As Stage 4 water conservation restrictions stretch past three weeks, and with staff working around the clock, the Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) issued another plea to residents: Help reduce the use.
On Sept. 21, the regional district released the daily water usage on the Chapman water system for the previous seven days. The goal is to keep the community water use under 10 million litres per day, but so far only one of those seven days was close. On Sept. 17, the target was just missed when the daily water use was recorded at 10.2 million litres per day. There had been one millimetre of rain the night before, which could have reduced water use.
It also announced Chapman Lake has reached a record low, and staff are working around the clock to ensure water service is not interrupted, as a short-term water licence for siphons is implemented.
"A siphon system is transporting water a distance of 200 metres between the lake and the dam outlet, now dry, to keep water flowing down Chapman Creek and to the water treatment plant," the release said.
At the time of the press release, 53 warnings and four fines were issued this season. Anyone found in violation of the water regulations will be issued an immediate $500 fine. Last week, seven shut-off notifications and 460 leak notification letters were sent to residences identified as having leaks. The SCRD issues shut-off notices after people do not sufficiently address leaks once they've been notified.
Stage 4 will continue, and includes a ban on all outdoor water use from the Chapman water system. For farmers, their exemption from Stage 4 water restriction expired after two weeks.
