Water regulation violations in Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) supply areas increased with five fines and 19 warnings issued over the past three weeks.
In a Sept. 29 press release, the SCRD reports a total of six fines and 57 warnings issued since water use restrictions began in May of this year. As of Sept. 5, a staff report to the Sept. 8 Committee of the Whole meeting indicated 38 warnings and one fine were on record.
Immediate fines for Stage 4 violations
The release reminds the public that enforcement activity has been stepped up with immediate fines of $500 for anyone found to be in violation of Stage 4 water regulations.
The Chapman water system has been on Stage 4 restrictions since Aug. 31. An Emergency Operations Centre was activated by the SCRD to help address the drought situation in the area on Sept. 27.
“Community uptake of water regulations and the current ban on outdoor water use has reduced summer water use on the Chapman water system from a high of 20 million litres per day in July to 10.5 million litres per day this past week. Reducing water use at home and at work can help us reach a community water use target of 10 million litres per day” the release states.
“Water use at households on the Chapman water system averages 400-500 litres per day in the winter months when community demand is under 10 million litres per day.”
The Chapman system serves approximately 10,000 properties and 90 per cent of the population of the Coast, including residents of Electoral Areas B (Halfmoon Bay), D (Roberts Creek), E (Elphinstone), F (West Howe Sound), District of Sechelt, and shíshálh Nation.
The SCRD is asking all water system users to investigate and repair any water leaks in their homes or on their properties and to be mindful of indoor water use. They also encourage water clients to sign up to access their water consumption data by visiting scrd.ca/water-use.
