Users on the Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) and Town of Gibsons water systems remain under Stage 2 restrictions, despite more than a month without significant, sustained rainfall.
The Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations has had the Sunshine Coast at Drought Level 2 (dry) all August, but that’s still better than last year when the area hit Level 2 in mid-May, and August 2015 when the Sunshine Coast was six weeks into a severe drought.
As of Monday, users on the SCRD systems were consuming 17.8 million litres of water a day, about 18 per cent more than the Stage 2 conservation target of 15 million litres.
SCRD chief administrative officer Janette Loveys said even though the water use is above the conservation targets, people on the SCRD systems have been following the restrictions on days and times for outdoor watering.
“Historically, Stage 2 hasn’t seen as much conservation as desired,” noted Loveys, who added that the Regional District’s water conservation message seems to be getting through.
She also said the rollout of metering has increased people’s awareness of how much water they’re using, and helped trace leaks.
“It’s one of those factors that has contributed in a positive way to expanding the supply of our water,” said Loveys. “There’s been enough meters installed on the Chapman system that it’s had a definite positive effect.”
The SCRD released a video earlier this summer to encourage conservation. It has about 490 views so far on YouTube.
Loveys said SCRD staff are working on updates for the $5-million Chapman Lake expansion project, which will allow the SCRD to draw more water from the lake if needed, and the search for new water sources. Those reports are expected in September or October.
Information on the Stage 2 restrictions and the conservation video are online at www.scrd.ca/water.
