Some homeowners in the San Pareil region have expressed interest in joining the Regional District of Nanaimo’s water system in the area.
There are 42 properties in the area not connected to the San Pareil Water Service Area and the RDN is now looking at accommodating those wanting to link up to the water system located at the eastern boundary of the City of Parksville. It is currently servicing 282 residences.
To include those not currently in the water system would see the San Pareil water system’s production increase by 16,600 cubic metres annually to 128,500 cubic meters per year.
The anticipated expansion of the San Pareil WSA was reflected in the RDN’s recent application for an Existing Use Groundwater License to by Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations & Rural Development (FLNRO) requiring an extraction volume of 157,050 m3/year. This would allow the connections to increase from 282 to 324 in the future.
The amount was selected by the RDN to meet the anticipated future demand with an additional 20 per cent contingency. The licence, however, has not yet been issued due to a large backlog of applications.
Three property owners have applied to join the San Pareil water system for health and environmental reasons. The a bylaw was established to amend the boundaries and homeowners were required to pay a buy-in fee of $5,000 per property.
The RDN is now establishing a capital cost charge under the Local Government Act. The aim is to establish the value of the community water system at a point in time, so that any new connections are assessed a fair price to share in the ownership and advantages of the system.
The San Pareil Water Supply Local Servce Area Capital Charge Bylaw No. 1781 was introduced, given three readings and adopted by the board at its regular meeting on Jan. 22.