Supplementing strained summer water supplies with well flows is a focus of the Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) board's strategic plan and was a priority for the previous board. This year, taking steps towards more drilling adjacent to its existing Langdale well is up for discussion at 2024’s first SCRD committee meeting on Jan. 11.
On that meeting’s agenda is a presentation and staff report on the third phase of that site’s groundwater investigation. Earlier phases indicated potential for two additional wells and work completed in 2023 showed those could have a “combined long-term sustainable yield” of 70 litres per second for the region’s Chapman Water System without impacting supplies to the SCRD's current Langdale water system customers.
According to the report, pulling 60 litres per second from the potential new sites would produce 5,184 cubic metres per day, which could meet a quarter or more of the Chapman system's water demands. In 2023 that system's per day usage averaged 20,687 cubic metres when Stage 1 water restrictions were in place and dropped to 12,601 cubic metres once Stage 4 rules were introduced. That level of production from the proposed new wells would exceed the 2023 peak daily average of 4,800 cubic metres contributed by the region’s Church Road Well Field, which started sending water to Chapman system taps last July, after over three years in the permitting and construction stages.
Keeping new well draws below 75 litres per second was identified by staff as a consideration if the board wants to bring the new sources online expeditiously. The report states that if that level is exceeded "a full Environmental Assessment under the BC Environmental Assessment Act is required which would take several years to complete." It goes on to note, "There may be opportunities to investigate increasing this volume in future should the SCRD seek to increase the volume of the license. At that time the drilling of a third well as a back-up well, or to create additional withdrawal capacity, could be considered.”
$23 million cost estimate
The committee is being asked for direction on including the project in 2024 Round 2 budget debate. slated to begin Feb. 5. If furthering the project this year is supported by the committee, an additional report to address how to pay for the work would be produced to guide budget discussions.
“Potential funding sources for the construction phase include reserves, parcel tax, Community Works Funds or the Growing Communities Funds, future grants, and a long-term loan. There are not sufficient reserves to fund this project and staff will continue to explore grant opportunities for this project,” the report details.
Cost estimates of $23.37 million to bring the additional wells and infrastructure to connect to the Chapman system online are quoted in the committee meeting materials. Those projections were topped up with a 40 per cent spending contingency “to cover any unforeseen expenditures and regular cost inflation." In comparison, Church Road well’s construction and connection phase cost about $9.2 million.
Last year, the SCRD spent just over half of a $1.27 million approved allocation to contract for the Langdale well field phase three work. Should the board agree to put residual 2023 funds into further work at the site, that will make a $627,000 contribution to steps toward the well field build out and allow staff to develop a call for engineering and final design work in the first three months of 2024. No timing for completion of that work was laid out in the report, which stated those efforts were aimed at supporting the potential for a project construction in 2025.
Water treatment called for
Phase three study testing on the new well's water sources show they meet all but two parameters in the Canadian Drinking Water Quality Standards. The exceptions are elevated levels of iron and manganese, which staff indicate “are not a human health concern." A suggestion that the water undergo treatment to address those concentrations, which add tints to the water, is part of the staff report. It was noted that impacts how the water looks and can result in discoloration of customers' fixtures.
In the report's project cost estimate, $7.6 million was allocated for treatment infrastructure spending, which covered building a chlorination and treatment facility, two onsite reservoirs and related costs,
Sḵwx̱wú7mesh site name option
Should the board authorize moving forward with development, water licensing, obtaining SCRD tenure over the site at 1235 Stewart Road, and other regulatory processes with the province are also required to access and commission the new water supplies.
In addition, the report outlined that approvals from the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Nation, Vancouver Coastal Health and BC Ferries are to be sought. Changing the project title to ch’kwelhp well field project, in keeping with that Nation’s traditional name of the area, was identified as an option for board consideration.
