Where does Merritt’s water come from?
Merritt draws its water exclusively from an underground aquifer directly below the city. The BC Ministry of Environment Aquifer Classification system categorizes the Merritt aquifer as type ‘1A’, identifying it as one of the most highly developed and vulnerable aquifers in the province. Less than 5% of aquifers identified in BC currently (2003) have this category. The sustainability of the aquifer is unknown; therefore, conserving the amount of water extracted from the aquifer will reduce the chances of depletion especially during hot, dry seasons when aquifer recharge rates are lower. Since 1993, the total average annual pumping rate has ranged from 83.9 to 109 litres per second. It has been suggested that the city will require about 120 litres per second by the year 2010 if current water extraction rates continue. The City of Merritt pumps 700 million gallons (3.2 billion litres) of water per year.
