A group of citizens believes the region needs to expand its water reserves in case of an emergency.
Four people made suggestions about higher-elevation water storage during a presentation to the Regional District of Nanaimo board at a committee of the whole meeting March 14.
“The Oceanside area is ideally situated to provide abundant high-quality water, with a gravity feed, from high-elevation storage…” said Trevor Wicks, one of the members of the ad-hoc Water Group. “As populations increase and down-slope water becomes less available and more contaminated, would it not make sense to look at a water supply option that is sustainable, does not require expensive hydro power or treatment facilities, and could be directed into many different communities and neighbourhoods?”
The group is asking that the Englishman River Water Service be supplemented with at least one up-stream reservoir, and eventually up to four of them.
“We’re only [proposing] taking water out of the Englishman River at a point high up and diverting it into our reservoirs just during the winter storm season, and the numbers are there that it will easily fill up the reservoirs,” said Doug O’Brien, another member of the Water Group.
His group envisions in-line turbines in the pipe system that would create electricity to be used for water treatment or other purposes.
The Water Group has reached out to Island Timberlands and said the timber licence holder has been amenable to further discussion.
O’Brien said his group was discouraged that RDN directors didn’t vocalize much interest at last week’s meeting, though there was acknowledgement that the suggestion was on the regional district’s radar.
O’Brien said for the proposal to move ahead, he feels like he needs to “be at the table;” he has sought political office in the past and anticipates doing so again.
—NEWS staff