Dusty Road will be tested for water after all — for non-potable use.
Months after Sechelt’s mayor raised the idea to revisit Dusty Road’s potential as a short-term water source — but was turned down by the Sunshine Coast Regional District board — the District of Sechelt announced on April 14 that it will test Dusty Road, and a water licence application has been submitted to the Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development.
At a closed meeting on April 12, council approved $25,000 from the capital reserve for a concept design and water quality testing at the site to determine the logistics. While the licence application is in progress, the district will also request temporary use authorization from the provincial government.
The decision was released in the April 19 council meeting agenda, and is expected to be confirmed at that meeting.
The district’s engineering team requested a council decision on whether the well water at the site of the new operations centre could be used as a non-potable water, such as the community fill station from the Ebbtide well at the Water Resouce Centre, the press release states. A bulk water filling station, pending the test results, may be made available for the public and district’s use.
In B.C., water licences can take years to be processed and approved. “The District of Sechelt is optimistic that the provincial government will recognize the water shortage on the southern Sunshine Coast and expedite the licence process and temporary use authorization request,” the release said.
Mayor John Henderson is quoted as saying, “Recognizing that drought conditions are very likely the new normal, we need to actively investigate all sources of water in our region.
“The Dusty Road well has a large supply of water which we anticipate is safe for non-potable use, at a minimum. Such can help reduce the demand on our potable water supply, which is vitally important.”
The non-potable water provided near the water resource centre is used to irrigate parks and for the public’s use during summer months. Kirn Dhillon, director of engineering and operations, said, “Water from the well can be used in irrigation around the Operations Centre and parks, for salt brine production and washing machinery and equipment. The community would benefit greatly from a second non-potable fill station on the other side of the inlet.”
