Water Supply Projects – July Update

The Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD), along with other local governments on the Sunshine Coast are working on several projects to increase water supply.

This is the July update on projects and initiatives underway in the Region.  Last month’s update can be found here.

Many of these initiatives are being moved forward through a Water Supply Technical Working Group. This group meets monthly and includes representatives from the SCRD, the District of Sechelt, Town of Gibsons, shíshálh Nation and the Provincial Government.

Projects

Water Meter Program

The residential portion of the water meter installation program has been underway for four months in the District of Sechelt. This project will see over 4,000 meters installed by next year. Once in place, these meters will greatly assist with leak detection in the system and will also provide the community with valuable information about their own water use.

To date, over 1800 meters have been installed and several leaks identified. Two of these recently installed meters have resulted in the detection of major leaks of 3.2 million litres per month. These leaks have since been resolved.

Lower Crown Raw Water Reservoir

There is no substantial update on this project at this time. The following is what has been provided in the last two updates.

The feasibility of this projects project is still being confirmed in collaboration with the shíshálh Nation.  With over one million dollars in grant funding from the Provincial Government, shíshálh Nation and the SCRD are confirming the technical feasibility of this project and the costs for the SCRD service participants associated with the operation of the reservoir.

A decision is pending on grant applications for funding of the construction costs for this project. If funding confirmation is received, the SCRD Board and the service participants will be engaged to determine if this project will proceed.

Environmental Flow Needs (EFN)

The SCRD releases 200 litres of water per second from Chapman Lake, into Chapman Creek to maintain the health of the ecosystem. This is provided in addition to the water for community use.

The SCRD sought approval from the shíshálh Nation on a proposal to amend the current EFN for early Summer. The SCRD has been informed that the shíshálh Nation is not supportive of the proposal, so EFN will stay at 200 litres of water per second during the summer of 2024.

shíshálh Nation has committed to working with the SCRD and the Provincial Government to confirm if the EFN can be reduced without impacting the salmon populations in 2025.

Siphons

The SCRD has received approval from the shíshálh Nation to use the siphons at Chapman and Edwards Lakes until late summer 2025. The associated applications are being submitted to the Provincial Government for continued use of the siphons.

These siphons are vital to maintaining the Environmental Flow Needs of Chapman Creek as well as summer water supply. They are used to access water from Chapman Lake and Edwards Lake during Stage 4 water conservation regulations.

Groundwater wells – Sechelt

The SCRD has initiated another phase of groundwater investigations to explore the feasibility of supplementing the Chapman Water System with a new groundwater source. This investigation focuses on the Sechelt area, with five identified sites where test wells will be drilled.

The SCRD recently received support from the shíshálh Nation for the drilling of the test wells on the selected sites and drilling is projected to start in August. If results of test wells are favourable, and if the required funding is secured, the next phase would be applications for license(s), design & engineering and permitting of production wells in the chosen location(s)

North and South Pender Harbour Water Systems

There are several projects underway in North and South Pender water service areas.

Many of these projects are focused on maintenance and replacement of water infrastructure. For example, several water main upgrades, upgrades to McNeil Lake dam and the design of a brand new water treatment plant for Garden Bay. The water main replacements could reduce water main breaks and associated leaks for both systems. Work will begin on the upgrades to McNeil Lake dam in August.

There are also two projects recently approved by the Board to support water supply for the South Pender Water System. A study to confirm the necessity and feasibility of several options to improve water supply for the system and a study to confirm the potential to connect the North Pender and South Pender Water Systems. This project will begin later in the year.

Reminder – Water Map Resource

The SCRD has developed a map to show where water projects are taking place on the Sunshine Coast. The map can be found here. Users can click on any of the locations / icons on the map and learn about each project. The map will be updated as more information becomes available on these projects and as they progress further.

You can learn more and ask questions at any time about water projects under way in the region at letstalk.scrd.ca/water.