The non-profit organization, Living Lakes Canada has been monitoring groundwater levels of private wells in the upper Columbia River Basin in British Columbia, as part of their community based monitoring program since 2017. The monitoring program aims to (1) track long-term groundwater level trends, (2) engage partners and citizens in data collection, and (3) share data to support groundwater research, management, and protection. This program complements the BC’s Provincial Groundwater Observation Well Network. To guide future monitoring, Living Lakes engaged Western Water Associates to develop a systematic, spatially explicit, and updateable GIS-based framework to prioritize aquifers within the upper Columbia River Basin. Four criteria affecting groundwater sustainability were applied: Current Groundwater Demand, Aquifer Susceptibility to Drought, Streamflow Depletion, and Groundwater Supply Constraints. Demand estimates were derived from provincial well and water rights databases, while drought susceptibility was assessed using aquifer hydraulic response time combined with groundwater use. Streamflow depletion risk was inferred from Water Allocation Notations on nearby streams, and supply constraints were evaluated using available long-term water-level trends. The analysis identified 54 aquifers as high priority for monitoring. Of the priority aquifers, 34 were unconsolidated and 20 bedrock; only 10 are currently monitored. Results align with previous studies in BC, supporting the effectiveness of the four-criterion approach in producing a focused priority list. Recommendations include periodic model updates, enhanced trend analyses as monitoring datasets mature, and improved surficial geology and aquifer mapping and well–aquifer correlation to support long-term groundwater management.