Annual maintenance pool closures will take place as usual this Summer as the Sunshine Coast Regional District works to extend the life of the facilities and minimize unexpected closures throughout the year.

During these closures, water is drained from the wet areas (pool, hot tub etc.) of some of the facilities so that the maintenance work can be completed.

The pool closures are scheduled to ensure that at least two pools are open to the public at any one time.

Sechelt Aquatic Centre – The entire facility will be closed from Saturday, May 26 to Monday, July 1, re-opening on Tuesday, July 2. This year, the fire suppression sprinklers will be replaced at the Sechelt Aquatic Centre. In order to complete this work, all wet areas (main pool, leisure pool, lazy river, hot tub, steam room and sauna), change rooms, weight room and fitness studio will be closed. www.scrd.ca/sechelt-pool/

Gibsons and District Aquatic Facility – The entire facility will be closed from Monday, July 1 to Sunday, July 28, re-opening on Monday, July 29. www.scrd.ca/gibsons-pool/

Pender Harbour Aquatic and Fitness Centre – Start date of closure is expected to be late July/early August to September 2, re-opening on September 3. The precise start date of the closure will be confirmed and made public by the end of April. www.scrd.ca/pender-pool/

Learn more at www.scrd.ca/recreation.

Each year, the Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) brings in Stage 1 water conservation regulations on May 1. After successive years of extreme drought, water regulations are more important than ever to secure water supply into late summer and early fall.

The regulations outlined below apply to all SCRD water customers on the Sunshine Coast.

Regulations define the types of watering and separate plants into three categories: lawns; trees, shrubs, and flowers; and food producing plants. Watering schedules can vary in different water systems across the region.

Stage 1 Watering Schedule

 Watering Lawns

Sprinklers, soaker hoses or micro spray can be used to water lawns according to the Stage 1 schedule which is:

• For even numbered addresses, lawn sprinkling is allowed Thursday and Sunday from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m.
• For odd numbered addresses, lawn sprinkling is allowed on Wednesday and Saturday from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m.

Watering trees, shrubs, flowers and food producing plants

Sprinklers, soaker hoses or micro spray can be used to water trees, shrubs, flowers and food producing plants and trees according to the Stage 1 schedule:

• For even numbered addresses, sprinkling is allowed Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. and from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
• For odd numbered addresses, sprinkling is allowed on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. and from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

During Stage 1 water conservation regulations, hand held hoses with nozzles, hand held containers,

or drip-irrigation can be used anytime for watering lawns, trees, shrubs, flowers or food producing plants and trees.

Rain sensors are required on all irrigation systems to prevent watering in the rain.

Other uses of water

Pressure washing sidewalks and driveways, windows or exterior building surfaces is permitted only during Stage 1.

“As we have communicated on a number of occasions in the past few weeks, our snowpack which is vital to our summer water supply, is well below average this year,” says Shane Walkey, Manager of Utility Services. “Along with the rest of the Province, we are gearing up for a summer which could see significant drought. As a result, there is potential that Stage 2 water conservation regulations could be implemented earlier than in previous years.”

For more information, contact the SCRD at 604-885-6806 or infrastructure@scrd.ca. Visit www.scrd.ca/water-regulations for further details.

Staff do not take bylaw complaints by phone. Please submit bylaw complaints using the online form at www.scrd.ca/bylaw-complaint-form

Utility bills for 2024 are being mailed out to Sunshine Coast property owners who receive water, wastewater and curbside collection service from the Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD).

As you will see from your bill, water rates have increased. In mid-April, SCRD Chair, Leonard Lee, provided a message to the community in the Coast Reporter newspaper with some context as to why water rates have gone up. You can read this message here.

Here is some further information about 2024 utility bills:

Rates

This year’s rates can be found at www.scrd.ca/utility-bill and at letstalk.scrd.ca/utility-bill

An easy way to pay

You can pay your utility bill by visiting www.scrd.ca/pay and selecting ‘Utility Bills’ on the menu that is provided. All you need to pay is your address and a credit card.

There are several other ways to pay which are all outlined at www.scrd.ca/utility-bill.

Questions about your utility bill

Last year, more than 2,000 calls and emails were received by the SCRD from the community in relation to utility bills.

Our staff aim to respond to enquiries within 48-hours. Members of the public attending the front counter at the main Field Road office may experience a delay while staff deal with other enquiries.

The SCRD has a respectful workplace policy, and the safety and wellbeing of our staff is our primary concern.  The SCRD asks that members of the community be respectful when speaking with staff. Any foul or disparaging language will not be tolerated and will result in your call being terminated immediately.

You can also ask questions about your bill at letstalk.scrd.ca/utility-bill.

Other questions

Information on options to pay monthly and deadlines for payments will be available on the bill. You can also check out the frequently asked questions that are listed at www.scrd.ca/utility-bill.

The Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) has launched a community-wide effort to renovate the beloved Hopkins Landing dock.

The trusty old dock had to be closed to public access in June 2023 after a structural assessment found it was unsafe for public use. Following a report to the SCRD Board, staff received budget to move forward with the dock renovation project.

An engineering consultant has now been secured and it’s time to hear from our community and users of the dock. What would you like to see done as part of the renovation process to improve your experience of Hopkins Landing?

Lots of information about the project and ways to share your ideas and memories can be found at letstalk.scrd.ca/Hopkins.

You can also join SCRD staff and the local contractor working on this project for an open house between 5:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. on May 1 at the Gibsons and Area Community Centre.

If you are unable to attend, you can also join the online portion of the open house which will commence with a presentation at 6 p.m.

Information on how to join the open house virtually will be provided on the Lets Talk Hopkins Landing page and the SCRD website prior to the open house taking place.

The snowpack that feeds Chapman and Edwards lakes remains at record lows. A snow survey conducted by the Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) earlier this month has shown that the snowpack at Edwards Lake is 49% below average and Chapman Lake is 40% below average. This data and extremely low snowpack is consistent with what is being experienced in other parts of the Province.

On May 1 each year, the SCRD implements Stage 1 Water Conservation Regulations on the Sunshine Coast. The SCRD is asking that the community conducts work that requires a lot of water such as pressure washing and garden projects in the coming weeks, if possible, prior to the implementation of Stage 1.

Chapman Lake, early April 2024

“With such a low snowpack, there is potential that we could see Stage 2 water conservation regulations implemented earlier than in previous years,” says General Manager of Infrastructure Services Remko Rosenboom. “The melting of the snowpack in early summer plays a huge role in the recharge of our water systems so SCRD staff are doing all they can to prepare for drought conditions through the summer months.”

The Church Road Well Field is operational and will be utilized through the summer to provide more than 4.5 million litres per day to users on the Chapman System. Additionally, the SCRD is actively pursuing the provincial approvals necessary to reduce Chapman Creek Environmental Flow Needs requirements for early this summer.

In the coming weeks, each household on the Sunshine Coast will receive this chart in the mail detailing water conservation regulations. There is also information in the mailout on how the community can conserve water through the summer months to help secure supply through the anticipated drought conditions. This mailout includes information on water use inside of the home, along with a community target of 200 litres of water use per person per day when the weather is hot and dry. Residents with water meters can sign up for their monthly water use update to see how close they are to achieving the target.

Further information about water conservation regulations will be provided prior to May 1. The next water supply update will be provided to the public during the SCRD’s Committee of the Whole meeting on May 9.

After a very successful first few months of installations, the water meter program for the District of Sechelt will continue later this month.

Staff from the contractor installing the meters, Neptune, have been in the Region since October focusing on a retrofit and replacement program for existing meters. Over 660 meters were part of this program.

Later this month, Neptune, with support from SCRD utility services staff will begin work on installing over 4,100 meters in the District of Sechelt.

Where will residential installations begin?

At this time, the plan is to move from West to East, beginning with meter installations in West Sechelt, up the west side of Porpoise Bay, through to Downtown Sechelt, up the east side of Porpoise Bay and ending in the Davis Bay / Wilson Creek area.

The entire project is anticipated to be completed by 2026.

 SCRD utility crews are currently working in neighbourhoods in the District of Sechelt, locating water services for homes to help expedite installations. If you know the location of your water service, please let crews know if you see them working in your area.

Meter installation

Prior to installations taking place, residents will receive a letter which will provide information on the water meter program. This will be followed by a door tag which will be left at your home three days before Neptune technicians arrive to complete the meter installation.

Most meter installs only take one-hour and are done with little disruption to the homeowner and areas around your home.

More information

Further information on the water meter program will be provided as installations take place.

You can learn more about the water meter program and ask questions at any time at https://letstalk.scrd.ca/water-metering.