Streamlined web-based access to water-monitoring information is now available for southern and coastal British Columbia, thanks to the South and Coast Area Water Portal, the latest addition to BC Water Tools.

The new South and Coast Area Water Portal simplifies access to, and the discovery and understanding of, water-related environmental monitoring data. This is done by providing observations from more than 50,000 locations in the southern region of the province and throughout Vancouver Island.

Over 50 organizations, including all levels of government agencies, industry, academia, environmental non-governmental organizations and grassroots community groups regularly collect observations of streamflow and water levels, groundwater levels, water quality and climate around the province.

These observations reveal the characteristics of B.C.’s water cycle and are used to plan, monitor and manage the province’s valuable water resources.

Water portals allow users to find an area of interest quickly and start exploring available data, which are categorized by observation type, collecting organization or date of collection.

Developed by the Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development, together with Foundry Spatial Ltd. and the BC Oil and Gas Commission, BC Water Tools are made in B.C. and are the world’s leading water resource decision-support tools.

Quick Facts:

• The Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development is responsible for administering B.C.’s Water Sustainability Act to support industrial and domestic water use in B.C.
• B.C.’s water portals give decision makers vital information for effective water management, provide industry with environmental information for planning and operational purposes, and enhance access to water knowledge for First Nations and the public.
• The water portals present current conditions in the context of historical measurements, going back to the 1870s, and include real-time monitoring data available daily from currently active locations.

Learn More:

South and Coast Water Portal: https://kwt.bcwatertool.ca/streamflow

North Area Water Portal: http://www.bcwatertool.ca/waterportal/

BC Water Tool: http://www.bcwatertool.ca/