Updated Aug. 7
The August long weekend saw between 16.5 million and 18.5 million litres of water per day used out of the Chapman system, according to Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) communications.
That system has been conservation stage 2 since July 5 and the most recently reported daily usage is higher than was recorded during early August, 2023. Last year, the system was moved to stage 3 water use rules on Aug. 11. The SCRD has not indicated any date for adjusting the Chapman system conservation level.
Chapman Lake went into the BC Day long weekend at 81 per cent of its storage level. According to an Aug 6 email from the SCRD, “the lake is continuing to drop” with warm weather forecast for the foreseeable future.
Other SCRD water systems
The SCRD’s Eastbourne system (on Keats Island) was elevated to stage 3 at the end of last week.
While both South and North Pender systems remain at stage 1 (the same point all systems start at on May 1 annually), the SCRD reported that demands on South Pender’s McNeil Lake were “very close to the licenced limit” on Aug. 4 and 5 with lake levels dropping.
In the email, the regional district extended “a big thank you to everyone who has been mindful of water use, particularly over the past long weekend”.
“As we look ahead, with both lakes dropping and warm weather in the forecast, keeping community water use to under 200 litres per person per day when it’s hot and dry will help secure supply through late summer into early fall.”
Interested in learning more about water conservation for your property? Resources, including charts explaining the differences that can be made by conserving inside homes are available at www.scrd.ca/water-updates.
This story has been updated to correct a typo in the litres of water used per day. We regret the error.
