CVRD proposes water restriction bylaw revision to protect local businesses
Comox Lake is part of the Comox Valley’s Watershed. (Alison and Fil / Flickr CC BY 2.0)
The Comox Valley Regional District is looking to add flexibility to its water conservation bylaw, as it faces the possibility of entering an unprecedented stage of restrictions that could impact businesses and food gardens.
In a Comox Valley Water Committee meeting on July 14, staff recommended revisions to stage four water restrictions in the water conservation bylaw. Courtenay City Councillor and CVRD Director Wendy Morin said that these updates are brought by concerns from businesses that rely heavily on water usage.
“So that stage four restriction was quite, I would say quite strict. So there were some concerns that if we do move to stage four, people would not be able to water gardens. There's basically no watering at all, not even hand watering. So there would not be any food garden watering. It would also have big impacts to local businesses who need water for their livelihoods, nurseries, you know, garden supply, things like car washes and dog groomers and other folks that utilize water for their livelihood,” said Morin.
The CVRD is currently under stage three water restrictions, which restrict lawn watering, and limit watering of gardens to the morning and evening hours. It is required to implement stage four water restrictions if BC Hydro reduces flows into the Puntledge River below 5.7 cubic metres per second, an unprecedented measure that could become necessary if drought conditions persist into the fall. Stage four water restrictions prohibit all outdoor watering, including watering by hand.
On top of making stage four restrictions more flexible, the proposed changes create a fifth stage for water restrictions.
“So created a new stage four, which would allow some flexibility, and then, a stage five, which would essentially be what stage four is now with some adjustments. So we didn't see the updated bylaw this week. That will come back to us this summer, a little bit later in the summer. It will come back to us before any stage four restriction is enacted if we need that. So these changes, if they pass, if, when the bylaw comes forward, would allow for that flexibility so that we're not impacting businesses as well as people who rely on food gardens,” said Morin.
Under current stage three restrictions, residents are also prohibited from pressure washing driveways, filling swimming pools, hot tubs or garden ponds, or washing vehicles except at commercial car washes. This year, the regional district entered stage three water restrictions earlier than in previous years, as a result of below-average snowpack and precipitation.
Morin said that Comox Lake currently has a relatively healthy reservoir, and the water supply is not yet facing an emergency.
“So the language in that restriction is a critical emergency situation, and that's when businesses would be affected and food gardens would be impacted as well. And we don't believe that that's the stage that we're at. We're not in a critical place. And the last time we had, when we had to go to stage four, we heard a lot from local businesses about the impact on them and their livelihood. And it was recognized that in future we would need to take a look at the bylaw to have a bit more flexibility,” said Morin.
Morin also said that it’s hard to predict whether stage four restrictions will come into effect this summer.
“It looks as though we shouldn't run into any problems, until perhaps the fall when we really get a sense of, are we going to get some of those fall rains coming. So at this point, staff is fairly confident that we won't move to stage four before the end of the summer. But, you know, that's just a prediction,” said Morin.
Morin said that even though the region’s water supply is not in an emergency situation, it’s important for Comox Valley residents to still abide by the water conservation bylaw.
“I think that there's been a lot more awareness around water conservation in the last few years and most residents are very happy to do their part. So we're basically asking people to follow the restrictions, to abide by them,” said Morin.
For the latest status and detailed information on water restrictions, visit the official CVRD page at comoxvalleyrd.ca/water.
Funding Note: This story was produced with funding support from the Local Journalism Initiative, administered by the Community Radio Fund of Canada.
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