The City of Parksville is now on the brink of Stage 4 Water restrictions. The effects of climate change have now created a new normal pattern of precipitation as we find ourselves in another drought summer. We have all witnessed the building boom throughout Parksville of late and are aware that there are huge plans for an unprecedented increase of homes in the near future. And yet:
• The new water intake now being constructed by the ERWS on the Englishman River will not produce a drop of new water into our water system;
• The new watermain construction from Springwood will not produce a drop of new water;
• The new proposed filtration/treatment plant will not produce a drop of new water; and
• The agreement with Fairwinds/Nanoose for water supply will not produce a drop of new water.
Our ad hoc water group has proposed at numerous presentations that development of winter rainwater stored in upland reservoirs would solve water-shortage issues. To date we have been ignored.
We have requested that a competent study, using upland storage reservoirs, be conducted by a qualified engineer/consulting firm that has no previous ties or bias from previous work for the ERWS/AWS.
If you have concerns of a reliable, adequate supply of water for Parksville, please contact Parksville mayor and council and demand that they remove their heads from that very dry bed of sand.
Doug O’Brien
Parksville