Sunshine Coast Regional District directors have voted in favour of awarding two major contracts for water projects.
A $687,157 contract is expected to be awarded to Associated Environmental Consultants Inc. for Phase 4A of the Church Road well-field project. The money will come from reserves and from an anticipated $9-million long-term loan, which is dependent on an alternative approval process.
According to the March 20 infrastructure services staff report, this phase will include drilling and testing a second production well; applying for environmental construction approvals; completing studies needed for the water licence application; completing a detailed engineering design of a water treatment plant, pump station, water distribution and transmission mains; preparing contract documents for the construction phase; and communicating with the public, local governments and Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Nation.
The end of 2020 is the expected completion date for this phase, and pending permit approvals and funding, construction could be completed by late summer 2021.
A meeting with Granthams Landing residents had been planned for early April but was cancelled due to COVID-19. A new outreach plan is being developed. “We definitely intend to communicate in April with the residents in close proximity to the site,” said infrastructure services manager Remko Rosenboom at a March 19 infrastructure services committee.
Directors also voted in favour of awarding a $239,980 contract to Integrated Sustainability Consultants Ltd. for Phase 4 of the raw water feasibility study.
That phase will see a geophysics and geotechnical program implemented for Site B to confirm design assumptions and criteria. It will also look at the potential for hydroelectric power. An assessment of greenhouse gas and climate resiliency will be completed. Reservoir design and cost estimates will be updated, as will an estimate of the economic value of the excavated material. A Management Reserve Fund will also be created “to allow for the completion of any out of scope work that may be required in completion of this study,” according to the staff report.
Donna McMahon, director for Elphinstone, gave the sole opposing vote.
Both contracts need to be approved at a regular board meeting.
Snowpack levels average, weather station fixed
Snow depth data collected at Chapman and Edwards Lake during the first week of March show that snowpack levels are comparable to the 10-year average.
Snow depth at the Chapman snow course was 272 cm, three centimetres below the average. The Edwards snow course depth was two centimetres above the 10-year average of 199 cm.
Infrastructure services manager Remko Rosenboom said sunny weather is expected to last until the end of March, with warmer temperatures and more precipitation expected in April, considered the most important month for predicting snowmelt.
The Chapman snow course (1,022 metres) weather station was broken for several weeks this winter, said Rosenboom. The two-year-old station is operated by a research organization and has since been fixed.
Metering program timeline introduced
Staff have introduced timelines for the continuation of the water meter program on the Sunshine Coast, with a rate structure review expected for 2022.
Basic water use analysis is ongoing, and staff are being hired and software developed. By 2021, a more sophisticated analytics system to track water leaks and water use is expected to be completed. A web portal on water use and increased public outreach is expected by 2021.
The 2022 rate structure review would take asset management plans and “advanced insight” into estimated costs to address the water supply deficit.
At a March 19 committee meeting, infrastructure services general manager Remko Rosenboom said staff are currently working manually to input data, and as a result, “there’s a significant chance that things are missed,” he said, calling the system “wonky.” The new analytics would address those issues.
A report is expected in April or May that will outline steps for an alternative approval process to secure a long-term loan to fund Phase 3 of the water meter installations in the District of Sechelt and Sechelt Indian Government District.
SCRD advocates for storm water management
A follow-up letter is headed to the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure (MOTI) regarding storm water management after CAO Dean McKinley and SCRD chair Lori Pratt attended a meeting in Victoria with a MOTI representative in February to discuss a rash of stormwater-related issues that cropped up this winter.
