Unlike the past two years, the Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) did not call Stage 4 outdoor water restrictions.
Higher than average rains in September and rains in July and August brought the region back from drought-like conditions experienced in the spring. “It was July that saved us from going through Stage 4,” infrastructure manager Remko Rosenboom said during the Sept. 19 Infrastructure committee meeting, where he updated directors on the water situation over the summer.
Directors were quick to praise community and staff for their conservation efforts.
“Dodging bullets is not luck, and I think there’s been an awful lot of work that’s allowed this community to dodge a bullet,” said Area F director Mark Hiltz.
This year, the government hosted three “water dialogue” sessions with the community, declared a water crisis, revamped their drought management plan and launched a “pledge campaign” with restaurants and accommodation businesses, among other initiatives, and performed public outreach on ferries to build awareness about the water situation.
Rosenboom noted there was “a different tone” than last year in communications with the public.
He also highlighted the revamped drought management plan and said they were “more proactive” about calling the stages “to mitigate the impacts.”
An online survey is also expected to be launched at the end of September, which will gather public feedback on the SCRD’s drought management approach.
During the meeting it was also revealed that a handful of weather stations on the Sunshine Cast have been out of commission, including at the Sechelt airport. “Having the weather station out of service for an undefined period is an issue in terms of trends analysis,” said Rosenboom.
Directors voted unanimously to request that Environment Canada fix the stations.
