Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) officials say even if all the approvals come through as hoped, the earliest that construction could begin on the Chapman Lake expansion project is summer 2018.
SCRD directors were told during the April 20 meeting of the infrastructure services committee that the need for public and First Nations consultation on possible changes to the boundaries or classification of Tetrahedron Provincial Park, which includes Chapman Lake, means nothing can happen during the 2017 construction season.
The Ministry of For-ests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations (FLNRO) is also evaluating a new water licence application.
BC Parks informed the SCRD in a March 6 letter that a boundary change or reclassification are the only options that could allow a parks use permit to construct a deeper channel to draw more water from the lake.
SCRD chief administrative officer Janette Loveys told the committee that the regional district has until May 4 to submit responses to comments from BC Parks, FLNRO and the shíshálh Nation on the environmental assessment study from AECOM to support both the parks use and water licence applications.
Loveys said BC Parks intends to consult with the public and First Nations before making a decision on the preferred option, and that it doesn’t plan to start the consultations until sometime after the provincial election.
“In the case a water shortage arises,” Loveys said, “BC Parks will work with the SCRD and FLNRO to provide authorization for temporary measures such as the deployment of a siphon system.”
AECOM representatives were at the committee meeting to give an overview of the environmental assessment and answer questions, but some of the discussion came back to the decision to embark on the project in the first place.
Sechelt director Doug Wright said with no direct control over the water supply, 1,600 new housing units approved, and a recent survey showing water as one of the top issues for residents, the municipality is concerned about the impact of the delays.
“I’m starting to rethink this project, from my perspective, and whether or not it’s the right project and if it’s the right way to go,” he said.
Manager of utility services Dave Crosby said SCRD staff believe the Chapman Lake project is the best course of action, in combination with metering, the search for new sources and planning for a reservoir or storage system.
That was a point Pender Harbour director Frank Mauro came back to later in the meeting. “I don’t want to leave the impression that this is the only thing the SCRD is doing to increase [water] capacity on the Coast,” he said.
Several directors also noted the shíshálh Nation’s comment on the environmental assessment report that it “requires written assurance by the SCRD that the additional drawdown will only be deployed once the SCRD declares Stage 4 restrictions, not to prevent Stage 4 restrictions. The additional drawdown must not be to facilitate increased growth, development and water consumption. “
Newly appointed Sechelt Indian Government District director Keith Julius told committee members that it’s not their intention to block development, but they do have legitimate concerns about the project.
Most of the detailed technical questions came from Elphinstone director Lorne Lewis, who’s been a vocal opponent of the project. He asked the AECOM consultants for more details on the risk of water loss through fissures in the rock, measures to protect against sloughing and releasing sediment, and mitigating negative impacts during construction.
SCRD chair, and Halfmoon Bay director, Garry Nohr welcomed the questions.
“A lot of the questions director Lewis is asking I hear continuously from the people that are not sure about this project … Director Lewis has been outspoken from day one on this topic, so I’d like to hear him get those answers so maybe we can see some support from his corner.”
As part of the water licence application, the SCRD commissioned a water flow study for Chapman Creek. It found that flows met the minimum requirement for fish of 200 litres per second 86 per cent of the time in 2015, and 98 per cent of the time in 2016.
AECOM senior biologist Bruce Ford said that 200 litres per second is enough to support fish living in the creek and salmon runs, but that shifting of the gravel beds could create situations where that’s not enough water, so a plan needs to be created to assist salmon returning to spawn if the conditions aren’t good enough.
Chapman Creek Hatchery manager David Burnett was among those in the audience for the meeting. He told directors both flow and temperature are critical for the health of the returning salmon, and that if coho – the prime sport fish in the area – are negatively affected, it can harm tourism as well as local anglers.
