Greg Amos/Staff Writer
In a pre-referendum bid to assuage public concerns about water metering, Town of Gibsons staff and professionals held an open house at the Gibsons Legion Nov. 6.
"We've been riding on a wave of good luck," said chief administrative officer Paul Gipps of the town's water situation. "But as we learn more, we have to move forward."
Gipps assertion was backed by Dr. Hans Schreier from the University of British Columbia's Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability, who began the night by explaining the basic hydrological cycle and used what he called a "horrendograph" to show the many detrimental effects of urbanization on that cycle.
Schreier then factored in the anticipated effects of climate change on the cycle - effects that could mean increased precipitation in early spring causing rain-on-snow events on local snowpacks, triggering vastly reduced stream flows in the summer. The Chapman Creek watershed is particularly sensitive to climate change, he said, as rising temperatures will mean less snow falling at higher elevations in the winter.
The uncertainty for both Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) water from Chapman Creek and Gibsons aquifer water means the Town will need to start understanding its patterns of water use, and metering is the only way to do that, he said.
"If we cannot meter water, we cannot make intelligent decisions," he said.
The issue is going to referendum on election day, Saturday, because the town's alternative approval process drew more than the 10 per cent threshold (350 responses) of written oppositions by its Sept. 8 deadline, killing the proposed 12-item, $1.37 million loan bylaw.
Colin Kristiansen from Delcan, the consultants forming the Town's water strategy, explained the three water pressure zones in Gibsons to the roughly 50 people in attendance. Zones one and two contain unchlorinated aquifer water, while zone three contains SCRD water. The cross connection controls the strategy calls for would mean protection of water quality and no mixing of water from different zones. Water meters, he said, would mean capacity improvement for the water system - in other words, deferring the need to build new water infrastructure for several years. Gipps and director of finance Ian Poole outlined the costs involved in implementing water metering. The four-item loan package up for referendum on election day means a 20-year, $841,000 loan from the Municipal Finance Authority. About 40 per cent of the total project cost will be covered by grant money, provided the project is well underway by 2009. To service the debt, the Town would need to pay $67,500 per year, Poole said. Under a water meter system, the 2009 annual water bill for Gibsons residents will rise from $300 to a maximum of $375, the current SCRD water rate. From there, a rate per cubic metre of water can be determined and put into effect the following year - meaning a homeowner could pay more or less than what they pay now for water, depending how much they use.
The question of how to bill strata units in the Town wasn't as clear. Several questions from the crowd sought to understand how residents of condos and apartments in the town could ensure they won't end up footing the bill for neighbouring units' water use.
Gipps explained putting water meters in each unit is not practical; from the town's perspective, placing a single meter at the edge of each property is a way for the Town to manage its risk, he said.
"We're staying consistent with other municipalities on this," he said. "If you have high users in your building, you will pay for them. But right now, the whole town could be high users."
Gipps, a former home inspector, said council could choose to offer strata homeowners a discount if they install their own water meters. But because of the different ways water is routed through different buildings, it may be a complicated thing to measure, he said.
Dan Bouman from the Sunshine Coast Conservation Association pointed out the Town may be on the leading edge of what could become provincially mandated in the near future. "Right now, the public has a choice," he said. "In the future, that choice isn't going to be there."
In July, Gibsons set a new daily water consumption record - nearly 160,000 cubic metres, significantly higher than the 140,000 cubic metre benchmark established last August. Much of that water could be leaking through the Town's water system before it reaches the tap - anywhere from 30 to 60 per cent of the water, according to studies conducted in the Town. Water metering would allow the Town to pinpoint the leaks, said Mayor Barry Janyk.
