District to Test Well at Dusty Road

SECHELT TO TEST DUSTY ROAD WELL FOR NON-POTABLE USE

Sechelt, BC – Sechelt Council has approved a request to proceed with conceptual design and testing at its well on Dusty Road for use as a non-potable water source. The request came from the District of Sechelt’s Engineering team to assess whether the well water at the site of its new Operation Centre could be a non-potable water source like that of the community fill station at the Water Resource Centre (WRC).

“Recognizing that drought conditions are very likely the new normal, we need to actively investigate all sources of water in our region,” says John Henderson, Mayor of Sechelt. “The Dusty Road well has a large supply of water which we anticipate is safe for non-potable use, at a minimum. Such can help reduce the demand on our potable water supply, which is vitally important.”

Council agreed to use $25,000 from the capital reserve for a conceptual design and water quality testing of the Dusty Road well to confirm the quality and logistics of developing a fill station. A licence application will be submitted within the week to the Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development and District staff will request temporary use authorization from the provincial government while the licence approval is in process. Pending testing results, the District anticipates proceeding with a bulk water filling station to provide non-potable water for use by both the District’s team and the public.

“Currently we use non-potable water from the Ebbtide well near the Water Resource Centre to irrigate parks, for WRC processes and as a public filling station in the summer months,” says Kirn Dhillon, Director of Engineering and Operations. “Water from the well can be used in irrigation around the Operations Centre and parks, for salt brine production and washing machinery and equipment. The community would benefit greatly from a second non-potable fill station on the other side of the inlet.”

Water licenses in British Columbia can take multiple years to receive and process. The District of Sechelt is optimistic that the provincial government will recognize the water shortage on the southern Sunshine Coast and expedite the licence process and temporary use authorization request.

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