Final testing of the Church Road Well Field is slated to start the week of Jan. 30.
Coast Reporter checked in with Sunshine Coast Regional District’s communications manager Aidan Buckley as well as an area resident for updates on activities at the site.
Commissioning under way
“Commissioning is ongoing. Starting Jan. 24, there will be commissioning activities within the site’s water treatment plant that will consist of running various components, including the wells. We are testing out all the mechanical and electrical processes,” Buckley wrote in a Jan 24 email.
As such testing requires water to be released, the SCRD installed a 1,000 feet of lay flat fire hose to contain the runoff and avoid a repeat of erosion and debris flows experienced earlier in January on the lower stretches of Elphinstone Avenue. "Pump tested water will be first dechlorinated and then run through a six-inch hose laid from the outfall pipe at the water treatment plant down Elphinstone and over the bank in the pipe hose into Soames creek," said Buckley.
While he did not have the installation costs available, Buckley said the cost of the hose was $5,500. He pointed out that piece of equipment will be reused in future SCRD operations.
Elphinstone Avenue resident Evie Jordan-Knox reported that water was being released along that roadway “on a pretty constant basis” since on Jan. 24. Her reaction to the use of the hose solution: “This does stop the water from sluicing down Elphinstone (Avenue), which is pretty creative.”
She reported that a snowplow blade that had been put in place in Jan. 9 to keep vehicles from travelling and parking along erosion-damaged shoulders on the route was removed on Jan. 27.
Background
The SCRD began construction on the well field which is projected add up to five million litres of water per day to its Chapman water system in March of last year. Completion had been slated for fall 2022, but supply chain issues caused project delays. In October 2022, its board approved an amendment to the project's budget of almost a half million dollars to allow for costs of up to $9.27 million: $9 million to come from long-term borrowing and $270,000 from capital reserves.
Drainage issues related to heavy rains and discharge of water from testing at the site created flooding and erosion issues for properties on the lower stretches of Elphinstone Avenue. Since December, the SCRD, the Ministry of Transportation and Capilano Highways have been working on resolutions to those problems. On Jan. 9, a water release event lead to flooding, as well as gravel and other debris flows that resulted in partial road closures along that route.
Buckley's details on discharge water
CR: Where is the water drained from the well field going?
Buckley: The dechlorinated water will discharge into Soames creek via the lay flat pipe. The water will discharge onto a rip rap splash pad constructed as part of this project. All Provincial and local regulations are being followed.
CR: Are permits required?
Buckley: Yes, there are authorizations required from Vancouver Coastal Health, Ministry of Forests, and Department of Fisheries and Oceans. There are specific conditions for each authorization. The goal of the conditions is to make sure the fish and aquatic habitat are protected. Ongoing permitting approval and compliance have been appropriately managed throughout the project.
CR: How is the discharge water being monitored?
Buckley: An environmental management plan is developed prior to the field activity and qualified professionals oversee the implementation of the plan. Dissolved oxygen, turbidity, pH, and temperature are some of the key parameters being monitored. Both the contractor and the engineering team have an environmental monitor, and the contract describes the scope for each.
CR: When is the next planned release of water from testing at the well field site?
Buckley: Specific discharge times can not be provided due to the nature of commissioning and troubleshooting the start-up procedures. The final test will start closer to the week of January 30th or depending on how things progress on site which will finalize the commissioning process.
Project loan to be taken out this spring
At its Jan. 26 meeting, the SCRD board approved a security issuing bylaw for up to $9 million in project costs to be borrowed through the Municipal Finance Authority this spring. The loan, authorized through an alternative approval process in 2020 is to be repaid over a 30-year period at "varying rates of interest, calculated semi-annually" as stated in the loan agreement.
