It’s business as usual at Granthams (Church Road) wellfield while the Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) reviews plans and public concerns about siting of a Sea Can to store Sodium Hypochlorite at that location.
Operations at the site between April 8 and 11 included a 72-hour run test. “The testing is a regulatory requirement associated with the flow augmentation to Soames Creek and hence unrelated to the storage,” chief administrative officer Dean McKinley told Coast Reporter in an April 4 email. He also stated that the results of the testing would be released after completion and when “all data have been analyzed by staff and our consultant”.
Delayed until further notice
McKinley’s email also stated that location of the Sea Can at the site was being “delayed until further notice”. That notification followed an online information session about the plan hosted by the SCRD on March 28 that revealed considerable angst among neighbours of the wellfield and treatment plant. Issues raised by those living in the area ranged from safety concerns related to potential mishandling of the chemical, risks of a motor vehicle accident resulting in a spill given the proposed location’s proximity to traffic lanes on a steep and narrow roadway, as well as negative impacts on their quality of life and property values with an industrial-look facility being added to their residential neighbourhood.
At that event, members of the public acknowledged the need for the chemical to treat drinking water being processed at the site but asked to eliminate external storage by housing chemicals within the treatment plant facility or to site the Sea Can differently. Staff who presented the plan at the meeting noted that the external storage unit was not part of the original plan for the wellfield infrastructure and that the treatment plant structure was not built large enough to accommodate the volume of chemicals needed.
Public input questioning the external storage plans has continued on the SCRD’s webpage dedicated to the wellfield project, with six inquiries (and responses from staff) posted since March 28. Also posted there are a video of the online meeting and that session’s presentation slides.
According to the April 2 update to that webpage (the most recent posted as of April 10), “barrels with Hypochlorite will be stored in a customized steel storage container. The container will sit within the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure right of way area already designated for use by the SCRD, and will not impact the existing road, shoulder, sightlines or traffic safety. This steel container was designed with internal spill containment installed capable of handling the entire volume of stored materials. It will be locked and secured at all times when staff are not on site”.
Background.
Construction work on the well field began in March 2022 and “leave to commence” for drawing site water for the Chapman Water system was granted on June 30. That system serves about 11,000 clients and is region’s largest, providing service in areas from Howe Sound to Halfmoon Bay. The project will add up to 4.6 million litres of water per day, which the SCRD’s website states “is a significant step forward in securing water supply for the Sunshine Coast”.
