Despite appeals from the mayor of Gibsons and after extensive committee debate, all systems are go – subject to board approval – for the Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) to drill a test well into the Gibsons Aquifer.
The dispute over the Mahan well comes as Gibsons plans major changes to its water infrastructure, and as the SCRD seeks water security for its users. It also comes as the two governments get ready to renegotiate their bulk water agreement, which is due for review in June.
Mayor Wayne Rowe set the terms of the debate in an April 18 letter to SCRD board chair Bruce Milne. In it, he outlined the Town’s intention to service Gibsons residents in a section of town delineated in water plans as Zone 3 – which is normally supplied by SCRD’s Chapman system – with water from the Gibsons Aquifer, a feat made possible by significant water savings from metering.
In the letter, Rowe said the decision by the SCRD to move ahead with test drilling at the Mahan well site shows a clear intent to draw water from the aquifer, which could put “the Town’s ability to service its own population in jeopardy.”
Rowe asked the SCRD to cancel its plans to construct exploratory wells that would tap into the Gibsons Aquifer. He also asked that the SCRD prioritize the creation of a “joint SCRD/Gibsons groundwater management zone and plan” that would see Gibsons share all of its aquifer monitoring data with the SCRD. And lastly, he asked that the two governments explore the feasibility of coordinating future drilling projects.
For added emphasis, Rowe sent a delegation of Town staff and elected officials, including Dave Newman, director of infrastructure services, to the April 19 SCRD infrastructure committee to make the request in person and answer questions from directors. Councillors Silas White and Stafford Lumley and chief administrative officer Emanuel Machado were also present.
Adding to the complexity is that Gibsons has applied for a water licence from the Department of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development (FLNRORD) to draw 1.2 million cubic metres of water from the aquifer, something the SCRD will also have to do if it decides to use aquifer water. In a report, Newman stated, “The Town will oppose the granting of a water licence to the SCRD from FLNRORD” if it applies for a licence.
At the committee, the debate focused on the degree of risk involved if the SCRD were to tap into the aquifer, whether the aquifer has enough water to supply both Gibsons’ expansion as well as SCRD residents, and whether installing an exploratory well signals the SCRD’s intent to draw on aquifer water to supply its users.
Milne asked Newman to outline the specific risks associated with exploratory drilling, to which Newman replied, “The Town has a plan to how it will ultimately supply water to full build-out of the Town of Gibsons. That’s our water strategy, that’s our long-term growth plan and the aquifer mapping study indicates we have enough water for that… If the RD over here starts drawing significant water off that, that drops that potential yield of the aquifer available for town use down.” He added long-term aquifer monitoring is key.
His reply did not satisfy Milne, who said, “While you wait for build-out, I see no reason whatsoever why some of that water couldn’t be drawn down for 15 years, 20 years … so I really need to understand the immediate risk.”
West Howe Sound director Ian Winn denied that exploratory drilling signals intent to draw water from the aquifer. “When you drill a test well and a monitoring well … and [it’s] the only site, then that’s a stronger intent that you’re going to make it a production well. But if it’s in a grouping of three others, then that’s not a clear intent.”
The SCRD plans to drill exploratory wells in three other locations on the Sunshine Coast. Winn said the Mahan site would provide the data the Town and the SCRD need to assess the aquifer. “The regional district is going to put up the cost to drill and get the information that we need, so I would think it would help the Town as well to know what the capabilities of the aquifer are.”
Despite the disagreements, SCRD directors emphasized the importance of collaboration and cooperation, an assertion shared by Newman.
Roberts Creek director Mark Lebbell made a motion to delay the commissioning of a Mahan supply well until the SCRD and Gibsons create a groundwater management zone and plan. Gibsons director Valeriote “urged” the motion, but the motion was defeated, with Milne, Winn, Sechelt director Doug Wright and Area A director Frank Mauro opposed.
After the debate, directors voted to move ahead with the exploratory drilling and to respond to the letter, highlighting “the collaborative and cooperative processes underway with regard to addressing groundwater management and regional water supply needs,” and to invite the Town to take part in the Regional Water Service function at the SCRD.
