UPDATED
Stage 4 water restrictions for all regions south of Pender Harbour have been declared by the Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD), effective Friday, Aug. 31. “Our water supply is at risk due to prolonged dry weather,” stated a release by the SCRD.
In Gibsons, Stage 4 restrictions have been declared for Zone 3, while groundwater sources in Langdale, Soames Point and Granthams Landing remain at Stage 2.
Stage 3 water restrictions were declared Aug. 13 for water users south of Pender Harbour and in Zone 3 in the Town of Gibsons.
Stage 4 restrictions entail a ban on all outdoor tap water use. “Under these drought conditions, water use priorities focus on water for human health, firefighting and environmental flows,” said the release.
Tap water for garden hoses, watering cans, irrigation systems and sprinklers is prohibited, as is filling swimming pools, hot tubs, wading pools, garden ponds and fountains. It is prohibited to use tap water to wash driveways, sidewalks, vehicles, boats or other equipment and to use power washers.
The SCRD is also preparing to deploy an emergency backup system to access water at Chapman Lake. “We do have all of our permits in place and the various provincial bodies are aware we were getting ready to do this,” said Janette Loveys, SCRD chief administrative officer. The siphon would be used starting Friday, when Stage 4 goes into effect.
Linking the use of the siphon with Stage 4 restrictions is the “current policy direction the district has,” Loveys said. The temporary siphon was deployed for the first time in October 2017 when Stage 4 water use restrictions were declared. Stage 4 was also declared in August 2015 but rain replenished Chapman Lake before the siphon was deployed.
Loveys also stressed the board has provided direction to move forward concurrently with four projects to alleviate the Coast’s water shortage: the Chapman Lake drawdown, groundwater sourcing, the construction of a raw water reservoir and the installation of water meters. A feasibility study to determine possible reservoir locations is underway and four test wells are being drilled as part of the ongoing groundwater investigation.
Water meters have been installed across the Coast since 2015. The District of Sechelt is the last remaining jurisdiction without water meters, following the failure of an Alternative Approval Process to secure public approval of a long-term loan to pay for the installation.
According to the SCRD, water meters have saved 3.7 million litres of drinking water per day by helping identify and fix more than 1,100 leaks. “Every opportunity to find leaks and repair those leaks in a timely way does help to contribute to increasing the supply,” Loveys said when asked whether the meters have affected the timing of Stage 4.
“We also know that conservation methods and awareness, that ability to have a sense of how you’re using your water, is also really important and people make choices in their own lifestyles that can contribute to that,” she said.
Between Aug. 20 and Aug. 26, average water use was 15.7 million litres per day, which is 31 per cent above the Stage 3 target.
The release also states that SCRD sports fields are no longer being irrigated, another water source is being used for ice installation at the Sunshine Coast Arena, the hot tub at the Sechelt Aquatic Centre will be closed as of Aug. 31, and the water park at Shirley Macey Park was closed. SCRD’s fleet of vehicles, including transit buses, are no longer being washed, and the annual main flushing program in the Chapman water system area has been postponed.
“We would look to what’s happening in B.C. and look what’s happening around the world. Climate change is upon us and this is the results of what we’re seeing,” Loveys said, before emphasizing the need to adapt infrastructure to manage resources. “Our world is changing.”
