Each year, the Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) brings in Stage 1 water conservation regulations on May 1. After successive years of extreme drought, water regulations are more important than ever to secure water supply into late summer and fall.

The regulations outlined below apply to all SCRD water customers on the Sunshine Coast. Paper copies of these regulations have been mailed to homes and appeared in the Coast Reporter in mid-April as part of the SCRD’s “Get Ready for Summer” campaign.

Regulations define the types of watering and three separate plant categories: lawns; trees, shrubs, and flowers; and food producing plants. Watering schedules can vary in different water systems across the region.  Below are watering schedules for Stage 1.

Stage 1 Watering Schedule

 Watering Lawns

Sprinklers, soaker hoses or micro-spray can be used to water lawns according to the Stage 1 schedule which is:

• For even numbered addresses, lawn sprinkling is allowed Thursday and Sunday from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m.
• For odd numbered addresses, lawn sprinkling is allowed on Wednesday and Saturday from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m.

Watering trees, flowers, shrubs and food producing plants

Sprinklers, soaker hoses or micro-spray can be used to water trees, flowers and shrubs, and food producing trees and plants according to the Stage 1 schedule:

• For even numbered addresses, sprinkling is allowed Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. and from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
• For odd numbered addresses, sprinkling is allowed on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. and from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

During Stage 1 water conservation regulations, hand held hoses with nozzles, hand held containers, or drip-irrigation can be used anytime for watering lawns, trees, flowers, shrubs or food producing trees and plants.

Rain sensors are required on all irrigation systems to prevent watering in the rain.

Other uses of water

Pressure washing sidewalks, driveways, windows, fences and exterior building surfaces is permitted only during Stage 1.

“Last year the Sunshine Coast experienced a 106-day drought which, as residents are well aware brought severe water conservation regulations,” says Mark Brown, Acting General Manager of Infrastructure Services. “Now is the time to get ready for summer, look at ways you can conserve water both inside and outside of home and, of course, please follow all water conservation regulations. Regulations are in place to secure supply for our whole community.”

For questions about water conservation or about the regulations, contact the SCRD at 604-885-6806 or infrastructure@scrd.ca. Visit www.scrd.ca/water-regulations for further details.

Staff do not take bylaw complaints by phone. Please submit bylaw complaints using the online form at https://www.scrd.ca/bylaw-complaint-form

On Wednesday, April 26, water will be shut off at residences shown on map below in the Pender Harbour area. The shut off will occur from 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Please contact 604-885-6806 if you have questions or concerns.

Agendas for April 20 meetings can be found here and zoom links below:

Electoral Area Services Committee

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84164959302?pwd=RWpaS21CL1ZFd0lXNlNFRXh4VzJtUT09

Webinar ID: 841 6495 9302

Passcode: 840760

Special Board Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87133178246?pwd=UHhIVHZNWXc1Q2hRdmUza0V2enJFUT09

Webinar ID 871 3317 8246

Passcode 816013

Regional Hospital District Regular Board

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87069961576?pwd=c20xSlFHRVQ2djlNWmFHemZkV09hUT09

Webinar ID: 870 6996 1576

Passcode: 121173

Finance Committee Zoom Link:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85878991925?pwd=Yk1pS2E2UUdkV0xJTENvbFR0ZnFMQT09

Webinar ID: 858 7899 1925

Passcode: 909473

At its meeting on April 20, 2023 the Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) Board gave approval to award a contract to Neptune Technology Group Canada Co. for phase three of the water meter installation project.

The total budget for the project is $9,391,750. This includes $6,000,000 funded from the recently awarded Canada Community Building Fund-Strategic Priorities Fund grant, and $3,391,750 from long-term debt.

Phase three is the final phase of meter installations and involves installing water meters in the West Sechelt, West Porpoise Bay, The Shores, Downtown Sechelt, East Porpoise Bay, Sandy Hook, Tuwanek, Selma Park, Davis Bay, and Wilson Creek water service areas.

The SCRD installed water meters in North and South Pender Harbour Water Service Areas between August 2014 and February 2015, as part of phase one. Meter installations were completed as part of phase two in Halfmoon Bay, Egmont, Earls Cove, Roberts Creek, Elphinstone, and West Howe Sound (excluding Hopkins Landing) between September 2016 and October 2017 with a few remaining properties receiving installations in 2018. Neptune Technology Group completed phases one and two of the meter installations.

Water metering will help the SCRD and water users improve their leak detection abilities and better understand water consumption. Many cities and regional districts across Canada have already made the move towards metering as it is widely recognized as an industry best practice. It is common for communities to realize a reduction in water consumption by 20% to 30%.

“After two years of severe drought, it is more critical than ever that we utilize our water resources as wisely as possible,” says Leonard Lee, SCRD Board Chair. “The installation of water meters will help our community better understand their own consumption and will allow the SCRD to make efficiencies to further secure water supply for the region.”

Preparatory work is already underway and water meter installations are expected to begin in fall 2023 and anticipated to be completed by late 2025. The SCRD will communicate directly with each of its water customers affected by this project in order to provide further details regarding project timing and water conservation techniques and ideas. In addition, the SCRD website and engagement platform, Let’s Talk SCRD will be updated with project specific information for the duration of the project.

The Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) is delighted to launch a new website.

The new website arrives on the scene 16 years after the launch of the first website.

Over those 16 years, the SCRD website served us well but the time for a refresh was clearly due. Gone are the days of six clicks to get to your garbage schedule, four clicks to find contact information for staff and a menu structure that challenged even the most savvy of web surfers.

Using feedback received through a website audit conducted in 2020, along with hearing regularly from the community on what you want to see; the new look is built with you, the community in mind. The most visited pages are available within a single click with menus that are easy to navigate. Text and headings are easy to distinguish along with new ways to search for information.

Here are five new features that are well worth checking out.

1. Homepage. The most popular sections (according to our statistics) are recreation, meeting agendas and curbside collection information. All of these and other popular pages are accessible directly from the homepage and through the top navigation menu.
2. While you are on the top navigation menu, check out the menu marked “I want to …” This is where you can find shortcuts to most of the service-related enquiries we receive (change an address, pay a bill).
3. Agendas. Yes, they’re still PDFs (stay tuned for potential updates on this in the future) but now you can search by year and by agenda type. Note that we have hundreds of agendas to upload. Currently, agendas are available from 2022 and 2023. If you need agendas past that date you can contact our communications team directly (information is below). It is anticipated that agendas going back as far as 2008 will be available by May. Which leads us to …
4. The document library. This is a fully searchable library of everything from bylaws to agendas to water quality reports. You can search by the type of document or by using a keyword (think of it as an SCRD google). As we add more to this library, more categories and options will become available.
5. Parks. You can now search for a park based on the area that you want to visit or the amenity that you need. You can search and add criteria such as a park with a beach or picnic facilities.

While there are a lot of new features, we have not completely forgotten our roots. The beloved SCRD logo remains!

There is more planned for the future of the site. This will include more ways to conduct business virtually through the website. Stay tuned.

Finally, if there is a page or information that you regularly access and can no longer find, please don’t hesitate to reach out to our communications team.

Enquiries:
Aidan Buckley
Manager, Communications and Engagement
aidan.buckley@scrd.ca

As summer approaches, the Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) understands that water is top of mind for our community. To better inform residents, the SCRD is providing this update on water supply projects that are underway.

Getting Ready for Summer

This summer, the SCRD is preparing for similar drought periods as the past two years. This means little to no rainfall with extended (100+ days) of drought. With some of the water sources outlined below supplementing water supply, the focus for the SCRD will be on retaining as much water as possible in our main water sources, Chapman and Edwards Lakes for community use through late summer and early fall.

If we have a significant drought, then Stage 4 Water Conservation Regulations (complete ban on outdoor water use) will be in place at some point this summer. The SCRD implements water conservation regulations to ensure that water is available for community use, health purposes and fire suppression through the summer and into the fall. As we have seen from this past year, these regulations helped extend water supply into December.

Below are projects, both short-term and long-term that the SCRD is working on right now to secure water supply for this summer and increase water supply in the coming years.

• Short-Term

Church Road Well Field Project

This project has been underway for the past year and initially, will provide upwards of three million litres of water per day to users on the Chapman Water System. Staff are currently working on two main priorities related to this project.

1. The potential supply from this well field is up to 4.6 millions litres per day. Through testing, the SCRD has determined that pumps currently in place at this well field will provide roughly three million litres per day. The SCRD is working to have larger pumps installed by June which would allow for more water to be drawn from the well field. Even if the larger pumps cannot be installed in the coming weeks, this well field is anticipated to be online and available for use by June.
2. Water licence. The SCRD currently has a conditional water licence that outlines requirements that need to be met before it can receive its final water licence. The SCRD’s consultant has been collecting Soames Creek flow and fish habitat survey data and will be providing this information to the Provincial Government in the next month for their review. A meeting has been scheduled with the Provincial Government to ensure the data is sufficient to obtain the final water licence before June 1.

Church Road Well Field Pumphouse

Gray Creek

Gray Creek is used as a water source throughout the summer months and provides roughly one million litres of water to users on the Chapman System per day. However, when rainfall occurs, the SCRD cannot use this source. This is due to what is known as “turbidity.” Rainfall causes particles on the creek bed to mix with the water making it unsafe to drink without some form of treatment at the creek.

Staff have been reviewing options to ensure that Gray Creek can be a more reliable water source. This could include the installation of a portable treatment plant at Gray Creek.

Town of Gibsons Water Supply

The SCRD and the Town of Gibsons are working on an agreement that would allow for the Town of Gibsons to supply water to the Chapman Water System earlier than past summers. Usually, this supply method is used on an emergency basis however being able to use this supply earlier in the summer months would allow more water to be retained at Chapman and Edwards Lakes.

Reduction of Environment Flow Needs

The SCRD is required to release a significant amount of water from Chapman Lake for Environmental Flow Needs (EFN). This water ensures that fish habitat and aquatic ecosystems along Chapman Creek are maintained. The SCRD applied to the Provincial Government to reduce the amount of water that is required for EFN. A reduction in this EFN would allow for more water to be stored at Chapman Lake and Edwards Lake.

Infrastructure

During last year’s record-breaking drought, the Chapman Water Treatment plant was close to shutting down on several occasions. This was due to there not being enough water running through the plant to keep it operational. Thanks to the incredible work and creative thinking of SCRD staff, the plant continued functioning throughout the drought period. This year, staff will install pumps which will allow for the plant to function with less water passing through it. This reduces the potential need for any plant shutdown to take place.

Staff will also recalibrate all monitoring equipment that tracks water coming from sources, through the treatment plant and out to the community. This important data contributes to decision making for calling water conservation regulation stages.

 Siphons at Chapman Lake

 Siphons (pictured) at Chapman Lake are still in place and ensure that water can be accessed from the lake when the channel that brings water from the lake runs dry. These siphons are very effective and do not cause air or noise pollution at the lake. The siphons can be operated on an emergency basis during Stage 4 Water Conservation Regulations.

Siphons at Chapman Lake

High Users

Last month, the SCRD issued letters to 515 metered households that used the most water this past summer. In some cases, hundreds of thousands of litres of water per month. These households were informed of an immediate need to plan for summer and to reduce their use.

• Long-term projects

Water Meter Project

The project to install water meters in the Sechelt area is moving forward, with a contract for the installations due to be awarded in the coming weeks. In addition, the SCRD is awaiting further information on a six-million-dollar grant application for this project. Further information, including a timeline for installation of the water meters will be available after the contract has been awarded by the SCRD Board.

Raw Water Reservoir

 The SCRD is moving ahead with important analysis of a site for a potential water reservoir. This site, known as “Site B,” is located above the Sechelt Airport. Work underway through April includes geotechnical drilling to determine the potential for this area to be used as a reservoir.

Langdale Well Field

Testing of two production sized test wells at Langdale Well Field has been completed and results are being analyzed for both water quality and supply. Results from this well field have appeared favourable so far. Next steps will include a report for the SCRD Board, along with a design of the required pump house building at the site. Staff will then prepare water licence applications for the Provincial Government.

Work conducted at Langdale Well Field

• Additional

Water Summit

In early 2023, for the first time, a Water Summit Series was initiated to bring elected officials from local governments across the lower Sunshine Coast together. The first two meetings occurred in January and March and focused on building understanding and identifying collaborative values. The next meeting is scheduled for May to develop a vision that will lead to a broad plan of action. The plan will help advance the most impactful, efficient, and sustainable water projects.

Rainwater Harvesting Rebates

The SCRD offers rebates to residents who wish to install rainwater harvesting systems on their properties. Rebate are offered for larger capacity storage systems due to these systems being more effective than smaller rain barrels in supplying water during periods of drought.

Already this year, over $19,000 worth of rebates have been per-approved for residents. The SCRD has provided 183 rebates since the program began in 2018. Learn more at https://www.scrd.ca/rainwater.

Upcoming Meetings

On Thursday, April 6, at the Committee of the Whole meeting, SCRD infrastructure staff will provide a water supply update to the SCRD Board and to the community. This meeting will also include reports on water projects and water supply scenarios for this summer. Anyone can attend this meeting in the SCRD Boardroom at 1975 Field Road in Sechelt. Agendas and links to join virtually or watch the meeting online can be found at www.scrd.ca/agendas.

Due to an issue with the sprinkler system, the pools and hot tub at the Sechelt Aquatic Centre are closed at this time.

This morning, a sprinkler head broke at the facility, causing build up in the sprinkler system to flow out over the hot tub area. No one was using the hot tub at the time this occurred. A news release was issued about corrosion in the sprinkler system when it initially came to staff attention in late 2021.

Since the issue with corrosion was identified, a temporary heat detection system was installed at the facility. A budget for the replacement of the sprinkler system has been approved by the SCRD Board and staff are currently in the process of securing a contractor to complete this work. Staff will continue to monitor the sprinkler system at this time.

The two pools at the Sechelt Aquatic Centre may potentially reopen later today. The hot tub is anticipated to be out of use for the coming days. Residents are asked to stay tuned to the SCRD on Facebook and to www.scrd.ca for updates.

Updates on all of the above will be provided when available. The SCRD is very appreciative of the understanding of patrons who had to leave the pool area when the issue occurred.

The Sunshine Coast Regional District’s (SCRD) Pender Harbour Transfer Station will be re-opening the share shed on April 5.

The share shed is a space at the transfer station for users to leave an item that could be picked up and reused by another member of the community at no charge. The share shed will be open from Wednesday to Saturday 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

It’s important for residents to note that the share shed is not there to bypass paying for waste brought to the transfer station. The share shed is being reintroduced as a six-month pilot program where items can be dropped off at no cost. This will be reassessed and drop off charges may be applied in the future.

Pender Harbour and Egmont residents are encouraged to contribute good quality items that are no longer wanted but could still be used by others in the community. Staff at the site will be providing quality control of the items going into the share shed and will have the final say on whether items can be added.

The following items are permitted (must be clean and in good/working condition):

• Children’s toys
• Housewares
• Furniture (as space permits)
• Small appliances
• Large appliances (in neutral colours and as space permits)
• Sports equipment
• Tools

The following items are not permitted:

• baby/child safety items (including car seats)
• Clothing, fabric, textiles, bedding, curtains, towels
• Construction materials
• Household hazardous waste program (paint, cleaning products, or fuel)
• Mattresses
• Liquids of any kind
• Sofa beds
• Liquids of any kind

For more information, visit www.scrd.ca/transfer-station.

After three days of budget discussions, the Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) Board will consider 90 new projects and initiatives for 2023. These new projects, combined with carry forward projects from previous years mean that 260 projects and initiatives may move forward to be actioned in 2023 once the budget is adopted in March.

The SCRD’s budget process involves four public meetings.

1. Pre-budget meeting. At this meeting, SCRD staff provide information on new budget proposals for projects and initiatives for the coming year. The SCRD Board give feedback on these proposals, including areas where they would like further information to assist with decision making for the next round of budget meetings. The SCRD Board also contemplate projects that are yet to be completed from prior years (known as carry forward projects) so that they can factor workload on staff into their decision making. These meetings took place in December 2022.
2. Round one budget meetings. At this meeting new budget proposals which are now accompanied by further information including a business case summary for the proposed project / initiative are brought forward to the SCRD Board. The SCRD Board also receive presentations from community partners for service supported by the SCRD. During this meeting, budget proposals are either deferred to another year, denied or moved ahead to round two budget discussions. At this point, projected implications around taxation for the community are also presented to the Board. These meetings took place last week. You can watch the meetings here on the SCRD’s YouTube channel and download the full agenda package for the meetings here.
3. Round two budget meetings. Budget proposals that were not fully approved at round one are brought forward and a final decision is made as to whether or not they are to be incorporated into the financial plan for the upcoming year. Projected implications for taxation are again presented to the Board. The Round 2 meetings have been rescheduled from February 21-22 to March 2 to allow the Board more time to review Budget related impacts to taxation.
4. Adoption of financial plan. Following budget meetings, the financial plan – incorporating all projects and initiatives that have been moved through and discussed at the budget meetings is adopted by the SCRD Board. The budget adoption is due to take place on March 23.

The main drivers for taxation increases in this year’s budget are:

• Over $5.3 million dollars for the Regional Water Service which will include the replacement of the ultraviolet treatment system at Chapman Water Treatment Plant.
• Over $5 million dollars of investment in recreation facilities which will include a roof replacement for the Gibsons and Area Community Centre.
• Additional resourcing requests due to potentially 260+ projects moving forward into 2023.
• As with governments across the Province, the SCRD is also experiencing increased cost in operations and maintenance for all the services it provides.

Preliminary Property Tax Rates

After Round One Budget, the following are the preliminary average SCRD tax rates area per $100,000 of assessed value of homes.

The figures below are not final and only cover the SCRD portion of your tax bill. More detailed information on each of the taxation areas below will be available in the updated SCRD Financial Plan prior to Round Two Budget.

Calculating the preliminary SCRD portion of your tax bill

You can calculate the preliminary 2023 SCRD portion of your tax bill in three steps:

1. Take the assessed value of your home which can be found here at BC Assessment.
2. Divide the assessed value of your home by $100,000.
3. Multiply that figure by the 2023 preliminary amounts outlined above based off of your Electoral Area or Municipality.

For example: If your home is worth $800,000 and the preliminary 2023 SCRD tax rate is $200 then the SCRD portion of your tax bill would be 8 x $200 = $1600.

Information Sessions. In-person and Virtual

On Monday February 13, 2023, SCRD staff and directors will take part in information sessions for the budget. Times and dates for these sessions are below along with links to join the meetings.

At 12:00 noon on Monday, February 13, the community is welcome to join an information session in-person from the SCRD Boardroom at 1975 Field Road, Sechelt. If you would rather join this session virtually, you can do so by clicking here.

Later that evening, SCRD staff and directors will host another information session, this time virtually at 6 p.m. You can join this session by clicking here.

Stay up to date with the budget and ask questions at any time at letstalk.scrd.ca/budget.