Securing Drinking Water Quality and Quantity in Electoral Area A Sunshine Coast

Type of initiative FCM Green Municipal Fund - Capital Project
Sector Water
Project value$7,044,000
Project Type Capital Project
Sub Sector Watershed Management
Grant amount$1,030,000
Program type GMF
Municipality Regional District of Sunshine Coast, BC
Loan amount$1,000,000
Status Fully Disbursed
Population 32,170
Project timeline 2007 - 2015
Project number 9474

Description

The Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) will develop infrastructure and implement programs to reduce water use and improve water quality in multiple community water systems and private systems with arsenic contaminated wells. These systems are not currently metered and lack multi-barrier water quality protection. Water use will be reduced through universal metering and user-pay pricing for all systems, leak detection and repair, system replacement, process optimization, water conservation program delivery, and household fixture replacement programs. Combined, these measures are expected to yield water use reductions of 25–50 percent in all water systems. Water quality will be improved through mains extensions to service communities with failing infrastructure, installation of package treatment facilities, implementation of arsenic treatment measures, and construction of one or more new water treatment plants to service two water system areas in the SCRD. These measures will improve water quality to Canadian Drinking Water Quality Guideline levels or better for all water systems.

Project results

  • 778574 cubic metres of water treated per year

Environmental outcomes

  • Reduced water consumption
  • Improved groundwater quality

Social outcomes

  • Protection/improvement of public human health
  • Improved service delivery and/or level or service
  • Improved public education or awareness

Economic outcomes

  • Reduced operating costs
  • Reduced maintenance costs
  • Increased service life
  • Increased tourism
  • Local business development or local economy stimulus
  • Use of feasibility tools

Lessons learned

  • Stakeholder and community engagement
  • Council support/buy-in
  • Communication & coordination
  • Data and reporting
  • Resources
  • External factors
  • Technical – Project specific

Applicant

Regional District of Sunshine Coast, BC