At their meeting on June 1st, Council approved a motion directing staff to prepare a report on the feasibility of establishing an Aquifer Protection Development Permit Area (AP-DPA) in the City of Mission, with the report to include:

1. A review and mapping of all provincially designated aquifers within Mission's municipal boundaries, using the Province's Groundwater Wells and Aquifers (GWELLS) database to identify official aquifer numbers, mapped extents, vulnerability classifications, and current levels of development;
2. An assessment of the adequacy of existing OCP and bylaw protections — including the E1 and E2 Environmental Development Permit Areas in Bylaw 6405-2026 and the Soil Removal and Deposit Bylaw 6133-2022 — in addressing the risk that development in rural areas poses to the groundwater supply and water safety of private well users;
3. A review of comparable Aquifer Protection Development Permit Areas adopted by other BC municipalities, including the City of Chilliwack (DPA 1), the Resort Municipality of Whistler, the Town of Gibsons (DPA 9), and the Cowichan Valley Regional District (DPA 4), with a summary of their objectives, trigger criteria, exemptions, and professional assessment requirements;
4. Consultation with provincial and regulatory agencies with jurisdiction over groundwater, drinking water, and fish habitat — including the Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship, Fraser Health Authority, and Fisheries and Oceans Canada — to obtain their input on Mission's aquifer risk profile, applicable regulatory frameworks, and recommended protective measures;
5. An assessment of Mission's groundwater aquifers as natural community infrastructure, including the essential services they provide — drinking water supply, baseflow maintenance, stormwater filtration, and ecosystem function — and, where data permits, an estimate of the cost to the community if those services were degraded or required replacement through engineered alternatives, drawing on the natural asset management framework developed by the Town of Gibsons and the Municipal Natural Assets Initiative;
6. Recommended options for an Aquifer Protection DPA for Mission, including proposed geographic boundaries referenced to the aquifer footprints and recharge zones identified in Direction 1, development activities that would trigger a permit requirement, exemptions for lower-risk uses, and the type of professional assessment — such as a hydrogeological report prepared by a registered professional — that would be required of applicants; and
7. An identification of any OCP amendment required to establish the AP-DPA, including a preliminary assessment of the public hearing process, First Nations consultation obligations, and referral requirements under the Local Government Act.

Additional information can be found in the Council meeting.