Gibsons is making some changes to its water regulation bylaw to clear up possible confusion about how the watering restrictions imposed by the Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) will or won’t apply in the Town.
SCRD recently imposed Stage 4 restrictions.
In a report to council Sept. 5, director of infrastructure services Dave Newman said that while the agreement with the SCRD to supply water for Zone 3 calls on the Town to “meet or exceed water use restrictions according to the Regional District’s drought management plan,” and the Town’s own Water Use and Conservation Policy has similar language, the bylaw isn’t as clear.
Based on Newman’s recommendations, council gave three readings to a bylaw amendment that would include the most recent SCRD rules for each stage of water restrictions and make it clear that Zone 3 is automatically subject to any restrictions imposed by the SCRD for users of the Chapman system.
Watering restrictions for Zones 1 and 2 will still be set by the Town based on “best management practices and the water levels in the aquifer.” Currently those zones are at Stage 2.
