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British Columbia • 685 Registered Wells

Gabriola Island Water Well Depth & Hydrogeology

Regional groundwater summary • British Columbia Historical Log Extraction

Bottom Line Up Front

In Gabriola Island, the median completed well is 185 ft deep.

A published hardness range for this place and aquifer is less than 10 to 180, and groundwater can exceed 1,000 mg/L as CaCO₃. That is a regional estimate, not a test of your well. Source: Estimate based on B.C. Ministry of Environment water-quality checks.

Most production draws from Bedrock (about 17% of local wells).

These municipal aggregates support planning only — they do not replace an accredited laboratory potability test for your own well.

Interactive Well Depth & Modeled Typical Strata

Drag the indicator line or tap a stratum below to read the recorded depth range

Drilling in: Sand & Gravel Aquifer (45–520+ ft)Glacial Drift Aquifer

Modelled Depth

185 FT

Area median

Drilling cost

$12,950–$27,750

Estimate

Published hardness

less than 10 to 180, and groundwater can exceed 1,000 mg/L as CaCO₃

0 ft (Surface)Median 185 ft520 ft (Deep)
Topsoil & Surficial Organics
Glacial Drift Silt & Till
Sand & Gravel Aquifer
Modeled typical strata:

Modeled typical strata — placeholder from median depth + aquifer type; not local driller logs.

Well Statistics

Local measurements compared against British Columbia provincial benchmarks.

Total Registered Wells 685
Median Well Depth 185 ft
BC benchmark: 162 ft provincial median
Average Well Depth 207.1 ft
Dominant Aquifer Bedrock
Hardness less than 10 to 180, and groundwater can exceed 1,000 mg/L as CaCO₃ — Estimate. Estimate based on B.C. Ministry of Environment water-quality checks
Drilling cost $12,950–$27,750 — Estimate. Typical drilling prices in Canada, about $70–$150 per foot
Domestic Household Use 94% of wells

Where This Report Applies

Approximate boundary of Gabriola Island

Shaded area is an approximate municipal outline for orientation only. Well records are aggregated across the entire Gabriola Island.

Depth Distribution

Most completed wells fall near the median depth of 185 ft. Recorded depths cover 668 wells.

0–49 ft 1.5% · 10
49–98 ft 5.8% · 39
98–148 ft 23.2% · 155
148–197 ft 20.2% · 135
197–295 ft 30.8% · 206
295–394 ft 11.4% · 76
394–591 ft 5.7% · 38
591+ ft 1.3% · 9

Median depth of 185 ft falls inside the reported range. Deeper completions here usually mean higher mineral content but steadier year-round pressure.

Aquifer Composition

Bedrock and drift aquifers recorded by drillers in this area. Recorded for 124 of these 685 wells.

Carbonate Bedrock (Limestone / Dolomite) Primary Bedrock Aquifer
17.1%

117 of 685 Major regional bedrock aquifer formed by Ordovician/Silurian dolomite. Known for reliable, high-volume yields with elevated mineral hardness and dissolved calcium/magnesium carbonates.

Undifferentiated Aquifer Regional Formation
1%

7 of 685 Unclassified hydrogeological formation from legacy provincial drill records.

30 holes found no usable water. test holes, observation or monitoring wells, dewatering wells, decommissioned wells, dry holes, no-aquifer holes, and other non-supply wells filtered out of the headline

Water Quality Profile

A published hardness range, when one exists for this place and aquifer. Not a test of your well.

Measured nearby

Measured government tests within 25 km of Gabriola Island.

Soft (<60) Med (61–120) Hard (121–180) V. hard (>180)

USGS (2018) bands reprinted by Health Canada. A range can cross more than one band. This is not a sample.

What this is not

  • Not a laboratory result for a well on your property.
  • Not a reason to size a softener. Size equipment from a lab test.
  • Not a drilling quote. A cost line on this page is a national estimate, not a price for one well.

Health Canada has not set a maximum acceptable concentration for hardness. A wide published range can sit in more than one USGS band.

OBS WELL 194 - GABRIOLA ISLAND (HWYS YARD; NORTH RD.), 2.96 km away, nearby.

4 government lab tests, dated 1990–2003.

These results are old (tested 1990–2003).

Hardness 7–9 mg/L as CaCO₃, median 7.8.

Worked out by wellwaterguide.ca from 4 government lab tests.

reported hardness, or calculated from measured calcium and magnesium when hardness was not reported

BC Environmental Monitoring Data System (EnMoDS) results: Provincial Groundwater Observation Well Network wells Open Government Licence - British Columbia

Drilling Activity

Historical permit and construction activity by decade.

Pre-1970 20 wells
1970s 23 wells
1980s 18 wells
1990s 228 wells
2000s 162 wells
2010s 116 wells
2020s 52 wells

Treatment

Size treatment from a laboratory test

This page does not turn a hardness range or a well depth into an equipment total, a grain capacity, or a drilling price. Read the methodology, the filtration guide, and the products catalog.

Suggested system

Suggested system for Gabriola Island

1

Test kit

estimate, confirm with a lab test

A test of your own well comes before any equipment. Test for coliform bacteria.

Water testing
2

Iron and manganese filter

estimate, confirm with a lab test

Manganese above the aesthetic objective, consider an iron/manganese filter. A monitoring well near this place has median manganese of 0.157 mg/L.

Iron and manganese guide
Local Contractors

Licensed Water Well Drillers Serving Gabriola Island

Because water wells in Gabriola Island average 185 ft into bedrock, contractors equipped with heavy rotary rigs and proper casing seals are recommended. Contact local drillers directly or request competitive bids.

Drillwell Enterprises Ltd.

Yard: Duncan, BC (45.3 km away)

Confirm the contractor's provincial licence before you hire
Island Bedrock Formations Artesian Well Sealing Geothermal

Blue Max Drilling Inc.

Yard: Cumberland, BC (102.2 km away)

Confirm the contractor's provincial licence before you hire
Comox Valley Bedrock Domestic Well Drilling Geothermal Heating

Fraser Valley Well Drilling

Yard: Abbotsford, BC (107 km away)

Confirm the contractor's provincial licence before you hire
Residential Drinking Wells Pump Installations Well Decommissioning

A & H Drilling Ltd.

Yard: Chilliwack, BC (138.9 km away)

Confirm the contractor's provincial licence before you hire
Dual Rotary Drilling Agricultural Irrigation Domestic Wells

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Frequently Asked Questions

Quick answers about water wells in Gabriola Island.

What is the median well depth in Gabriola Island?

Among 668 producing water wells with a recorded depth, the median is 185.0 ft (56.39 m).

Which aquifer is recorded most often in Gabriola Island?

The most frequently recorded producing aquifer is Bedrock, on 117 of 124 wells with a producing aquifer name.

Adjacent Municipalities & Nearby Well Records

Explore neighbouring hydrogeological formations and compare drilling depths

Nearby communities