Groundwater is the most abundant form of water in the Yukon and is a critical resource. Approximately 97 per cent of Yukoners rely on groundwater for potable water. Ecosystems also depend on groundwater, because it:
- maintains water levels;
- regulates temperatures; and
- delivers nutrients to surface water bodies such as lakes, ponds, streams and rivers.
The Yukon government is advancing understanding of groundwater by:
- administering the Yukon Water Well Registry;
- administering Yukon Water Data Catalogue;
- running the Yukon Observation Well Network;
- mapping aquifers underlying communities in the territory; and
- conducting research and assessments related to groundwater.
Well records are forms that a driller or environmental consultant completes during drilling and well installation. They provide information on:
- well location;
- well design details such as well depth and casing diameter; and
- subsurface geology encountered during drilling.
Well records can help you understand more about groundwater conditions
Information from these well records can help drillers, homeowners, consultants, researchers and others. Well records can provide information on:
- depth to groundwater,
- depth to bedrock,
- total well depth; and
- can help to estimate well yields.
Having this information can make drilling more successful and give homeowners a more accurate cost estimate.
Well records can also be useful when you:
- undertake modifications to an existing well; or
- are interpreting monitoring data from an existing well.
The Yukon Water Well Registry lets you see the location of water wells in the Yukon and view or download well records.
Share or request information on well records
We do not have all Yukon water well records because sharing records is voluntary in the territory. Contact us to submit your well records.
We run the Yukon Observation Well Network (YOWN). It monitors long-term groundwater level and quality. The network includes 75 wells across the Yukon. We publish an annual report describing this monitoring network.
The Yukon Water Data Catalogue includes metadata about these wells, such as:
- site code;
- monitoring period; and
- sampling types.
You can view and download raw groundwater level data and hydrographs that show how groundwater levels vary over time.
Request groundwater quality data
Contact us to request groundwater quality data from the YOWN.
Subsurface geologic units called aquifers contain groundwater. We're working towards identifying, delineating and classifying aquifers underlying all communities in the Yukon. This work is building a foundation for future hydrogeological work in the territory.
To date, we've mapped aquifers in Carmacks. You can view and download information about the Carmacks aquifers in the Yukon Water Well Registry or from the following links:
To request data, submit well records or ask a question, email waterresources@yukon.ca or phone 867-667-3171, or toll free in the Yukon 1-800-661-0408, extension 3171.