In order to better inform mitigation efforts to address the impacts that climate change may have on water resources on the Sunshine Coast, a list of recommendations has been developed for reducing water consumption and enhancing the understanding water issues in relation to climate change. The following recommendations are divided into three categories: (1) recommendations that have already been developed by the Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD), (2) recommendations from the findings in this report, and (3) recommendations for future consideration.
Existing recommendations from the SCRD:
- Developing incentive programs for irrigation and rain water harvesting
- Continuing public education and outreach on water conservation
- Implementing universal water metering
- Conservation based water metering rate
- Improving leak detection
- Using reclaimed water from sewage treatment plants
Recommendations from the findings in this report:
- Implement Stage 2 watering restrictions from July 1st until September 30th
o The results from this study estimate that water use may be reduced by 12% when stage 2 watering restrictions are implemented. The sensitivity analysis showed that if water use decreases by 12%, then exceeding the thresholds for the daily capacity at the water treatment plant and the equivalent to the raw water supply will be prolonged by approximately 6 years.
- Reinstate the Water Survey of Canada hydrometric station on Chapman Creek
o Although real-time hydrometric data on Chapman Creek is collected by the water supplier (SCRD), this data is not readily accessible to the general public or those wishing to use the data for research and the data is influenced by withdrawal into the WTP. Reinstating the Water Survey of Canada Hydrometric station Chapman Creek would simplify the access to the data for the general public and make the format of the data (e.g. Maximum, Minimum and mean daily flows) consistent with all other hydrometric data from the WSC. This is also important for determining minimum flows in the lower reaches of Chapman Creek in order to determine flows for fish and environmental services.
o The new hydrometric station should be installed above the intake to the water treatment plant so that the discharge data is not influenced by withdrawal for domestic distribution.
- Improve the determination of daily population during the summer season
o Establishing daily population estimates based on local residents and tourism would inform the water supplier of population trends, which would better inform current water demand analysis for the water systems.
Additional Recommendations for future consideration
- Conduct a water demand analysis for the agricultural sector
o With the current push to promote agriculture on the Sunshine Coast, an agriculture water demand analysis would allow the water supplier to estimate the increase in water consumption from agriculture by examining the total amount of existing agricultural land, the percentage of crops that are currently under production and the crop watering requirements for those crops. Then scenarios can be developed to estimate how much water will be required to support various degrees of growth in the agricultural sector.
- Establish a rebate program for installing a rainwater collection system at the property scale
o Similar to the SCRD’s toilet rebate program, this program would provide homeowners with an incentive to conserve water by harvesting rain water throughout the fall, winter, and spring into adequately sized reservoirs (1000 gallons minimum) on their property, which could then be used for outdoor water use in the summer.
o Set realistic goals for installing rain water collection systems such as targeting 100 homes per year or an estimated 40,000 L per day in savings.
- Implement grey water collection systems into new developments and allow for retrofitting to occur in existing homes
o Including a grey water collection system into new and existing homes would have to be in accordance with the BC Building code and regulated by the SCRD’s Building department.
- Implement a policy that requires new developments to have 30 cm of topsoil beneath the lawns
o Having 30cm of top soil below a lawn reduces watering needs by up to 30%. This is because of the soil physical properties (finer soil texture and organic matter content) typically found in top soils have a higher water and nutrient holding capacity than the existing sandy loam soils predominantly found on the Sunshine Coast. Therefore, by increasing the water/nutrient holding capacity of the sub soils beneath lawns, you can effectively reduce the amount of water needed to irrigate.
- Establish an inventory on existing ground water wells and their total water usage of groundwater
o Establishing an inventory of groundwater wells on the Sunshine Coast, as per the Province’s regulations would better inform how much groundwater is consumed within the region, which would provide insight on future water supply issues, groundwater recharge, and groundwater availability. If drought conditions increase then people will consider the use of groundwater as an alternative water source. Therefore, conducting a comprehensive inventory of current groundwater use will be vital to estimating the impacts on total water consumption within the region. Additionally, arsenic within the area must be considered as many areas are known to have substantial arsenic concentrations in groundwater, which would prevent the use of groundwater in many areas (Carmichael, 1995 and Mattu and Schreier, 1999).