data).

Definition of Normal

It should be noted that describing water levels relative to “normal” steady state baselines requires historical water levels of a well to be relatively stationary and without significant trending in the short or long-term. Use of the term “normal” in reference to groundwater levels that are indicating a trending pattern should be regarded with caution, as there is no true “normal” water level for a given time of year in these scenarios. As a result, this report uses the “normal” term solely in reference to water levels between the 25th to 75th percentiles of historical data, not to imply a steady state baseline for comparison. Percentile data should be interpreted with the context of long-term data records, patterns, and trends.

Groundwater Level Conditions

Wells by Percentile Class

	Current Year	Last Year
	2026-07-19	2025-07-19
High (100)	0	0
Much Above Normal (90-100)	0	1 (1.5%)
Above Normal (75-90)	2 (2.9%)	1 (1.5%)
Normal (25-75)	12 (17.6%)	35 (52.2%)
Below Normal (10-25)	5 (7.4%)	12 (17.9%)
Much Below Normal (0-10)	2 (2.9%)	8 (11.9%)
Low (0)	19 (27.9%)	9 (13.4%)
Across All Classes	40	66

Percentile Class Changes Since Last Year

This plot shows groundwater level percentile classes for each day over the past year to observe how conditions have changed over time. Using a different colour scheme than the rest of the report for visual purposes, more darker brown colours mean more wells in lower percentiles while more darker blues mean more wells in higher percentiles. Water levels in the 25-75th percentiles are in the lightest blue.

Wells Below Normal

This section reports on the percentage and number of wells below the 25th percentile for the past 14 days and one year prior for comparison. Only wells with data during the two time periods are included.

All Wells

Current Year	Last Year
2026-07-19	2025-07-19
38.2% (26/40)	43.2% (29/66)

By Aquifer Type

Aquifer Type	Current Year	Last Year
Aquifer Type	2026-07-19	2025-07-19
Confined sand and gravel	64.3% (9/14)	34.7% (8/23)
Crystalline bedrock	100% (4/4)	36.4% (4/11)
Unconfined sand and gravel	61.1% (11/18)	51.8% (14/27)
NA	100% (2/2)	75% (3/4)

Latest Details

Latest details on observation wells. Click on a well number in the table to find a link to a hydrograph and long-term record plot. Click on an aquifer number to find more information about the aquifer.

Well	Location	Aquifer	Aquifer Type	Latest Date	Percentile^a
Cariboo
OW081	83 Mile	124	Crystalline bedrock	^** 2026-06-03	Not Available (n = 21)
OW082	Barkerville	NA		^** 2026-06-02	Not Available (n = 17)
OW088	Williams Lake	146	Confined sand and gravel	2026-06-02	Not Available (n = 22)
OW260	Quesnel Red Bluff	115	Confined sand and gravel	2026-06-02	Not Available (n = 21)
OW261	Williams Lake	148	Crystalline bedrock	^** 2026-06-02	Not Available (n = 22)
OW289	Williams Lake	139	Confined sand and gravel	2026-06-02	Not Available (n = 21)
OW364	Quesnel - 2 Mile Flats	370	Unconfined sand and gravel	^** 2026-07-19	Above Normal (77.8%) (n = 19)
OW374	108 Mile Subdivision	131	Confined sand and gravel	^** 2026-04-24	Not Available (n = 18)
OW376	Junction Sheep Range Park	NA		^** 2026-04-29	Not Available (n = 17)
Central Kootenay
OW074	Ootischenia	501	Confined sand and gravel	2025-11-26	Not Available (n = 15)
Central Okanagan
OW115	Mission Creek	NA		^** 2026-07-19	Low (0%) (n = 21)
OW172	Oyama	1238	Unconfined sand and gravel	^** 2026-07-19	Normal (28.6%) (n = 22)
OW236	Rutland	464	Confined sand and gravel	^** 2026-07-18	Below Normal (20%) (n = 22)
OW262	Kelowna	464	Confined sand and gravel	^** 2026-07-19	Normal (28.6%) (n = 21)
OW356	Winfield	344	Confined sand and gravel	^** 2026-07-19	Below Normal (14.3%) (n = 21)
OW410	Joe Riche	473	Crystalline bedrock	^** 2026-07-19	Low (0%) (n = 13)
OW411	West Kelowna	304	Sedimentary	^** 2026-07-19	Normal (38.5%) (n = 12)
OW413	SE Kelowna	464	Confined sand and gravel	^** 2026-07-19	Low (0%) (n = 11)
OW442	Kelowna	464	Confined sand and gravel	^** 2026-07-18	Normal (25%) (n = 11)
Columbia-Shuswap
OW185	Salmon River	97	Unconfined sand and gravel	^** 2026-07-19	Low (0%) (n = 22)
OW302	Malakwa	307	Unconfined sand and gravel	^** 2026-04-23	Not Available (n = 21)
OW309	Golden	450	Confined sand and gravel	^** 2026-07-18	Normal (35%) (n = 22)
OW365	Shuswap Lake Park Deep	229	Unconfined sand and gravel	^** 2026-06-10	Not Available (n = 19)
OW381	Grindrod Hwy	108	Unconfined sand and gravel	^** 2026-05-13	Not Available (n = 16)
OW464	Grindrod Hwy	109	Confined sand and gravel	^** 2026-05-13	Not Available (n = 18)
East Kootenay
OW291	Cranbrook	523	Sedimentary	^** 2026-07-19	Normal (47.1%) (n = 22)
OW362	Jaffray	521	Unconfined sand and gravel	^** 2026-07-19	Low (0%) (n = 20)
OW363	Wasa	540	Unconfined sand and gravel	^** 2026-07-19	Normal (63.2%) (n = 20)
OW468	Cranbrook	525	Confined sand and gravel	^** 2026-07-18	Below Normal (12.5%) (n = 7)
Kootenay Boundary
OW217	Grand Forks	158	Unconfined sand and gravel	^** 2026-07-18	Low (0%) (n = 21)
OW306	Beaverdell	482	Unconfined sand and gravel	^** 2026-07-18	Low (0%) (n = 21)
OW444	Midway	478	Unconfined sand and gravel	^** 2026-07-18	Low (0%) (n = 7)
North Okanagan
OW047	Silver Star Mountian	351	Crystalline bedrock	2025-11-05	Not Available (n = 18)
OW117	Armstrong	1155	Confined sand and gravel	^** 2026-07-18	Normal (42.1%) (n = 22)
OW118	Armstrong	1155	Confined sand and gravel	^** 2026-07-18	Low (0%) (n = 21)
OW122	Enderby	1155	Confined sand and gravel	^** 2026-07-18	Low (0%) (n = 18)
OW180	Armstrong	353	Unconfined sand and gravel	^** 2026-07-18	Normal (25%) (n = 22)
OW294	Lumby	316	Unconfined sand and gravel	^** 2026-07-18	Low (0%) (n = 22)
OW311	Vernon Bx Creek	351	Crystalline bedrock	2025-12-11	Not Available (n = 19)
OW384	Armstrong Spallumcheen	102	Confined sand and gravel	^** 2026-07-18	Low (0%) (n = 17)
OW409	Spallumcheen	103	Unconfined sand and gravel	^** 2026-07-19	Low (0%) (n = 13)
OW487	Lumby	314	Confined sand and gravel	^** 2026-07-19	Low (0%) (n = 5)
Similkameen
OW075	Keremeos	259	Unconfined sand and gravel	^** 2026-07-18	Normal (33.3%) (n = 18)
OW154	Summerland	297	Unconfined sand and gravel	2025-12-11	Not Available (n = 16)
OW203	Cawston	259	Unconfined sand and gravel	^** 2026-07-18	Above Normal (90%) (n = 21)
OW264	Mt. Kobau	1113	Crystalline bedrock	2026-06-10	Not Available (n = 12)
OW282	Willowbrook/Meyers Flats	257	Confined sand and gravel	^** 2026-07-19	Normal (40%) (n = 21)
OW332	Oliver	254	Unconfined sand and gravel	2025-12-03	Not Available (n = 21)
OW387	Penticton Creek Watershed	NA		^** 2026-07-18	Low (0%) (n = 17)
OW401	Osoyoos	808	Crystalline bedrock	2026-05-05	Not Available (n = 14)
OW402	Osoyoos	936	Crystalline bedrock	^** 2026-07-19	Low (0%) (n = 14)
OW403	Twin Lakes	261	Unconfined sand and gravel	^** 2026-07-19	Below Normal (13.3%) (n = 14)
OW404	Twin Lakes	260	Crystalline bedrock	^** 2026-07-19	Low (0%) (n = 14)
OW405	Oliver	256	Unconfined sand and gravel	^** 2026-07-18	Below Normal (23.1%) (n = 14)
OW407	Oliver	255	Unconfined sand and gravel	^** 2026-07-19	Low (0%) (n = 14)
OW412	Summerland	1264	Crystalline bedrock	^** 2026-07-19	Much Below Normal (8.3%) (n = 12)
OW467	Osoyoos East	194	Unconfined sand and gravel	^** 2026-07-18	Normal (62.5%) (n = 7)
Thompson-Nicola
OW035	Stump Lake	1174	Confined sand and gravel	^** 2026-05-20	Not Available (n = 20)
OW045	Westwold	289	Unconfined sand and gravel	2026-06-15	Not Available (n = 18)
OW080	Clinton	920	Unconfined sand and gravel	2026-06-03	Not Available (n = 21)
OW296	Merritt	74	Unconfined sand and gravel	^** 2026-07-19	Much Below Normal (4.5%) (n = 22)
OW344	Cache Creek	133	Confined sand and gravel	^** 2024-09-20	Not Available (n = 20)
OW375	Blue River	825	Unconfined sand and gravel	^** 2026-06-11	Not Available (n = 19)
OW399	Knutsford	276	Crystalline bedrock	2026-05-21	Not Available (n = 15)
OW400	Hat Creek	134	Unconfined sand and gravel	2026-06-18	Not Available (n = 13)
OW422	Logan Lake	822	Confined sand and gravel	^** 2026-04-21	Not Available (n = 14)
OW423	Hat Creek	133	Confined sand and gravel	2026-06-18	Not Available (n = 13)
OW494	Merritt	1168	Confined sand and gravel	^** 2026-07-18	Low (0%) (n = 6)
^a n is the number of years included in the percentile calculation.
^** Values with a Working approval status

Historical Water Level Plots

Annual hydrographs and historical records for the observation wells summarized above can be found in this section.

Note: ‘Working’ data are preliminary and have not yet been finalized as ‘Approved’ data with approved corrections and data grades for quality assurance. Quality assurance procedures may result in differences between what is displayed as ‘Working’ and what will become the official record.

OW035OW045OW047OW074OW075OW080OW081OW082OW088OW115OW117OW118OW122OW154OW172OW180OW185OW203OW217OW236OW260OW261OW262OW264OW282OW289OW291OW294OW296OW302OW306OW309OW311OW332OW344OW356OW362OW363OW364OW365