February snow survey indicates average runoff.

Greater Vernon water utility is tracking the latest climate information to help predict water supply levels for the coming year.

Snowpack readings were taken Feb. 1 at three monitoring stations near the Duteau Creek water reservoirs. These readings show the snow water equivalent, or water content of the snow, at 98 per cent on average for this time of year. The utility also tracks snow depth and found levels to be at 88 per cent of average.

The utility is working with the B.C. River Forecast Centre to track regional climate and snow pack trends. Its February report states that increased precipitation in January led to an improvement by 10 per cent in levels.

The Okanagan-Kettle Basin, which includes Greater Vernon’s Kalamalka Lake water source, is at 81 per cent of normal snow water equivalent.

The South Thompson Basin, covering the Duteau Creek reservoirs, is currently at 92 per cent of normal.

While being close to average, the utility will continue to closely monitor these levels as snow pack plays an important role in supplying water to fill its reservoirs during spring melt.

The B.C. River Forecast Centre has “predicted that La Nina conditions are expected to continue for the next three months throughout most of B.C., resulting in cooler than normal and normal to wetter than normal conditions. However, La Nina is more likely to have a significant impact on the western, coastal portions of the province than the Interior.”

Greater Vernon’s water utility will continue to monitor climate trends and water supplies as the summer peak water use season approaches.

The Dry Gulch Development Property Owners have offered $2 m toward a new water system.

A new proposal has come to light that could finally help Dry Gulch get the new water system it needs, after residents offered to stump up $2 million to help.

A group calling themselves the Dry Gulch Development Property Owners has offered to put forward about $2 million of their own money to help the community solve its water woes with a standalone water treatment plant.

That money, in combination with a provincial grant for close to $1.8 million, could be enough to create a community water treatment plant (estimated cost, $3.7 million), providing Dry Gulch with Interior Health-approved water for the first time since 2004.

“A group of Dry Gulch parcel owners and property owners have come up with a proposal to put in $2 million of their own money to make up the shortfall for a standalone treatment plant,” said Area G Director Gerry Wilkie at a Regional District committee meeting on February 2nd. “Obviously there are quite a few things that are unclear at this point about the proposal.”

In order to gather more information about what residents have in mind, the RDEK board chose to postpone the decision on whether to hold a second water vote in Dry Gulch for six months.

But concerns were also raised at the meeting regarding the upcoming March 31st deadline set for use of the $1.8 million in provincial funding. Currently $1.5 million of that money sits in Regional District accounts, explained Lee-Ann Crane, Chief Administrative Officer.

“We have about $1.5 million in the bank,” she said. “I think the risk would be losing the [rest]. But I don’t know for sure … I think the risk is much less on the $1.5 million. We know they want something happening with that money, the cheque has been written and it’s off their books, so to speak.”

This latest proposal, which residents approached the Regional District with at the end of January, would offer an alternative to the current solution for Dry Gulch’s water problem being proposed by Kinbasket Development Corporation and PPP Canada.

Their solution, which was brought before the RDEK board in August 2011, would see a collaboration between the Regional District, Radium Resort, Kinbasket, PPP Canada and an as-of-yet unknown private contractor. Water would be brought from a reservoir on Shuswap Indian Band land, just outside Invermere, up along Highway 93/95 to Dry Gulch, in addition to sewage services being provided for Radium Resort.

“The whole concept of the $18 million Kinbasket/PPP Canada water and sewer project is, quite frankly, pie in the sky and in my mind completely unreasonable,” said RDEK director and Invermere mayor Gerry Taft at the board meeting on February 2nd.

“I really question how you can have a business plan at all approved for an $18 million project that covers, in the Dry Gulch area, about 46 properties … The whole thing is just completely out there.

“I’m interested to learn more about this offer from [Dry Gulch property owners] and what that looks like but I think this board should be very, very cautious to get involved in any kind of partnership in this PPP Canada $18 million project.”

The board has six months before deciding whether to allow Dry Gulch to vote again on the PPP Canada project — a vote which received only 26 per cent support when it was held the first time around in September 2011.

Regulations restricting well use are a concern for Spallumcheen council.

New provincial legislation not allowing two residences on one parcel of land to be serviced by one well without establishing a community water system is not sitting well with Spallumcheen council.

Especially after the township voted recently to allow secondary residences on certain sized parcels.

“It’s having an impact,” said Coun. Christine Fraser of the Drinking Water Protection Act and Drinking Water Protection regulation that Interior Health is enforcing.

“It could cost $30,000 for a resident to drill a second well to service a secondary residence,” said Fraser, who called for motion to send a letter to IHA and the minister of health stating the township’s concerns with the legislation.

Further, Fraser called for the letter to state how the rules will have a direct impact on the rural community.

“This requirement is not acceptable for rural communities,” said Fraser, whose motion was unanimously supported by council.

A similar letter will be sent by the township to the Southern Interior Local Government Association asking to support a resolution to allow one well to service two residences on one parcel without having to set up a community water system so as not to negatively impact the agricultural sector.

Kelowna wants the health authority to collect its own beach water samples.

A proposal to change the way water testing is done at public beaches in the Central and South Okanagan has at least one Kelowna city councillor concerned about the prospect of downloading.

Robert Hobson, who is also chairman of the Central Okanagan Regional District, told council Monday he wants to see Interior Health continue to collect and test water samples taken from local beaches.

“I think it’s important that (testing) be done,” said Hobson, adding it is a job that is clearly the responsibility of the health authority.

“I don’t feel that the IHA should be downloading something they have made clear in the past is provincial jurisdiction, onto local government.”

But Dan Ferguson, IHA’s assistant director of health protection, said the only change being asked for is that the municipality collect the water samples. The Interior Health Authority would continue to pay for the testing and will post the results on its website.

Ferguson Kelowna, as well Peachland, Summerland, Penticton, West Kelowna and Lake Country are being asked to collect the samples is that IHA does not have to money to pay for collection. He said the main reason for the change is to bring what happens herein line with the rest of the health authority area.

Everywhere other than the South and Central Okanagan, municipalities collect the water samples to be tested.

Hobson raised the issue at Monday’s council meeting, saying he hoped his fellow municipal colleagues would “pile on” and oppose the sample collection requirement.

Kelowna city manager Ron Mattiussi said discussions about the change have been ongoing since last summer and he felt that part of the concern stemmed from the what he called the “echo” of the way if the change was requested.

He said when the subject was raised in June 2011, Kelowna had already finalized its  budget and had not set any money aside for water sample collecting. He noted this year, the city has had to cut back on spending to come in with a budget that raises taxes just one-tenth of one per cent.

“It’s something they were doing and now don’t do,” said Mattiussi about the IHA’s change in position.

Ferguson said  of the six Okanagan communities that do not currently collect water samples for testing, four have agreed to start doing so—West Kelowna, Lake Country, Penticton and Summerland.

IH wants Kelowna to provide 130 water samples from 10 beaches between July 18 and Sept. 3 this year. It wants Peachland to collect 26 samples during the same period from two sites.

Neither Ferguson not Mattiussi could say how much the collection would cost.

If test results show such action is warranted, IH can ask municipalities to post signs on beaches advising the public of a health hazard because of water contamination, said Ferguson. It would them be up to users to decide if they wanted to go in the water. But he said that has only been done twice in the IH area in recent years.

“This is basically a public education program,” he said of the water testing.

Robert Barron, Nanaimo Daily News 

Nanaimo River water rights in dispute.

Nanaimo Mayor John Ruttan says that if an agreement is not reached soon that would allow work to move forward to increase the city’s water capacity, Nanaimo could face problems keeping up with the water requirements of a growing city.

However, Ruttan said a final water-sharing agreement between the city and the Harmac pulp mill, one that would exclude the Snuneymuxw First Nation, is not imminent despite the urgency of the situation.

The Snuneymuxw are preparing to launch a series of legal actions, targeting the province, the city and Harmac over a water-sharing agreement being negotiated that would see the city acquire much of Harmac’s water licences for the Nanaimo River.

Snuneymuxw Chief Doug White said the First Nation’s rights to fisheries and water under the Douglas Treaty, signed in 1854, extend to the whole Nanaimo River watershed and that the water licences issued to Harmac more than 50 years ago are in direct violation of the treaty.

White said discussions have been held during the past three years with Harmac and the city in efforts to develop a water-sharing agreement that would be fair to all, but no solutions have been found.

“Water is of paramount interest to everyone in the region and is the fundamental resource for all people,” White said.

“How water is used, allocated and accessed directly relates to our treaty relationship with the Crown and the jurisdiction of the Snuneymuxw that is confirmed in that treaty. Harmac’s water licences are in violation of our treaty and they have had huge impacts on the Snuneymuxw. We will stand for it no longer.”

Talks have been ongoing for years over joint use of Harmac’s water systems by the city, the Snuneymuxw and the mill to meet current and increased water demands in the future.

Harmac, which uses up to 7.5 million litres of water a day for its milling activities when in full operation with three production lines, has its own dam, piping and water reserves from Fourth Lake and water licences that far exceed the mill’s needs.

However, White said the Snuneymuxw have been excluded from much of the negotiations between the city and Harmac and the band is now moving forward with legal action to ensure their treaty rights will be respected.

“Here I am 50 years after Harmac’s water licences were granted on a 40-acre reserve trying to develop economic opportunities on the little piece of property left to us,” he said.

“This is not a small issue for us and we need to exercise our treaty rights to ensure that we can have economic opportunities and residential development to help us move forward.”

Ruttan said “it’s hard to speculate” what would happen if the Snuneymuxw moved forward with court action.

“Litigation is expensive and time-consuming and we’re certainly not interested in going that route,” he said.

“We’d much rather have these issues settled through negotiation rather than confrontation.”

WATER NUMBERS:

20 million The number of cubic metres of water the City of Nanaimo will demand by 2020.

$75 million Cost of a new dam to help meet the growing need.

7.5 million Number of litres of water a day Harmac uses for its milling activities when in full operation.

$10-million Amount the city offered in 2008 to secure Harmac’s water rights to the Nanaimo River.

$120,000 The amount the province receives each year from Harmac in exchange for the water licences.

40% The amount of water Harmac uses of the total it is allowed under its licences.

Growth puts pressure on Nanaimo to develop new water supplies.

Nanaimo continues to explore the need of providing an adequate supply of water for a growing population at the least cost to taxpayers.

The city’s existing water supply infrastructure can provide safe drinking water for 100,000 people. That population is expected to be reached by 2020.

Along with an option of building a $60-million dam in the Nanaimo River watershed, the city is also looking at working with Nanaimo Forest Products to purchase water through its Harmac mill water system.

Both options are being considered simultaneously, Ruttan said, and the city will proceed with whichever best meets the needs of the community.

He said there is no immediate timeline, but decisions will have to be made soon.

“Our engineers tell us in some 10 years time we’ll be in the crunch period. If the dam is the only option left, we need to start planning for that today,” he said.

The city stores its water in the South Fork and Jump Creek dams. Nanaimo’s water demand is estimated between 40-50 megalitres daily.

Nanaimo Forest Products operates the Fourth Lake Dam and through licences granted by the province decades ago, is entitled to about 330 megalitres of water per day, some of it from the Nanaimo River.

Levi Sampson, president of Nanaimo Forest Products, said considering the magnitude of the project, he’s glad the city is looking at all the options available to them.

Ruttan said one thing that needs to be done before a decision is made is find out what costs are involved.

“I have no idea what kind of compensation Nanaimo Forest Products is expecting,” he said. “All we’re trying to do is  look at all the options available to us. It could be the financial expectation is something the city is unable to commit to.”

The announcement raised the ire of the Snuneymuxw First Nation, which feels it is being left out of the decision-making process.

The band threatened legal action against the city, Nanaimo Forest Products and the province last week unless it is included in any water deal.

Chief Douglas White III and other members of the Snuneymuxw council attended Monday’s announcement to make sure the band’s voice was heard.

White said the water resource held by Harmac is a significant part of the territory of the Snuneymuxw people.

“For half a century it has been dispossessed of us. I think it of it as analogous to the handing over of southeastern Vancouver Island to the Dunsmuir family to build a railway in the late 19th century,” he said. “That’s the scale and scope of the dispossession and the impact on my people’s way of life.”

White said a letter he received from the city indicating the discussions with Harmac made it clear Snuneymuxw would not play a meaningful part.

“I will not allow the broken, old patterns of conduct from the 19th century and 20th century to be repeated today,” he said.

Ruttan did not agree with White’s take on the issue, but gave a  commitment that the City of Nanaimo would not sign any agreement related to water without having a consultation with Snuneymuxw in advance.

“We will not enter into an agreement without Snuneymuxw First Nation approval,” he said. “We will not enter into an agreement without an exhaustive examination by Snuneymuxw of what we’re trying to achieve.”

The mayor told White if the city could find a way to make the public conserve more water, an additional source might not be needed, but the city will explore whether the Harmac option is viable.

“It may be, for whatever reason, that it is not, and then we will have to sit down and find out a way to deal with the cost of building a dam,” Ruttan told White. “But you will not be left out. You have my word.”

White said he has heard for many months the city values it’s relationship with Snuneymuxw.

“What it really comes down to is meaningful agreements where everyone’s needs are met,” he said. “That’s where we’re going to find out how we translate good words into good and meaningful action.”

BY PHILIP ROUND, COMOX VALLEY ECHO

Development deal could mean loss of water license for Union Bay ID.

Standoffs over who should hold a water licence are delaying progress on the giant Kensington development at Union Bay.

Disagreement on the issue between Union Bay Improvement District and Comox Valley Regional District has now been reflected in Victoria, where two provincial ministries appear at odds over the future of the licence.

Now the Improvement District has enlisted the help of Comox Valley MLA Don McRae to try to bang heads together to sort out the matter once and for all.

And on behalf of the Regional District, rural Area A director Bruce Jolliffe has also written to McRae, urging him to seek clear direction on the way forward.

Kensington Island Properties (KIP) has agreed to pay for a new water treatment plant to serve existing Union Bay properties as well as new homes and businesses to be constructed as part of its huge residential, commercial and recreational project.

But under a ‘master development agreement’ between the Regional District and KIP signed almost two years ago, there must be a legal agreement that, at some stage, the water licence held by UBID will be transferred to the regional district.

Such a binding commitment has to be made before any building permits are issued to KIP by the regional district.

The thinking behind the provision is that the regional district will ultimately take ownership of the water treatment plant and become responsible for the costs of its ongoing maintenance. So it wants to be sure it has the rights to the water on a long-term basis.

Even if the licence were to be transferred, UBID would continue to be responsible for the distribution network to homes and businesses in the area, billing residents for water they use and retaining the income.

But the transfer would mean that UBID would no longer have ‘free access’ to the water in Langley Lake Reservoir and would instead have to buy it at bulk rates from the regional district.

That would, they argue, increase costs to landowners, even though UBID would no longer be responsible for the costs of storing and treating the water.

So UBID has dug in its heels and opposed the idea of transferring the licence and thinks the master development agreement should be changed to reflect its view.

Meanwhile, the regional district says until it receives a commitment from UBID to transfer the licence, building permits for KIP will remain on hold.

Ultimately, only the provincial government can resolve the issue, as it owns and allocates all water licences.

But that’s not as simple as it sounds.

There is disagreement between senior staff in two government departments on the issue, and according to UBID chair Carol Molstad, “conflicting information” is coming out of Victoria.

She said the Communities Ministry – which deals with local government – “is kind of insisting the licence must be transferred” as set out in the master development agreement, despite the fact that UBID was not a party to that agreement.

But the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resources – which directly controls water licensing – “has no intention of requiring that we transfer our licence,” unless all parties are agreed, which they are not.

Hope gets $450,000 for water system.

The east Kawkawa Lake water system will be receiving a significant upgrade this year, thanks to a $450,000 contribution from Canada’s Gas Tax Fund.

Chilliwack-Fraser Canyon MP Mark Strahl announced the federal funding for the project on Tuesday at district hall.

“This strategic infrastructure investment will improve the quality of drinking water in the District of Hope for years to come,” he said.

The aging water system, which is vulnerable to contamination, will undergo several upgrades. Water lines currently sitting at the bottom of drainage ditches will be buried, and a monitoring system will be installed to better gauge water use and identify potential leaks in the future.

Replacing open ditches with culverts for runoff and wastewater will also reduce the amount of harmful pollutants that empty directly into Kawkawa Lake.

“East Kawkawa Lake was formally under the FVRD, and it’s well behind infrastructure standards in other parts of Hope,” said town manager Earl Row.

“Today’s announcement is really important because it begins the creation of water infrastructure in an area with one of the neediest streets.”

Hope has been waiting four years to receive funding for this project, which is scheduled to complete by the end of 2012. The federal contribution is expected to cover all upgrade expenses.

“A project like this is not only a major investment in our growing community, but an investment in the quality of life for residents and the environment alike,” said Mayor Susan Johnston.

Local plan compared to Ontario system

By Stanley Tromp, Contributing writer, January 30, 2012

A new internal audit at Metro-Vancouver looks to raise the bar for water services.

An audit of Metro Vancouver’s new plan to boost drinking water quality found 17 “opportunities for improvement,” but the organization isn’t ready to talk about it yet.

The summary of a December 2011 “stage 1 audit” of the plan by the internal audit branch of Metro Vancouver was obtained by the Courier under the freedom of information law.

Although the new system is not required by provincial law, the auditors say the voluntary initiative is meant to prove the region¹s commitment to water safety.

The new system is based on Ontario’s water standards—the Drinking Water Quality Management System, or DWQMS—that were passed as a result of the 2000 Walkerton tragedy when the Ontario town’s water supply was contaminated by E. coli bacteria and seven people died. It is also similar to management systems from the International Standards Organization.

In Ontario, to obtain a licence to operate a water system, each municipality must have an operational plan that meets these standards, and the plan must also be audited.

The December audit compared Metro’s plan to the 21 elements required by the Ontario system. Metro’s plan conformed to 101 out of 133 (or 76 percent) of those standard’s elements. There were 17 “opportunities for improvement” advised, especially in the fields of risk assessment and records control. Smaller concerns were noted for the areas of the quality management system, and equipment calibration and maintenance. Metro officials say a preliminary review of those opportunities does not indicate any risk to the water quality.

Asked what if anything is being done by Metro to improve the DWQMS plan to raise the score higher than 76 per cent, Bill Morrell, Metro Vancouver’s media spokesperson, said the water audit is now “under detailed review by Metro Vancouver technical staff” and that answers will be given at some time in the next several weeks.

The GVRD website says: “To ensure drinking water meets provincial regulations and federal guidelines, Metro Vancouver has developed a Drinking Water Treatment Program that includes primary and secondary disinfection.” The new DWQMS system noted in the audit would help support this program’s goals.

A July 2011 internal audit on the security level of Metro’s computer systems found that “56 out of 83 (or 68%) expected controls are currently in place and are operating as intended.” Auditors noted 30 opportunities for improvement, and that management agreed with all the recommendations. The audit did not say how many if any of those recommendations have since been implemented, nor what kinds of databases (such as personal) that Metro handles.

The Metro Vancouver board chairperson, Port Coquitlam mayor Greg Moore, told the Courier he hadn’t seen either audit, but believes they are still in draft stages, and expects they would need to go to committees first before going to full Metro board. “We have the best tap water around and we’re constantly making improvements. To say any more would be speculative.”

Every day, more than one billion litres of water flows from taps in Metro Vancouver. The umbrella organization provides drinking water to its 24 member local entities at cost by acquiring and maintaining the water, treating it to ensure its quality, and delivering it to the members, who in turn convey it to their residences and businesses. Metro is planning to meet the water needs of 800,000 more people by 2025.

For a copy of the executive summary of the audit, see here.