The Gibsons Aquifer Development Permit Area (DPA 9) is designated as an area for which development approval information may be required, as the area lies on top of an aquifer and groundwater system that supplies potable water for all three water zones in the Town of Gibsons.
The objectives of DPA 9 are:
- To protect the Gibsons Aquifer from possible pollution from land use and development activities
- To protect the integrity of the low-permeable till layer (the aquitard) which confines and maintains artesian pressure and protects the aquifer from surface activities
- To promote the efficient use of water to ensure a sustainable hydrologic system in the watershed and to ensure a sustainable source of potable water
- To provide opportunity for furthering the understanding of the hydrology of the Gibsons Aquifer system.
Development Permit Area No. 9 Update
In Q4 2020, the Town began working with Waterline Resources to update DPA 9, by clarifying guidelines and reviewing all the data collected to date from development permits issued since the inception of DPA 9.
This update is intended to expand measures to protect all groundwater sources, including both the Capilano and Gibsons Aquifers, and to provide improved clarity for applicants and professionals reviewing development proposals. The recommended direction to date is to move portions of the DPA Guidelines into Bylaws, and to reduce the size of the development permit area to encompass only the Lower Gibsons excavation area.
Compilation and review of the DPA 9 data also contributed to the update of the Aquifer Mapping Study, which was completed in Q2 2022.
Information from the Aquifer Mapping Update report will be added to the DPA 9 update, with staff aiming to bring a report on the DPA 9 update project to Council in fall 2022.
