Water meters – love them or hate them, they're coming to Sechelt. But what exactly is involved in installing a device that measures a property's water consumption? Coast Reporter was on site on Wakefield Road May 21 to see firsthand as a West Sechelt residence received its Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) water system infrastructure addition.
Installed in under an hour
At about 11 a.m., a team of two installers and a supervisor from Neptune Technology were onsite along with two workers from In Situ Archeology. Staff from the archeology contractor only participate in selected number of installs, said SCRD manager of capital projects Bryan Shoji (who attended the install to answer Coast Reporter’s questions). If an artifact or suspected artifact is located, then In Situ will be called to monitor work done on adjacent properties.
A Neptune staffer hand-dug a hole about 75cm wide and deep enough to expose the water line on the property owner’s side of the water system curb stop.
The soil was screened as it was removed and a small item of possible archaeological interest was found. Sealed in a bag marked with the address, that item was set aside and the work continued.
Once the line was exposed, the water was shut off to the residence. This allowed a section of about 25cm of new line and the meter to be added, connected to the existing system with brass fittings.
To check if the connection was secure, the workers did a quick restart of the water flow. With no leaks detected, the team moved on to fully re-establish the water connection and they monitored the flow as it came out of the residence’s outdoor hose bib.
Once water was flowing steadily, it was shut down and the second Nepture employee did calibrations and linked the meter electronically to the SCRD system using a cellphone. In Situ staff took measurements of the excavation for their records.
Then, the meter was protected with a plastic bag while the excavation refill started and the plastic protective meter box was put in place. The bag was removed, the box was closed and the final top-up of the hole was done, with very little disruption to the adjacent lilac bush.
The whole process took about 45 minutes.
Shoji said residents can prepare for meter installs at their homes by ensuring that their outdoor water tap is working (many people turn the connection to those off in winter months) and consulting the “Let’s Talk" SCRD webpage for more information. He also stressed that if individuals have inquiries or concerns they should reach out to the SCRD, rather than questioning the contractors onsite.
On time, on budget and an enjoyable job
The project to install 4,500 meters within the District of Sechelt is proceeding on time (estimated completion in mid-2025) and on budget (spending up to $7.5 million, with $6 million of that coming from a grant), Shoji said. He added that about 900 of those units are already in place.
The devices installed in this third phase of the SCRD water metering are not yet part of the system that allows water clients to monitor their monthly usage online, he stated.
Asked about the best part a water meter installer’s job, one Nepture employee commented on how he gets to work with the firm’s technical excavation director: his dog, Tashi. He also talked about a recent experience during an install where he shared a great conversation with a homeowner and the homeowner insisted the workers take home samples of home-canned seafood when the job was done.
Will water be metered on the Nation lands?
As for extending water metering onto shíshálh Nation lands, SCRD communication manager Aidan Buckley told Coast Reporter in an email that although it was “not within the scope of the current water meter project, the SCRD Board has approved $250k to install a 'Zone Meter' at the boundary of the shíshálh lands."
“The Nation and SCRD have requested funding from the Province of BC that would allow for water meters to be installed at all shíshálh Nation connections. To date there has been no confirmation of funding for individual meters,” he wrote.
“Provision of water to shíshálh Nation members for domestic use dates back to 1945. The SCRD has continued the provision of water for domestic use to shíshálh Nation since incorporating in 1969. As per the original agreement, there has never been a charge for the provision of water for domestic use for shíshálh Nation members. All other forms of use are part of the water service and charged accordingly,” he wrote.
His email clarified that "domestic purpose" under the Water Sustainability Act means the use of water for household purposes by the occupants of one or more private dwellings on a single parcel of land, other than multi-family apartment buildings, hotels and strata titled or cooperative buildings. It provides for water use for drinking, food preparation and sanitation; fire prevention; water to animals and poultry for household use or kept as pets, and for irrigation of a garden not exceeding 1000 m2 on lands adjoining to or occupied by a dwelling.
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