Comox Valley Water Watch Coalition

Comox Valley Water Watch Coalition
Source to Tap - protecting it for future generations

Protecting our Water

CVWWC - presents the latest public education newspaper insert ,
PROTECTING OUR WATER
Follow this link for coal watch and click on the image
to read the latest news about threats
to your drinking water in the Comox Valley

C.V. Drinking Water Reference Guide- NEW EDITION now available

Comox Valley Water Watch Coalition is proud to present

the newly revised edition of the

Comox Valley Drinking Water Reference Guide
( CVDWRG)
now found at this link
please read abstract below

2011 CV Drinking Water Reference Guide- by Sonya Marie Jenssen - Abstract

Feb.2012

Understanding the source to tap routing of one’s drinking water is a complex task. This guide intends to simplify a multi-faceted process without losing the complexity involved in the protection, treatment, maintenance, and monitoring of drinking water supply systems.

The management of a drinking water system touches all government jurisdictions, the municipal, provincial, and federal each with some level of responsibility for water quality and quantity. An extensive legislative framework and subsequent practice is in place to ensure that Canadians receive safe drinking water; even so, concerns continue to arise over the governance and management of water quantity and quality. Specific areas of concerns include climate change impacts, the use of chlorine, water quality on First Nation’s reserves, emergency preparedness, and water conservation measures.

This guide is designed to move readers through the source to tap path that drinking water travels everyday to households. Examples will be taken from Comox Valley water suppliers to highlight the working nature of legislation pertaining to water sources, along with the treatment, maintenance, and monitoring of our drinking water.

Ultimately, this guide hopes to inspire and inform the reader about the complexities involved in providing safe, clean drinking water to your taps at home and work. The next time you drink a glass of water take a moment to reflect upon the matrix of ecological and human ingenuity necessary in ensuring that each and every glass of water does indeed sustain your life.

“Water is life’s mater and matrix, mother and medium. There is no life without water”.

~Albert Szent-Gyorgyi 1893-1986, Hungarian Biochemist, 1937 Nobel Prize for Medicine

Sonya Marie Jenssen, M.A.

Water Policy and Research Specialist


Your Water Your Future

PLEASE FORWARD TO YOUR LISTS The Vancouver Island Water Watch Coalition will be hosting a two-day public forum on Saturday, May 29, and Sunday, May 30, 2010. At 9 am on Saturday, May 29, 2010, there will be two bus tours leaving Bowen Park, one to the City of Nanaimo Water facilities and another into a watershed. Each tour will operate twice so all attendees will be able to go on both. It is estimated that the city tour will take two hours and the watershed tour will take three hours. Lunch will be provided following each tour. At 9 am on Sunday, May 30, 2010, at Beban Park the day will begin with some amazing speakers: Maude Barlow, Rafe Mair, Corky Evans, and Arthur Caldicott. The day will also include four workshops by four great teachers: Andrew Gage an environmental lawyer with West Coast Environmental law Legal Options for Source Protection; Ingmar Lee community activist The Industrial Logging of Nanaimo’s Drinking Watershed; Trevor Wicks Looking at the Source: A Well protected Drinking Water Supply; Robin Mathews Privatization: Local, National, and International Theft The intent is to allow everyone to attend all workshops by limiting the sessions to fixed times. A full lunch will be provided on this day as well. Registration will be necessary to allow the organizers to hire buses for the water supply tours, as well as to adequately prepare for the meals. Registration details will be posted on the Vancouver Island Water Watch Coalition website at the end of April. You can pre-register now by emailing islandwatershedprotection@gmail.com These events will be free for all attendees. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ http://blog.gonanaimo.com/your-water-your-future

Coal Mine Coming - Open house Wed Oct 28

Compliance Coal Corporation plans to have a new coal mine up and running in the Comox Valley within 18 months. They think the public is in favour of this mine,butComox Valley Water Watch Coalition has a lot of unanswered questions about this mine.
In brief, the mine would be an underground mine starting above Fanny Bay and reaching to Baynes sound , producing about 2 million tons a year of coal with 700,000 tons of waste.
We must know how much water the mine will use, where they will ge the water, what they will be doing with the polluted water from washing the coal, and what the mine's impact on water, wells and aquifers will be.
The mine is having their 1st public open house the Weds. October 28th at the Fanny Bay Hall from 4p.m.- 9p.m.
They will be asking what they need to cover in their environmental assessment. If you put your questionon the record, they will have to answer them.
Coal's responsibility for greenhouse gases and global warming are not part of the environmental asssessment , but that doesn't mean those questions should not be raised.
BC has a carbon tax on heating fuel for your house, but we sell lots of coal to add to global warming.
This has impacts for the whole of Vancouver Island not just Fanny Bay !
Please attend this open house and show the coompany you care !
4-9 p.m. Weds. Oct. 28
Fanny Bay Hall
For more information on this project go to
www.coalwatch.ca




Standing room only Fanny Bay Hall

Standing room only in Fanny Bay

Fanny Bay Hall jammed with residents anxious to discuss proposed coal mine operation Marcel Tetrault Comox Valley Echo Tuesday, December 01, 2009 So many people are interested in the coalmine proposed for Fanny Bay that residents had to be turned away from a meeting last week due to fire regulations. The Comox Valley Coal Watch Coalition coalesced at that meeting, as close to 200 people packed the Fanny Bay Community Hall to learn about the project and ask questions about its impact. "We were extraordinarily pleased with the turnout," said Delores Broten, a member of the coal watch coalition's media committee. "That turnout shows the level of concern there is in the community. To turn people away is an organizer's dream." The Compliance Energy coal mine proposed for Fanny Bay, currently in the environmental assessment process, would extract about two million tonnes of coal per year for the next 20 years. The purpose of the coalition, said media committee member Delores Broten, is to figure out which questions should be asked during the environmental assessment process, advocate for clear and timely responses to those questions and to inform the public of the answers. "We don't know enough," said Broten. "You have to ask the questions in exactly the right way, and it is unfortunately up to us to ask them. It is totally terrifying, because we're just citizens. We're not the right people to be doing this, but there isn't anyone else. "You've got to put it on the agenda, that's the issue. And it's up to us to put it on the agenda, because we don't know if anyone else would put it on." Those who attended the Thursday evening meeting raised a host of concerns and questions. They ranged from the impact of coal extraction on surface water and underground aquifers to its impact on property values and the tourism and shellfish industries. They also asked about coal dust being blown from waste piles and stockpiles as well as from the 70 to 100 trucks that would be required to transport the coal to port every day. Compliance had considered using trains for transport to port, but a letter from company CEO John Tapics to the environmental assessment office rules that option out. Coal would instead by transported by truck via the Inland Island Highway to transport ships at either Port Alberni, Middle Point in Campbell River or Duke Point in Nanaimo. Another concern was the sulphur content of the coal. Broten said that, due to pollution laws, coal cannot be sold that is more than 1.5 per cent sulphur. Sulphur is a cause of acid rain. Bill Hamilton, now 84 years old, was employed decades ago at the former Tsable River mine site in Union Bay that worked the same coalfield Compliance is considering. Hamilton said he was told in 1958 that the mine was closing because the coal couldn't be sold due to its high sulphur content. "There's lots of coal," said Hamilton. "They had six-foot seams in that mine. "We had ships from China and Japan coming in here taking the coal, you know, 10,000 tonnes. It looked good and then all of a sudden they found out there was too much sulphur for the smelters." In fact, Hamilton said the coal from the Fanny Bay mine was so high in ash that it was used as a component in cement and, at one time, a coal briquette plant was set up at the minesite. "They tried everything," said Hamilton. "The people here tried burning them in their woodstoves and the soot was just unbelievable. "They experimented and did all sorts of things. It's too bad, but it was one of those things." Compliance Joint Venture's Raven coal project website can be found at www.theravenproject.ca, while the Comox Valley Coal Watch Coalition's website can be found at www.coalwatch.ca. Let’s talk coal mining” at the Fanny Bay Community Hall, 7793 Island Highway, on Tuesday November 24th at 7:15 PM The Comox Valley Water Watch Coalition has been asked by Compliance Coal, proponents of a major new coal mine for the Comox Valley, to participate in its Community Advisory Group. The request included a list of the company's conditions of participation. CVWWC has replied with its own conditions before the drinking water watchdog will attend more meetings held by the coal mine wannabe. The Coalition is insisting that it must be free to speak to the communities, government or the media without asking permission from the mine’s Community Advisory Group. The Coalition also insists that their attendance at meetings to get information should not be interpreted as working towards approval of the mine. “We must be able to report to the public on what we find out about coal mines,” says the Coalition. “Our unanswered questions about water are pretty simple,” said Delores Broten, speaking for the steering committee of the Coalition. “Where is the water to wash the coal coming from? How much water is used in the process per tonne of coal? and ,What is going to be done with the polluted water?” Since there is no groundwater legislation in BC, the Comox Valley Water Watch Coalition wants to know what Compliance is going to do to protect the drinking water of Ships Point and Fanny Bay. The first stage of this mine, the Raven stage, is going to extend for 7660 acres (3100 hectares) underground. What does that mean for all the water? The public can read all the information the CVWWC gathers, as well as the letters-to-the-editor which are not published in the papers, at www.coalwatch.ca . Comox Valley Water Watch Coalition is sponsoring a public community meeting for information and discussion, “Let’s talk coal mining” at the Fanny Bay Community Hall, 7793 Island Highway, on Tuesday November 24th at 7:15 PM. For More Information: www.coalwatch.ca Or phone: 250-335-0747 or Delores Broten, 250-339-6117

CVRD Water Open House June 11, 2009


C.V. Water Watch is asking you to attend:
The Comox Valley Regional District's WATER FORUM
Thursday, June 11th from 3:30 to 7 p.m. Florence Filberg Center

In attendance
– City of Courtenay, City of Comox, CVRD, B.C. Hydro, Ministry of Environment, VIHA, DFO, Timberwest, Comox Valley Water Watch, Courtenay Fish & Game Club, School District 71 students.
Find out about:

Water sources
Infrastructure
Water Efficiency
Water Consumption
Regional Water Strategy
Water Wise Program
Water Finances
Quality and treatment of water
Drinking Water Protection

Come out and get involved. Your Drinking Water needs your interest and participation.

Ask questions about
Can your drinking water sources meet the needs of future growth?
What is the 4-3-2-1?
Does your Water source meet the new 4-3-2-1 regulations set out by VIHA?
Are smaller communities going to have to meet the new 4-3-2-1 now, then tie into a regional water system and pay again later?
When do our rural communities tie into a Regional Water source?
What is the Regional Water source? Is it protected?
Are any of our drinking watersheds protected?
Are the Timber companies planning to subdivide land around Comox Lake ?, the drinking water suply for 38,000 people.
Is there really a private power operation application on the Cruickshank River, the largest tributary to Comox Lake? How will this affect the water supply? Are there going to be special regulations for IPP’s (Independent Power Projects) on watercourses which feed drinking water supplies?
What is a deep water intake? Why are we waiting to install one till 2019?
What type of pipes deliver water to your home? Are they asbestos?
Is there money being allocated for replacing these old and hazardous pipes all over the Region?
Are Water meters the answer? When will they be installed? How much will this cost?
If you are on a limited income, how will you be able to afford all of the new infrastructure costs coming your way? Who will pay these high prices for infrastructure needs?
Do you approve when local governments grant permission for a development, then indemnify themselves in the event the community runs out of Water?
Do you think proven water supplies need to be in place before developments are permitted?
What kinds of bylaws are in place to support water conservation? What more do we need to do to support local governments to enact bylaws to better conserve water?
Who do you call, when you see exsessive sprinkling by one of the municipalities on public land ?
Why can’t I re-use my grey water, or can I?
Can I treat my rain water system and use it for drinking water?
What are the water needs of our growing agricultural community to be able to produce our food supply?
We hope that you have read this list of questions and it has prompted you to ask even more. Ask how you can participate in the Regional Water plan. How can you REALLY get the citizens voice out there and heard when it comes to your Drinking Water ?

Hope to see you there. We will be bringing our 3D-watershed map!

Comox Valley Water Watch Steering Committee
Delores Broten
Kathleen Kinasewich
Linda Safford
Dawn Christen

Ground Water Wells -Aquifers

C.V. Water Watch - speaker Series

Manager of Nanaimo Regional Water Services to Speak on Cooperative Approach to Drinking Water and Watershed Protection.

On Thursday, April 2, Mike Donnelly, Manager of Water Services for the Regional Water District of Nanaimo, will speak on a new program in his district called Action for Water that is providing improved management and increased security of ground and surface water resources. The talk will be given at the Florence Filberg Seniors Lounge beginning at 7 pm. Hosted by the Comox Valley Water Watch Coalition, the event is open to the public and admission is by donation.

The Action for Water program was created over the last year to help address issues associated with impacts on the region’s water resources and to improve our approach to land use that would then assist in reducing further degradation," he says. "This was done with the help and guidance of a committee representing a variety of region-wide interests including Electoral Areas residents BC Ministry of Environment, the Vancouver Island Health Authority, the Islands Trust, local well drillers, forestry interests and conservation groups

"Population growth in the (Nanaimo) region along with existing land uses continues to put pressure on ground and surface water sources which impacts our watersheds and drinking water. These impacts have already led to negative changes in many watersheds and reduced and or contaminated ground water sources in a number of areas throughout the region," notes Donnelly

According to Kathleen Kinasewich, who heads the Comox Valley Water Watch Coalition, "It’s important to hear success stories from other regional districts, especially here on the Island. I think folks here will be greatly encouraged to learn more about Nanaimo’s program, and how residents, government and other interested parties came together to take action on water protection."

Donnelly currently oversees the operation of seven water systems and six sanitary sewer collection systems in his district ranging from small to medium sized operations with a total service population of approximately 15,000 people. In addition to the service provision aspect of Donnelly’s work, he is now responsible for the implementation of the Regional District’s newly established Drinking Water Protection service.

In addition to his 15 years of involvement in the management of public water systems, Donnelly has also managed the Region’s Liquid Waste and Solid Waste functions and was manager of Regional Transit for a number of years. He holds a Technical Diploma from the British Columbia Institute of Technology.

For more information on CVWWC and the presentation, contact:

waterwatchcoalition@gmail.com

or call 250-335-0747. Kathleen Kinasewich


Drinking Water Protection Plan



Drinking Water Protection Plan Needed

Novemeber 18, 2008

The Water Watch Coalition is asking you to support the development of a Drinking Water Protection Plan. If you value safe drinking water in the Comox Valley your letters of support are needed right now!
The Provincial Health officer has recommended the development of a Drinking Water Protection Plan (DWPP) for the Comox Valley Regional Water Supply. Under BC's Drinking Water Protection Act the plan would become an "Order" once it was approved by Mary Polak, Minster of Healthy Living and Sport (HL&S). A Drinking Water Protection Plan is simply an order from the Ministry of HL&S for our area to start working together on a plan to better protect our drinking water supply. This DWPP would enable our region to start working together in a transparent and inclusive planning process and would allow all stakeholders and consumers of drinking water in the Comox Valley to contribute to the plan. –i.e. we will make the plan.
A key advantage to an order for this plan is that once the plan is completed it would go to cabinet and what cabinet approves will become regulation and will then be implemented. Please note that this order would not dictate the contents of the plan, but simply ensure that the plan be completed by the community. Comox Valley Water Watch Coalition is asking citizens to write Minister Polak to say you support the development of a Drinking Water Protection Plan for the Comox Valley Regional Water Supply. Tell her the safety and security of our water supply is extremely important and that the Drinking Water Protection Plan will help achieve those objectives.
This is an urgent request to act right NOW. One paragraph saying you support the DWPP is all that is needed. Even if your house is not served by the Regional Water Supply you are affected when you drink water in town, at a friend’s, or at a public event.
Hard copy letters are much more effective but you can also contact the Minister by phone, fax or email.
Send your letter to:
Minister Mary Polak
PO Box 9067
STN PROV GOVT
Victoria BCV8W 9E9
Phone: 250 387-3504
Fax: 250 387-3420
E-mail the Minister at:HLS.Minister@gov.bc.ca

In addition to writing the Minister please send a copy of your letter to Water Watch Coalition at: waterwatchcoalition@gmail.com

Campbell River's tap water places fourth

For the second time in as many years, a B.C. municipality won a U.S. award for having the second tastiest tap water among entries from Canada and the U.S. The tap waters of three B.C. towns were among the top five winners. Clearbrook took a silver medal, followed by Elkford, which took bronze, and Campbell River, placing fourth. The awards came after weekend tastings at the annual Berkeley Springs International Water Tasting, which judged more than 100 waters from 23 U.S. states and 11 countries in various categories. "Obviously they've got a good well," Abbotsford mayor George Ferguson said Tuesday of the tap water of Clearbrook, which amalgamated with Abbotsford more than a decade ago. Dean McKerracher, mayor of Elkford, said he was pleased that his town's tap water -- drawn from a well -- took third place. "I'm very pleased and glad staff took the initiative to send it in," he said Tuesday. He said the nearby town of Sparwood won third place last year in the best tap water category, so Elkford decided to challenge the neighbouring town's claim on having the best-tasting tap water in the Elk Valley, located in the southeast corner of B.C. in the East Kootenay area of the Rocky Mountains. The winner of the tastiest tap water, for the third time in four years, was the town of Montpelier, Ohio. The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, a former gold medal winner, ranked fifth among 29 tap waters entered from 13 U.S. states and three Canadian provinces. The tasting competition takes place each year at the Winter Festival of the Waters in Berkeley Springs, West Virginia, which bills itself as home of the first warm-water spa in the U.S., discovered by former U.S. president George Washington. "Congratulations to all the good water out there in B.C.," water-tasting event producer Jill Klein Rone said Tuesday. "You have good water." She said the tastings were conducted by 14 judges, including journalists from the Washington Post and Baltimore Sun newspapers. Winners were chosen using a maximum 44-point rating in six categories: appearance (up to five points), odour (five points), flavour (up to 10 points), mouth feel (five points), after-taste (five points) and overall impression (up to 14 points). "It's like a wine testing," Rone explained of judging. "Some waters are coming from a pristine source. But others, like the water district of southern California, aren't pristine, so they're cleaning it up and delivering a good product." Contact: nhall@png.canwest.com

Thursday, November 15, 2007

Next meeting January 7th, 7 - 9pm @ Best Western Hotel in the Comox Room

Watershed Protection and Climate Change

On Monday, January 7th, from 7 – 9 P.M., the Comox Valley Water Watch Coalition (CVWWC) will hold its next public education meeting. Featured guest will be Trevor Wicks of Parksville.
The meeting will be held at Best Western Westerly Hotel in the Comox Room in Courtenay.

Wicks has lived and worked in the Parksville / Qualicum Beach area for 27 years. He is actively involved in land and water management, land use planning and participates in many committees and organizations. His passion is the advancement of knowledge and information relating to sustainable water resources and watershed management.

He will address watershed issues based on his work with the Arrowsmith Watershed, which supplies drinking water to almost 50,000 people on the East Coast of Vancouver Island. Surface and groundwater distributed from mostly unprotected sources can prove a challenge for water purveyors and many thousands of private property owners. Watershed protection, storm-water management, retention, rainwater harvesting, water quantity and quality issues will be addressed with a power point presentation. Climate change, the regional influences on climate and changes to natural ecosystems and hydrology will also be discussed.

Tuesday, October 30, 2007

Next upcoming meeting November 5th, 7-9pm @ Best Western Westerly Hotel in the Courtenay Room.

Legislation, Regulation, and Logging Practices –Does BC Have the Will to Protect Its Drinking Water?

On Monday, November 5th, from 7 – 9 pm, the Comox Valley Water Watch Coalition (CVWWC) will hold its next public education meeting. Featured guest will be Ted Mitravitz of Sechelt, one of the demonstrators, to share his story and lessons learned. The meeting will be held at Best Western Westerly Hotel in the Courtenay Room in Courtenay.

On July 11, five Sunshine Coast residents -- cheered on by supporters -- erected a barricade in front of a large road-building machine, effectively blockading further construction of a logging road and thereby temporarily preventing any logging of old growth forest in the Chapman Creek Watershed. Why was such action needed, and what events transpired since then to empower BC citizens and our elected leaders to provide protection of our drinking water sources?

Mitravitz, age 71, retired in 2002 and moved to Sechelt. He had worked for Vancouver Plywood Division of MacBlo for 27 years until the plant closed in March 1985. He retrained, working another 16 years in the maintenance department of the Vancouver Public Library. As a member of the International Workers Union during his first career, and then involved with the Canadian Union of Public Employees, he has a combined 43 years of union activism. He is now active with the Council of Senior Citizens' Organizations of BC (COSCO) -- the Sunshine Coast Branch. This group works together to help improve seniors' conditions and to raise awareness of issues of concern relating to seniors but ultimately the general public as well. Mitravitz is also a member of the Council of Canadians, the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, and the Sunshine Coast Conservation Society

The Chapman Creek Watershed has been a focal point of controversy regarding drinking water protection for years, pitting citizens against the logging company, with violations recorded, and legislators and health officials involved. Yet direct action was required last summer, and the battle is not over. What can Comox Valley citizens and political leaders learn about our province's will to put public health above private profit? Come to this informative session to learn more!

FMI information, contact CVWWC Coordinator Kathleen Kinasewich at 335-0747. Email:waterwatchcoalition@gmail.com

Thursday, June 28, 2007

Report available.....

Hey folks! Finally the report is online! Please go: www.vancouverislandwaterwatchcoalition.ca and click on 'Comox Valley' on the map. From there you can download all four parts of the Comox Valley's Drinking Water Reference Guide.

Thursday, June 21, 2007

Executive Summary of the Comox Valley's Drinking Water Reference Guide June 2007

The ‘source to tap’ path traveled by Comox Valley’s drinking water falls under the jurisdictions of all levels of government in Canada: municipal, provincial and federal. In general, municipal governments are responsible for zoning and development in watersheds and floodplains. Provincial governments are responsible for proprietary rights to water resources, authorization and use of water, and implementation and enforcement of health regulations of drinking water. The federal government is responsible for First Nation’s community water supply systems, water acts in the territories, navigation and fisheries on freshwater and oceans, transboundary water agreement inter-provincially and internationally, and habitat protection in national parks. Despite an extensive institutional framework equipped with government regulations and experts with the responsibility of protecting and maintaining water resources and water quality in Canada, concerns have arisen nationally, and locally, over the many challenges to fulfilling these responsibilities. These challenges include the lack of accountability by government ministries, continuity of legislation and ministries, and adequate enforcement of regulations. A recent example of a violation to Section 18 of the Private Managed Forest Land Act 2004 in the Comox Lake watershed, which supplies drinking water for 38,000 residents in addition to outside residents and tourists who access services in Courtenay and Comox, highlights the need for the enforcement of existing legislation and community engagement in the protection of water resources.
The purpose of this report has been to synthesize and outline legislation in hopes of stimulating further public discussion and community action to ensure that adequate water resources are protected for present and future generations. Constrained by a limited budget affording only one staff member, supported by many volunteers, and a three-month timeline, this report contributes much needed information to the growing awareness needed to protect and maintain our water resources. A wide-spectrum of water knowledge was "tapped" into from the public such as water operators, non-governmental organizations, academic researchers, and government employees. Findings reveal that suggestions for a range of improvements to water-management in the province include: the implementation of legislation to protect drinking water resources, establishment of regional water boards, enactment of water-centric zoning bylaws, legislation of mandatory watershed planning, and improvement of water treatment.
An overall finding of this report is that the general public, non-governmental organizations, elected trustees, business and tourism operations are all involved in the processes of improving water-management alongside the government water-management professionals.
While the intended audience of this report is the community of Comox Valley, hopefully audiences across British Columbia and Canada will find it a useful reference guide or as a point of comparison to their own communities’ water challenges.

Sonya Jenssen, M.A.
Watershed Policy Analyst

Wednesday, May 30, 2007

Will Koop B.C Tap Water Alliance – Summary

CVWWC wishes to thank all those that attended our last meeting / speaking event on May 14, 2007.With over 35 people in attendance. Our presenter Will Koop of B.C. Tap Water Alliance gave us an interesting and educational perspective on the history of Legislation in our drinking watersheds. “Will” gave a detailed outline at how historically our legislation has followed that of the United States in Watershed protection legislation. How we once had better control locally, provincially and federally on our drinking watersheds and how we have lost that protection to interests of corporate profit. The decimation of the tree canopy surrounding our watersheds is going on all over our Province. Mr. Koops presentation also included photos and documentation of his latest visit to the Comox Lake. While touring the entire watershed, Will was shocked by the current logging practices now taking place in the Comox Valleys largest drinking watershed. A Letter of complaint to the Private Managed Forests Land Council concerning a violation of the Private Forest Land Act by Timberwest in the Comox Lake drinking watershed, Beech Creek has been released . Copies of the letter forwarded to the Comox Strathcona Regional District, the Comox Valley Water Watch Coalition, the Save Our Valley Alliance, the NDP opposition critics of Forests and Environment, and the David Suzuki Foundation. This information has been fully displayed on the website for the B.C tap Water Alliance. Be sure to take the time to review the letters sent and the information Will has published this information on behalf of the residents of the Comox Valley . www.alternatives.com/bctwa please follow the links for Vancouver Island
Apologies- Please note two edits in Will Koops letter- the population supplied by Comox Lake is approx. 38,000.Anybody who uses Water or shops in Courtenay or Comox is a water user of Comox Lake. Also note the spelling of Courtenay. These items have been edited in final copy. Thank you Will.

Friday, April 13, 2007

Summary of Risk Assessment to Comox Lake meeting

Monday, March 26th, 2007 @ Florence Filberg

Author’s Disclosure: This is a summary of the presentation of the risk assessment study of Comox Lake. It is not intended as a complete summary of the study or the meeting itself. It is intended to be an overview of some key components and key risks to the Comox Valley Water System. To access the completed reports, please refer to the Technical Memorandum’s found at http://www.comoxstrathcona.bc.ca/
1.0. Presentation of risk assessment study
The Regional District of Comox Strathcona presented to a roomful of over 200 hundred people the findings of a report produced by engineering firm CH2M Hill that had investigated risks to the Comox Lake drinking watershed. 38,000 residents rely on Comox Lake as their water source.
The primary goal of the Comox Lake watershed risk assessment was to identify the major risks to the Comox Lake water source so that a future program to mitigate these risks could be developed with the major stakeholders in the area. The watershed assessment followed the sections of the Province of British Columbia’s proposed Comprehensive Drinking Water Source to Tap Assessment Guideline that includes the characterization of the water source, an inventory of the potential contaminant sources, a description of the water supply system, and the characterization of the risks posed to the water source.
The methodology used in the study incorporated the following:
Likelihood that the event will occur;
Consequences of the event if the event occurs; and
Vulnerability of the watershed to the event.
Risk to the watershed was measured by two variables of the time it would take to enter the intake pipe and the proximity to the intake pipe, which has been categorized as the time-to-impact barrier. The closer the risk event occurs in time and distance to the intake pipe the less time the regional district has to respond.
Very High Risks include:
Vehicular traffic over the bridge close to the Comox Lake outlet
Transportation on roads adjacent to Puntledge River
Boating on Puntledge River upstream of penstock
Intentional harm to the water source
High risks include:
Logging within 300 metres of the Puntledge River between Comox Lake outlet and penstock intake
Transport on roads 1km of the Puntledge River upstream of the penstock
Wildlife contamination between outlet and penstock (Eastern portion of lake)
Potential aircraft crash in Comox Lake or near Puntledge River
Lakeshore cabins and camping in undesignated areas (Eastern portion of lake)
Boating and fishing (Eastern portion of lake)
Flooding
The Regional District will be working to address the very high and high risk categories first and as funding permits will move down the list. For a complete guide to all of the identified the risks refer to Technical Memorandum #4 at http://www.comoxstrathcona.bc.ca/
1.1. Role of the Regional District and our water supply
The role of the Regional District is to provide a reliable source of safe, high-quality
drinking water to homes and businesses within some of its member municipalities and
electoral areas. This includes acquiring and maintaining the water supply, treating it to
ensure quality, and delivering it-all at a reasonable cost. Areas serviced include:
Comox Valley Water System: water originates in Comox Lake and is taken from the Puntledge River (delivers water to over 38,000 people);
Black Creek Water System: water originates in the groundwater wells and from the Oyster River (delivers water to 2,600 people & in the summertime up to 6,000)
Oyster Bay - Buttle Lake (Area 'D') Water System: water originates in John Hart Lake (delivers water to 2,700 people)
Denman Island Water System: water is drawn from wells (delivers water to 30 people)
According to Graeme Faris, General Manager of Operational Services with the Regional District, the district has no regulatory authority over water access and use; BC Hydro holds the majority of the water use licenses. The Comox Valley Water System (originating in Comox Lake) serves the largest number of users in the region. This particular watershed is 56,591 hectares and includes Comox Lake, Puntledge River, and Brown’s River. It receives 1,500 – 2,000 millimetres of rain annually. The intake system has three significant points:
Comox Dam, located at the outlet of the 461-km² Comox Lake Watershed into Puntledge River
Puntledge Diversion Dam, the inlet of the penstock is located 3.7 km downstream of the Comox Dam, with an additional 14 km² watershed (total of 475 km²). This is the last open surface water point in the system where the gravity intake from the penstock is used
Puntledge River Pump Station, located 6.6 km downstream of the Puntledge Diversion Dam, at the BC Hydro Power Generating Station, with an additional 115 km² of contributing area that includes the Browns River Watershed (total of 590 km²). Water for the Comox Valley Water Supply System is taken from this location only for a few weeks during the year.
The Regional District takes water for this system out of the Puntledge River downstream of Comox Lake, through a water license agreement with BC Hydro and the government of BC. Water taken from Comox Lake totals a flow rate of 35m³/second (equivalent to filling our aquatic centre pool twice in one minute). This volume is primarily shared amongst three groups: BC Hydro uses 28m³/second; Department of Fisheries and Oceans uses 5.7m³/second; and for drinking water purposes the Regional District uses 0.3m³/second.
Currently, the volume of water used from the Comox Lake watershed is 17,000 m³ in the wintertime, tripling to 55,000 m³ in the summertime. The Comox Valley holds the title of largest water consumer in the province at over 600 litres per capita per day with the national average at 390 litres per capita per day.
The only method of water treatment for the Comox Valley Water System is chlorination.
1.2. Role of Health Authority
While the Regional District is the water purveyor it is the Vancouver Island Health Authority with jurisdiction over water quality under the Drinking Water Protection Act of 2003. According to this act, the health authority officer has the ultimate legal powers to stop actions on or near watersheds should they be deemed as an immediate threat to the safety of our drinking waters.
Responsibilities of Drinking Water Officers include:
The Drinking Water Program is administered locally by Drinking Water Officers, Public Health Engineers and Medical Health Officers, who are responsible for direct service delivery in BC's Health Authorities.
Drinking Water Officers provide surveillance and monitoring of drinking water systems which may affect the public's health. They also administer and enforce the Drinking Water Protection Act, the Drinking Water Protection Regulation and the Health Act and provide interventions to minimize health and safety hazards.
Drinking Water Officers and Public Health Engineers are also the people who should be contacted prior to the creation or alteration of drinking water systems. Drinking water systems require construction permits and operating permits to ensure that water systems are created and maintained to ensure the safety of the drinking water supplied to customers.
1.3. Comox Lake user groups
Comox Lake supplies water to 38,000 residential customers and has sixteen user groups that include some of the following: TimberWest Forest Corporation, Hancock Timber Resource Group, Comox Lake Land Corporation, Comox Timber, Courtenay and District Fish and Game Protective Association, BC Hydro, Crown land, and private land owners. TimberWest Forest Corporation is the largest land shareholder around the lake. All user groups are being asked to draft strategies for mitigating risk to the watershed to submit to the regional district. The regional district will be asking for a commitment but will have no enforcement powers to hold the user groups accountable to their proposed strategies.
1.4. Future goals
This was the second meeting in a three-part series. The next step will be to develop strategies to meet existing demand, to identify growth and water availability for the future development of the area, to look at ways to protect the water source, and to promote water conservation, in part through public awareness raising.
1.5. References
Ministry of Health, http://www.healthservices.gov.bc.ca/protect/dw_index.html
Public Information session, March 26, 2007, Florence Filberg Centre, Courtenay BC, speakers: Graeme Faris and Russ Hostenpiller
Regional District of Comox Strathcona, http://www.comoxstrathcona.bc.ca/