Sunshine Coast Water Restrictions Update

Press Releases

2015-08-13

Sunshine Coast Regional District staff visited Chapman and Edwards Lake yesterday with staff from FLNRO to explain and provide the ‘on the ground’ understanding of the current situation and the emergency backup plan / application for a Short Term Use Approval under the Water Act for additional drawdown and infrastructure placement (siphon system) at Chapman. And subsequently notes on Stage 4 restrictions have been updated. Please see the new information from VCH regarding the use of grey water for irrigation.

The restrictions

• Stage 4 outdoor water use restrictions mean a ban on all outdoor tap water use for irrigation and household maintenance.
• We are asking the public TO NOT:
  o   use tap water for any outdoor water use (ie. tap water through garden hoses, watering cans, irrigation systems or laid sprinklers)
  o   fill swimming pools, hot tubs, wading pools, garden ponds and fountains
  o   wash driveways, sidewalks, vehicles, boats or other equipment, or use power washers
• These bans are in effect on August 13, until further notice based on low water levels in the water supply – our drinking water source.
• Stage 4 Outdoor Water Use Restrictions apply to all water users South of Pender Harbour, including residential and commercial, with the exception of commercial food growers with farm status and water meters.
• We’re asking residents to conserve water at every opportunity, inside and outside
• Residents may collect clean grey water that would otherwise be wasted (such as hand basins, washing machines, showers and baths) and use it to water their outdoor plants and vegetables. Because grey water is of unknown quality, when watering fruits and vegetables, it should be carefully applied to the soil or root system and not directly on plants.  Fruits and vegetables should be washed prior to eating. Vancouver Coastal Health recommends that grey water should NOT be used in the following circumstances:
  o  near any source of drinking water,
  o  applied directly on herbs, fruits or vegetables,
  o   or in play spaces where children are present.
• Commercial operations that make use of water as part of their processes (e.g. concrete) are allowed to operate but are encouraged to delay any non-essential use until the rains arrive.

Why the restrictions were brought in place

• The restrictions were brought into place to conserve our drinking water source and maintain flows for fire protection and flows in the creeks for fish and fish habitat.
• During the summer months we have particularly high water use per capita. This high summer usage is attributed to outdoor sprinkling and irrigation systems.
• The unprecedented hot and dry weather has resulted in drier conditions within the watershed, which is causing our available water supply to deplete more rapidly as time goes on.

Current situation

• The restrictions are precautionary – the SCRD is doing everything possible to prevent the Sunshine Coast from running out of drinking water.
• Water use has decreased by approximately 40% since going to Stage 3.
• These weather conditions are forecasted to continue into the fall, Stage 4 restrictions are necessary in order to extend our available water supply into the fall when the probability of rain increases.
• Next step is to deploy an emergency backup system to access water in lower reaches of Chapman Lake
• 5 to 6 days of heavy rain in a row will ‘recharge’ Chapman Lake and enable us to remove the restrictions
• The SCRD’s Comprehensive Regional Water Plan recognizes that the water supply needs to be expanded and the SCRD has been working to move this plan forward in a timely manner.
• The SCRD has recently been notified that grant funding through the Small Communities Fund has been approved for the installation of water meters.

Participation so far:

• We’ve enacted a robust communications campaign to let the community know that until further notice no outdoor tap water use is allowed – and we’ve seen great participation. Thanks to residents and businesses for turning off their outdoor taps.  We need that participation to expand and continue.
• We have set a water consumption target of 10 million litres per day for the community and this will help to prolong the supply.

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