march
news
in this issue
Fix a Leak
CRD Watershed Tours
Local water stats
Research on how much is enough water
Fix a Leak Week March 17 - 23
Spring is on its way: time to check if your winterized water system survived the winter or did it spring a leak? For advice on how to check your yard and residence, go to the 606 Water Group www.606water.ca or the Kemp Lake Waterworks District website. Blog Detail | Kemp Lake Waterworks District .
We are aware that leak checking is not foremost in people’s minds so a good idea is to use the time change to change the clocks, put a few drops of food colouring in the toilet tank, check the smoke detectors and then check the toilet bowl for colouring.
The 606 Water Group has a limited number of “Fix a Leak” kits from the CRD and 606 Water Group “Fix a Leak” brochures. You can get one from us when you visit us at one of the following events.
Other
Sooke Seedy Saturday, March 29 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. Sooke Community Hall
Water Week at the Sooke Library, April 6 to April 12 various programs & displays
Sooke Earth Day, April 26 10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. Sooke Country Market site, near Fire Hall
Sookarama, April 26 10:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. at SEAPARC
CRD Watershed Tours
Registration begins on March 22. This is a day long tour, so not open to people under the age of 12. Each tour is limited to 42 people but because of popular demand, tours will be offered in both May and June again this year.
Watershed Public Tours | Capital Regional District
Some Statistics
The Sooke Lake Reservoir was 100% full by February 28. This is with 78% of the yearly average rainfall for February. Rainfall in the Sooke Lake area between September 1 and February 28 was only 84% of the five- year average. Three things to keep in mind. First, this winter’s shortage of rain will decrease the five-year average amount. Second, the reservoir is not expected to hold all the rain that falls over its catchment area. The man-made reservoir was late to fill. Third, even a heavy winter rain does not guarantee a good summer water supply for wells tapped into bedrock. The bedrock aquifers (consolidated) do not hold water in their cracks the same way sand and gravel/porous (unconsolidated) aquifers do. For the unconsolidated aquifers, consisting of porous material deposited over bedrock, if we are short of rain, we should expect them to be below their “five-year average” fullness. Do we have an accurate measure for the natural reservoirs, for the wetlands, lakes, and aquifers in our area? We are guessing the answer is “No”.
Planning for the future.
A severe drought year, 2015, created a move to secure the CRD water supply for the future. One way was to raise the reservoir dam on Sooke Lake. Another was to secure the Leech River Watershed. With necessary changes to infrastructure, the Leech River source may be tapped in 2035.
Another way to secure the water supply is to reduce demand. The CRD has been working over the years to reduce water use. Restrictions on things like “flow through” commercial refrigeration units and innovations like domestic low flush toilets have made a big difference in the last decade. Public education is another important tool.
Residents served by municipal water services need to be aware of how the managers for their services are planning. Residents on private wells or with other water supplies need to figure out how those water supplies can be sustained.
We also need to seriously look at the areas in the world which have had large fires, then rains. It would seem the rain would be welcome but with no plants left and the soil parched there is little or nothing to slow and hold the water, often flooding and landslides occurs. The cause is called “overland flooding” and has become an add on to home insurance policies so if you do not buy it, you are not covered.
How much is enough?
The province provides a basic guide for subdivision servicing. The water supply written in to the guide many years ago was 500 Imperial gallons for each parcel created. Converted to metric measurements, that is 2274 litres. Recognizing that different geographic areas have different potential, municipal governments are given the authority to modify the subdivision servicing requirements in their bylaws. The bylaws all include that the water supply must be available every day and all year. The initial choice of 500 Imperial gallons stays on: many of the present day municipal bylaws work off that “2274 litres per day”. It reminds me of the tale about how modern railways are only as wide as the old Roman roads, which were built to accommodate the width of two asses. That is the kind of ass that pulls a cart…. But back to how much water is enough.
Coming at the problem from the other side, how much water do people use? It is relatively easy to calculate water usage on piped water systems where water is metered. The CRD reports an average use of 225 litres per person per day for 2023. Statistics Canada reports 223 litres per person per day for 2021. Residential use includes lawn care and home gardens, so that rural residents with yards and acreages will use more water than apartment dwellers. Also, the more time a person spends at home, the more water will be used at home. There was a noticeable uptick in residential water use during the Covid pandemic.
The small CRD water services with metered water will give a very rough idea residential water use in more rural areas. The figures below are from the 2023 reports for the water services. The amount of water measured through the meters is divided by the number of meters and converted to an estimated average for daily use. This supposes all the hook ups are residential. The Kemp Lake system buys water from the CRD but is not a CRD water service.
Wilderness Mountain: 91 litres per hook up per day (East Sooke)
Skana: 163 litres per hook up per day (Mayne Island)
Surfside: 183 litres per hook up per day (Mayne Island)
Sticks Allison: 363 litres per hook up per day (Galliano Island)
Kemp Lake: 340 litres per hook up per day (Otter Point)
Kemp Lake: 121.5 litres per person per day
Note: The Kemp Lake Waterworks annual report for 2023 shows 487 residences with an average of 2.8 persons in each and one commercial hook up. The commercial hook up is included with the residential in the calculation. The Kemp Lake system measures in Imperial gallons but when boiled down, usage comes to 340.22 litres per day per hook up, or 121.5 litres per person per day.
Second note: The figures above are from systems where water is scarce or expensive. Wilderness Mountain customers may have been supplementing their water supply with hauled water, which would not need to be boiled: more on that below.
BC-Municipal-Water-Survey-2016.pdf
regional-growth-strategy-indicators-report-2023
World Water Day eh - Statistics Canada
Drinking Water Systems | Capital Regional District
Meeting Minutes & Reports | Kemp Lake Waterworks District
Hauling Water
When a person orders a tanker load of water, they get the whole tankful, so it is good to have storage capacity for the full load. “South Island Water Ltd. has two Freightliner trucks, outfitted with stainless steel water tanks that hold 14,385 Litres / 3800 US gallons / 3164 Imperial gallons of CRD sourced potable water.” www.southislandwater.ca (A cubic meter is 1000 litres of water: 14.385 m3.) That average residence in the CRD, using 225 litres per day, would have a 64 day or nine-week supply of water from one tanker load. Storage is the key to water supply.
There are figures available for the amount of water hauled from CRD bulk water stations in 2023, which was a severe drought year. Rumour had it that all well users in East Sooke were hauling water, and we know Wilderness Mountain users were under a boil water order for several weeks. The bulk water station in East Sooke supplied approximately 10,000 m3 in 2023. That is equivalent to 695 tanks at 14.385 m3.
Next Issue
Growing concerns about wildfires and WUI Wilderness Urban Interface. What we can do to lessen the dangers.
Hurray for Canadian Beavers welcomed to other countries to restore watersheds. They are behaving badly in Patagonia, Argentina and Chile.