The City of Abbotsford is installing two test pumping wells at City-owned sites in Matsqui Prairie, in British Columbia’s Fraser Valley, one near each end of its study area. In its update of October 9, 2026, the City says installation begins in mid-October and takes an estimated three to four weeks. It is part of Stage 2, Field Investigation, of the New Water Source Project for the regional system the City co-owns and operates for Abbotsford and Mission, and that stage asks whether “vertical wells located in Matsqui Prairie will be able to reliably meet long-term water supply needs” and, if so, how many wells and where.
Each well, once installed, is tested in two steps: about a day with the pumping rate gradually increased, then “a steady rate for approximately 10 days without stopping,” around the clock on a diesel generator. Water levels and water quality are measured in the well and in nearby monitoring wells; monitoring wells were installed along the Matsqui Trail earlier in the stage. The tests are to help determine how much water each well can produce and how the groundwater system responds to pumping. The City expects “this stage of field investigation” to be completed in November 2026.
The City’s pages do not name the aquifer the wells will test. In GWELLS, the aquifer mapped under Matsqui Prairie is aquifer 22: sand and gravel along a large river, which the Province’s factsheet describes as mostly unconfined (subtype 1a), rated moderate in productivity and in vulnerability to contamination.
Where it stands
- May 2026: the City’s initial Stage 2 field investigations are set to start on City-owned property in Matsqui Prairie.
- August 5, 2026: the City announces investigative drilling at several City-owned sites in Matsqui Prairie, expected to begin August 11: monitoring wells, then larger-diameter test wells.
- October 9, 2026 (key): the City announces two test pumping wells at City-owned sites, installed from mid-October, each then pumped at a steady rate for about 10 days.
- November 2026 (next): when the City expects “this stage of field investigation” to be completed.
Who it affects: Households and farms on their own water wells in Matsqui Prairie near the two sites, where each well is pumped without stopping for about 10 days; and the customers of the Abbotsford and Mission system, for whom the new source is being developed. The City’s pages do not say whether private wells nearby are monitored; the project page names its contacts.
What hasn’t changed: The new source’s feasibility and the number and locations of its wells are still to be decided in Stage 3, Feasibility and Site Selection, for which the City gives no date. Matsqui Trail and dike access stay open.
Source: City of Abbotsford, New Water Source Project, with its updates of August 5 and October 9, 2026, GWELLS Aquifer 22, and GWELLS Aquifer 22 factsheet · checked October 17, 2026
Updates: None yet.
Related on the Wire: Wells Near Rivers in BC: When the River Is Part of Your Groundwater
