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The Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) board weighed data versus action as it ultimately voted to ask staff for more detailed reports on Chapman water system supply scenarios.
Prompted by a motion from Sechelt area director John Henderson at its April 27 meeting, the board agreed to ask staff to provide more data on Chapman water system supply scenarios and an update of the 2018 water demand analysis report.
The supply scenario data will form part of public monthly reports to elected officials, with the next such presentation scheduled for the May 11 committee of the whole meeting. The reports are to cover projections for water supply for 2023 based on weather conditions similar to 2021 and 2022 – with the 3,000 cubic meters of water daily from Church Road well added in as of July 1 – and staff contingency plans in the event that the Chapman and Edwards Lake water supplies are exhausted.
Other additions to monthly reports are to include time charts for 2021 and 2022 showing the potable and environmental flow need water use per day, and charting of the dates when different water restriction stages and the states of local emergency were enacted in those two years, with a list of which water sources were enacted at which stage, and how much each of those sources supplied in average cubic metres per day.
Another piece of analysis being sought will be data on the amount of water above the anticipated Church Road well supply would have been needed to stay at Stage 2 restrictions in 2021 and 2022.
Demand analysis update to be completed this year
The water demand analysis update is to be completed as part of the 2023 work plan. The board requested the incorporation of data from the last five years, including the consequences of droughts extending to December. Also to be included are estimates of the size of a raw water reservoir that would be needed to store the amount of water needed to close the projected water supply deficits for 2025, 2035 and 2050, and the amount of groundwater that would be needed to close those deficits without a reservoir.
Henderson said he would like to see the board make good on a commitment made by a previous board to supply sufficient water to keep restrictions at or below Stage 2.
In discussion, acting general manager of infrastructure Mark Brown noted that there is no board policy commitment to keep the water systems below Stage 3 restrictions. He said that had only been discussed as a goal within policy framework.
In response to Henderson's suggestion about making such a policy part of a long-term plan, Area F (West Howe Sound) director Kate Louise Stamford, said she was unsure that was realistic given the “new reality” of a changing climate. Her request was that related discussions be put on the agenda for the next area local government “water summit”, which is scheduled for May 25.
Communicating on water supply
In introducing both items Henderson stated, “My motion is to ensure we get the fundamental data out... We owe it as the board to provide the community with all the data”.
Area E (Elphinstone) director Donna McMahon disagreed with the call for additional reporting. “Nobody is asking me for more reports"," she said. Her stated preference was to see staff “getting action on more water not writing more reports”.
Area B (Halfmoon Bay) director Justine Gabias suggested that staff be asked to create an ”at a glance” graphic or document that would show the public details on potable water supply in terms of “what we have, what we need and where we are at”.
Henderson said he liked Gabias's idea of a “simple approach” to communicating details on water supply. His caveat was that “we need the data to back that up”.
McMahon said she also agreed with the suggested communications approach, but reiterated her point that "the real question is how we can get more water ASAP and that is where I would prefer to focus”.
