Gulf Islands - Salt Spring Island Archives

P»g«A8 GULF ISLANDS DRIFTWOOD Wednesday, Sept. 7, 1988Resource assessment completedWater board announcesend to hookup restrictionFrom Page Ala recent increase in the tempo oflocal development (some resultingfrom the completion of thesewer system in Ganges), causedtrustees to establish the interimmoratorium. They hired JohnMotherwell and Associates EngineeringLtd. to complete astudy on local water supplyfactors and conditions. Furtherapplication to the water managementbranch were based on theresults of the study.In the meantime, the moratoriumon water hookups has createdconflict between some developersand the water district. Accordingto a spokeman for local MLA MelCouveleir, several complaintsabout the water moratorium werereceived by his office.At the water district office,Mike Larmour agrees that anumber of complaints have beenvoiced. He says, however, thatthe Motherwell report substantiatessome of the water district'sconcerns.According to the report,Maxwell and St. Mary lakes arethe only suitable sources of waterfor the NSSWWD.A table shows that the yield ofMaxwell Lake, without a dam, is146.79 acre-feet; with a dam, theyield is 316.24 acre-feet. ExistingNSSWWD commitments (whichinclude empty lots not yet drawingwater from the system, butaccepted onto it) equal 242.53acre-feet; estimated future demandsare 294.84 acre-feet, for atotal demand of 537.37 acre-feet.After subtracting the lake'stotal capacity from the estimatedtotal demand, the report calculatesa total 221.13 acre-feet ofexcess demand that will have tobe transferred to St. Mary Lake.Yield of St. Mary Lake, withoutstorage works, is 454.8 acre-feet;with storage works, the yield is inexcess of 836.75 acre-feet.Existing NSSWWD commitmentsequal 356.79 acre-feet;other commitments (Capital RegionalDistrict Highlands WaterSystem, Fernwood WaterworksDistrict, Lakeshore Estates WaterworksDistrict) total 223.75acre-feet, for a total of 580.55acre-feet in existing commitments.The addition of the transferredMaxwell deficiency brings thetotal to approximately 801 acrefeet.The Maxwell Lake system currentlyserves 518 connections,including 72 non-residential customers,most of them in theGanges sewer area. Because residentialconnections predominatein the NSSWWD, the report hasconverted non-residential connectionsto equivalent single-familydwelling units (DUs) based onactual water use.The total of DUs currentlyentitled to water service onMaxwell Lake is 1,027. Assumingthe installation of a storage damon the lake — which the reportrecommends — there is"sufficient potential capacity inthe lake to additionally supplyW. E. SMITHDENTURIST537-9611210 Upper Salt Spring WayMail to Box 1 209. Ganges, B.Capproximately 351 of the estimated1,404 currently uncommittedfuture DUs in the area served bythe Maxwell Lake System," thestudy concludes.The remaining 1,053 futureDU's would have to be served byan alternate source, presumablySt. Mary Lake.Recommendations made by thereport, on which the water districtbased its applications to the watermanagement branch, include applyingto store a minimum of 150acre-feet on Maxwell Lake and todivert from it a further 300,000gallons per day, in addition toexisting licences. The studyfurther recommends filing applicationsfor licences to store aminimum of 400 acre-feet on St.Mary Lake and to divert from it afurther 600,000 gallons per day.Along with seeking licences todraw additional water, theNSSWWD has applied for storagelicences on the two lakes, Larmoursaid. A dam built onMaxwell Lake would be used tostore water from wetter years foruse in drier years. On St. MaryLake, storage facilities wouldallow the district to hold backwater from Duck Creek during thelate winter and early spring. Thelatter would be subject to approvalby the ministry of fisheriesand other government agencies.Larmour said trustees of thewaterworks district would meetas soon as possible to determinehow much the licence approvalsatisfies their concerns and problems."It's up to us to make sure wedon't get into trouble," he said,noting the importance of managingresources.Swimming water qualitywithin safety guidelinesColiform counts at Salt SpringIsland beaches remain well withinguidelines set by the CapitalRegional District (CRD) healthdepartment.The most recent counts of fecalcoliforms per 100 millilitres ofwater are as follows:• Vesuvius Beach, 40.• Blackburn Lake, 24.• St. Mary Lake, 17.• Collins Road Beach, 16.• Stowe Lake, 11.• Cusheon Lake, 10.• Weston, 6.The fecal coliform count is anindicator for sewage pollution.Counts above 200 indicate a riskof gastro-intestinal illness forswimmers.Beach warnings are postedwhen counts consistently reach orexceed 200, or when countsfluctuate dramatically. Currently,the CRD has posted warnings atShoal Bay (503) and Gonzales Bay(198) in Oak Bay, at Ross Bay(286) in Victoria, and at CadboroBay.SPECIAL! SAVE 10%!ONPRE-SEASON FURNACE CLEANING& EFFICIENCY SET UPComplete, reliable service available now. CallGULF ISLANDSHEATING & REFRIGERATIONMark S»^7.'>1'»7 Licensed OilDevereux "^' '** *•**' Burner Mechanic*J*\klThe rain is on its way...do your deck todayWITHdurcidekGULF ISLANDSDEALERSHIP537-54554I\|66!TRI-K DRILLINGServing the Islands for 22 yearsMODERN HYDRAULIC EQUIPMENTAlbert Kaye537-5738WATER DIVINEROr CallCollect 478-5064ROYAL CANADIANLEGION BR. 92GeneralMeetingMONDAY, SEPT. 12 8 PMINSTALLATION OF OFFICERSAND AWARDSSunday, Sept. 18 3 pmBar open 1 pm-8 pmLadies' AuxiliaryTuesday, Sept. 13Potluck Supper 6:30 pm General Meeting 8 pmIt's timeto talk businessSALT SPRING ISLAND Business PeopleTalk to a bankerwho understands your business.An FBDB representative will be in your area onTUESDAY, SEPT. 13COMMERCIAL LOANS• Amortization up to 20 years• Fixed & floating rates• Flexible & customizedrepayment terms• No appraisal orauthorization fees• Prompt assessments byexperienced personnelFor an advanceappointment callGARY SCHICKProject Development Officer388-0161BACKING INDEPENDENT BUSINESS