Abstract
The aim of this project was to determine the most suitable location for the development of a new well in the town of Sechelt, on the Sunshine Coast. There is a high demand for a new well in this area because the town frequently suffers from drought conditions and water restrictions, especially during the summer. To find potential sites the relevant factors that would impact site suitability were first identified and the associated data was obtained and processed. Next each factor was given a weight, and a multi-criteria evaluation was undertaken to identify areas within Sechelt that satisfied the criteria. It was found that an area in the northwestern part of the town had the highest suitability for the development of a new well. This information can be used by the Sunshine Coast Regional District to aid their decision-making processes currently being undertaken regarding a new water management plan to improve water security for Sechelt.
Keywords:
Water security, groundwater, multi-criteria analysis, interpolation, site suitability
Location of Sechelt to the west of Vancouver (Source: Google Maps)
View of Sechelt. The town is in the foreground, and the water body shown is Sechelt inlet (Source: Marinas, 2019)