There are a number of projects and services that island residents would like to see moving ahead. But the municipal coffers contain limited funds and the pros and cons of each project, as well as how many people it affects, have to be weighed, says Brent Mahood, CAO of the Bowen Island Municipality. But one project, the increase of water storage in Grafton Lake, has green light.
"We had a report about the Cove Bay Water System done a number of years ago. It indicated that during a drought period, there would not be enough water to service everything," Mahood said in an interview. "It is not an emergency type situation but it's a position where the storage in the lake needs to be improved to service the existing users to have a totally reliable water supply, no matter what the conditions are. I think it's a one in ten years drought situation."
Having more water would not only be good news for existing users, it would also open the doors to potential development. Mahood said, "It was identified that we need to improve the storage for the Cove Bay Water System to the existing storage licence that we have on Grafton Lake. That would increase the quantity of water that we're able to store year-round in a way that would allow us to service a higher number of users. This will allow enough water to be able to match the potential development of this area, Belterra for example. In Belterra's application, they put their proposed rezoning at around 30 units on their property. This number is not equivalent to single family dwellings but [with the increased capacity] it would be no problem servicing them or other potential development in the area."
Mahood noted that the water storage in the lake isn't infinite but the proposed measures would go a long way to improving water quantity and the municipality has initiated a study on the various options. Mahood said, "The study is done by a consultant to confirm all the policies. We need to look at who benefits from the work, who the potential users are and what are the prices for the systems. We are going to have them research the pros and cons of the different funding options. When a developer comes along, we would know how to evaluate [the project] and what kind of charges they have to pay to develop in the area."
This kind of background work is essential, Mahood says, especially since it also relates to the surplus lands. At this stage, the municipality is looking at several options. One is to fund the infrastructure for the surplus lands and they likely would borrow money to do so. Or a developer would be encouraged to chip in to build the sewer and develop the water. Mahood said, "Whatever the right mix of funding, whatever the right way to finance those projects, that's really an important thing to find out."
Whatever the consultant may find, the plans to increase Grafton Lake's water storage are solid. Mahood said, "There are some lands that the dam sits on now, we need make sure a properly registered easement is in place. So there is some easement work to be done both on the area where the dam would be rebuilt and where the cove bay water piping runs through some private property. We are working on those easements and we anticipate that this will be done within a quarter to half a year. Meanwhile we are designing the dam and reviewing what is required to either upgrade the existing dam or build a new one. One or the other, of course we will choose the more cost effective method. There is a lot of leaning toward building a new one. It looks like it would almost be easier because it could be done in a fisheries window next year."
But changes to the water system might lead to further requirements. Mahood said, "Let's say we raise the storage of the lake to its existing licence, and then for example Belterra comes online. Then Vancouver Coastal Health, who is the health authority in this region, may require improvements or changes to the water system in a way that may lead to the need for a new treatment plant. The general policy is that changes to the water system generate a review of the water treatment that may require a more modern version or an upgraded version."
That doesn't mean that there is anything wrong with the cove bay water. Mahood said, "There has been the question of the quality of the cove bay water at different times. But the water is meeting all the requirements. [An upgrade to the system] would be about a different style of treatment, one that is more matching larger systems. There is a bit of a grandfather clause that applies to water systems in general: if they don't change, they can continue with whatever water treatment they are using. Take a 1970s style water treatment for example. If they stay the same, they stay the same. But if there are significant changes made to the water system, they're required to look to a more up-to-date version of treatment."
Mahood summed it up, "Those are the two water things, there's the water system that's in place, so we are improving the quantity of the water. And that could lead to changes in water treatment. And then, eventually, if we are trying to expand, that could lead to some subsequent water main construction. But right now, this is just about servicing the existing system. There may be some renewals or upgrades in the pipe system but we're not focused on that at this point. The cove bay water system focus at this stage is the dam construction and the possible water treatment plant construction. This is what the consultant is looking at in terms of looking at the best appropriate financial tools to support those projects."
It is good to be moving ahead.
