The Regional District of Central Kootenay has awarded a contract for a study that will look into how the Goat River watershed is connected.
The contract with Western Water Associates Ltd. runs until the end of March 2028.
Water scarcity in the Goat River watershed is a priority concern for the province, Yaqan Nuʔkiy, and the regional district, the RDCK said in a news release.
Lack of water has already been flagged on several streams and two shallow aquifers, which could affect decisions about new water licence applications.
However, the RDCK said a deeper bedrock aquifer, and how it connects to that surface water, remains poorly understood. This project will map that connection, using a 3D model of underground water layers and water sample testing to trace how water moves through the watershed.
This study is part of the RDCK’s broader Goat River watershed water sustainability planning work, being done in collaboration with the Yaqan Nuʔkiy and the BC government.
“This next phase of technical work will build our understanding of how groundwater and surface water connect across the Goat River watershed,” said RDCK sustainability and resilience supervisor Paris Marshall Smith.
“It adds an important layer to the lived experience of everyone who lives and farms here and together that understanding will help inform the ongoing collaborative work on the watershed’s long-term water sustainability.”
That work also includes the collective conversations working group, made up of RDCK, province, and Yaqan Nuʔkiy staff, who met between May and September to develop recommendations for water management in the watershed. Those recommendations have not yet been finalized.
The $90,000 project is funded through an agreement with the province, covering consultant work, community outreach, and RDCK administration.
Western Water Associates Ltd. was selected as the highest-scoring firm from five proposals received through a competitive request for proposal process, evaluated by an RDCK-provincial project team on experience, methodology, and cost.
In addition to the 3D groundwater model, work includes two seasons of field sampling, and a final report to be presented to the Creston Valley services committee in summer or fall of 2028.
