On June 12 Coast Reporter talked with Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) chair Leonard Lee about the current state of Chapman Creek water system’s supply. The following are edited excerpts from that interview.
What is your message to residents on the state of the system's water supply?
There is absolutely no doubt that there will be enough water for essential use (indoor residential water, the hospital and fire protection) through 2023. But it is extremely likely that we are going to have emergency water restrictions above Level 2.
The watershed is recharged and will supply its usual amount of water during the extremely dry five-month period of June to October. In 2022, we struggled to supply enough essential water and implemented a state of local emergency. We did that so we could implement a new technique for maintaining enough stored water, which includes a buffer in case the unexpected happened.
By mid-November 2022, the watershed was supporting us, and we still had 700,000 cubic meters of accessible stored water available, which is one month of dry season supply and the buffer we always strive to maintain.
With the new sources slated to come online, we are hoping not to go past Stage 3 in 2023. But everything is dependent on how much rain we get.
Our current water shortage is not anyone’s fault and at the same time, it is everyone’s fault. We have ended up in a continuing water emergency situation due to the unanticipated speed of climate change.
Is the Chapman System supply in better shape than last year?
We are in a much better place this year. We do not think it will be necessary to operate our emergency operations center for drought purposes as we have new sources of water and many more emergency measures ready to go, if required.
In 2023, assuming the drought will be as severe as 2022, existing and new emergency strategies alone could carry us through the year. In 2022, we proved how much water the siphon (at Chapman Lake) could access and that strategically implemented creek environmental flow need (EFN) reductions did not harm the environment.
We have every reason to believe the new Church Road Well Field will be pumping water within weeks. That will increase our production capacity in the Chapman system by 19 per cent, which should delay declaration of Stage 3 by approximately one month.
If we get approval for our proposed EFN reductions, Stages 3 and 4 might be delayed even longer.
We have even more emergency water supply measures under consideration and if they pan out, we might even be able to avoid Stage 3 water restrictions and allow limited watering of things like vegetable gardens for the whole summer.
The remaining water, once this year’s dry season ends, is estimated to be 1.4 million cubic metres, or two months' supply of water.
How much of the crisis is related to water supply as opposed to our ability to store supply for when we need it?
The watershed only supplies 33 per cent of the water needed for creek flow and potable water from June to October. During the other, wetter months it supplies so much we do not even bother to calculate it. So, definitely, the Sechelt and surrounding rural districts' water crisis is 100 per cent attributable to too much demand and not enough storage.
What priority do you place on water supply improvements?
There is no higher priority project for our staff and directors. If there are any staff identified that can help with the problem, they are assigned to that project. Any funds that are identified as needed are approved as soon as the process allows, generally within weeks. Any board escalation to the province or federal government that staff identifies as required is done without delay. The board chair and CAO discuss progress on virtually a daily basis. Cooperation from all government agencies has been excellent.
The province has worked in lock step with us all the way.
Residents have offered excellent advice for us to consider and have provided all required funding.
It has been a team effort to provide essential water and get the first new major infrastructure project completed. We are grateful to everyone who has got us this far.
Where does securing water supply rank when it comes to spending Growing Communities Fund (and other senior government grant) dollars?
In my view, it is our first priority, and definitely mine. I have allocated all of my area’s share of the fund to water projects, but only one other rural director has done something similar.
What was the goal of setting up the local government water summit meetings?
The goal was for all local governments to come together and find ways we can work together for the common good.
What have those gatherings achieved so far?
We have found that everyone has very similar objectives, which is to work together to provide benefits to all our communities. A great learning is our common sense of community and our desire to serve. We have all expressed our desire to ensure there is enough water to meet current and future needs. We are now working on exactly what the solutions are and how to fund them. We all expect these meetings to continue until there are no more common issues remaining. We are all aware the issues will remain well past our current terms. Many people have expressed their desire for these to be routine and ongoing, but that decision has not been made yet.
The next issue I would like to see being worked in summit sessions would be solid waste.
Has the SCRD involved local MLA Simons/ MP Weiler in its efforts to secure improvements to the Coast’s potable water situation and what were the results?
MLA Simons and MP Weiler’s constituency assistant have attended all water summit meetings to date. We have ready access to both of them and they have ensured we receive our share of available grants. It is also readily apparent they are speaking up on our behalf to the appropriate staff and ministers as is demonstrated by the grants we have received and the attention that has been given to our requests at the working level. One example that springs to mind is the provincial government paying for staff to be embedded in our EOC and the speed our emergency requests for things like reduced EFNs have been responded to by both the federal and provincial agencies.
Do Coasters need to change the way we view water usage/conservation?
I hate to confess that under the current situation of abundant raw water sources, it is really not necessary to impose ongoing severe (stage 3 and 4) water restrictions. The only caveat to those who want no limits on the water they use is how much are they willing to pay for it. We are likely to have to change that philosophy in the future and put a cap on the “all you can afford to use” approach.
What is the SCRD doing to ensure current and understandable information on water systems' status is available to the public?
Directors believe all history by water project should be consolidated and simplified on our website and all new information added. Our "Let's Talk" pages are a great start. Staff are currently investigating the best format to augment the existing information to see if it can be made even more complete. Complex information exists in multiple formats and our desire is to see it summarized in simple language. We think it is a matter of consolidation and simplification, both for historical purposes and ongoing public awareness. There is no doubt we can do better and are hopeful we can find multiple ways to do so.
Closing thoughts from Chair Lee
In 2014 the SCRD started work on the problem. By 2019 two projects, water metering and a Chapman dam expansion ready were ready to be delivered by 2020. Both projects were cancelled as residents declined to fund water meters [later support via an alternative approval process was received in 2021], and the provincial minister denied the dam permit.
