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A recent report from the Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) shows that in September, six homes in the Sechelt area were leaking the approximate equivalent of 500 homes’ worth of water every day.
The findings were part of a water update report presented at the Nov. 6, District of Sechelt regular council meeting by Coun. Alton Toth.
The SCRD expects the water savings to continue as meters identify new leaks as they emerge. As of the end of October, 2,974 accounts of a scheduled 4,100 water meters had been installed.
The report also showed this past summer was “very successful” from a water systems management perspective. This was the first summer since 2014, that the district had not had to move to Stage 3 restrictions.
Toth noted cooler, wetter weather was an obvious factor, considering the Chapman water system is primarily driven by rainfall in the summer. He added, contributions from the Church Road well field also helped. The well field provided approximately 20 per cent of Sechelt’s water over the summer.
According to the report, the Church Road well field will continue to require monitoring for several years and notes, nearby residents still want the water treatment chemicals kept on site to be relocated.
Chapman Water System
The Chapman water treatment plant was recently upgraded to allow for the use of chlorine on site, which negates the need to transport and store dangerous chlorine gas at a facility located uphill of the community. The new transport method has chlorine bound as a much more stable salt.
Additionally, because the facility only has a single UV disinfection system, which is nearing the end of life — with no backup system should it go offline — UV reactor upgrades are going to be started.
In budget 2025, the SCRD has seen initial proposals to look at two additional upgrades relating to the Chapman Water Treatment Plant. The first upgrade would be the design and engineering for replacement of the intake weir at Chapman Creek (approximate value of $205,000). This weir was originally built in 1989, and inspections over the last couple of years have shown the concrete and timber structure to be in a state of rapidly accelerating decay.
The other project being contemplated is the replacement of the raw-water intake pumps, as well as their emergency backup generator (approximate cost of $794,000). These are relatively small works compared to a new water source, but do show an increasing need for replacement of aging assets.
Toth says the water utility rates have been sufficient over the past couple of years to be able to fund this work from capital reserves, which will mean no impact to taxation or user fees, should the district approve these projects during the budget process.
The report also notes, Gray Creek was not used this past summer due to the fact Vancouver Coastal Health would have required the SCRD to publish Water Quality Advisories for the Sandy Hook and Tuwanek areas. As a result, an operational decision was made to hold off until Stage 3, which never came, to activate that particular water source.
“If we find that Gray Creek can provide a sustainable yield into the future, staff expect to spend 2025 doing design work on system upgrades that would allow for a permanent draw of water in future years,” Toth wrote. “The good news is that we already have a water licence for Gray Creek that would cover off our draw with improved infrastructure."
Meanwhile, Langdale Well field is currently moving through the permitting process with the province. At budget last year, the project was deferred for a year due to the estimated $22 million cost and instead the district opted to take the year to get results for the drilling of the test wells in the Sechelt area.
Test drilling
One of the proposed well locations was originally at the bicycle pump track on Trail Ave, but it was determined that with both gas lines and pressurized sewer mains close by, there were too many risks to proceed with that location. Instead, staff are looking at drilling a test well on the grounds of the hospital, which could help with both the community water supply, as well as disaster resilience for the hospital. That test well is expected to be drilled pending confirmation of a specific location on the hospital campus.
Other test wells have been drilled at Roberts Creek Hall (drilling and pump test complete), Sechelt Airport (drilling complete, pump test actively under way as of Oct. 28), Kinnikinnick Sport Fields (test drill complete, pump testing expected towards the end of November), and finally at Whitaker Park in Davis Bay (drilling to start early November).
Additionally, resources were put into the exploration of an existing decommissioned well at the Sunshine Coast Arena, with a view to possibly using that water supply to offset potable water use at the arena for ice-making. Reports on all of these wells and their potentials are expected in the first quarter of 2025 (January to March).
Additionally, a test well previously drilled at Cliff Gilker Park has an approved project to install necessary infrastructure onto the well, saving substantial potable water to keep some sport fields irrigated. That project is expected to be completed in 2025.
The report says the SCRD and shíshálh Nation are still moving forward with work relating to local reservoirs, while they await announcement on whether they were successful in receiving the Disaster Mitigation and Adaptation Fund grant, which was applied for to undertake design and construction. Work also continued with the “Site B” reservoir option, which the SCRD has spent the past couple of years working on behind the scenes. The SCRD is expected to continue technical exploration into one or more reservoir options in 2025, even if senior government funding is ultimately unsuccessful at this time.
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