INSIDE

District works to complete plan

By Meg Olson

The local water district continues to clear the hurdles on a lengthening path to an expanded water system.

At their January 10 meeting district commissioners had been hopeful they would have a completed comprehensive plan pending state approval, but found instead that department of health engineers were again asking for additional information, this time on turbidity problems in the Vancouver water supply.

“There’s going to be a little extra work now,” reported district manager Dan Bourks. State engineers had asked for a dozen more questions to be answered in the comprehensive plan, after reading reports of two years in a row of turbid water following winter storms in the greater Vancouver area. The local district buys its water from the Greater Vancouver Water District (GVWD).

Bourks said engineers had been instructed to compile the information requested, including procedures to notify the public, standards for issuing boil-water notices, and planned improvements to the Vancouver system to reduce or eliminate the problem in the future, such as a filtration plant now under construction.

Commissioner Madeleine Anderson wondered if the local Point Roberts Emergency Preparedness group could be involved in community notification if a boil-water notice needed to be issued. “I’m not going to count on them,” Bourks answered. “We have to control the situation.” He said plans were to use a combination of the district website, signage, radio and television, and potentially other steps such as telephone or door hanger notification.

The water district also held a public hearing on a proposed series of new water efficiency goals for the district, as required for comprehensive plan completion under new state regulations.
“We have most of the requirements met because of how our rates are structured,” Bourks said, because the district already meters water use and charges based on volume used.

The top water conservation goal for the district had to be starting on a program to replace aging water mains, which are responsible for a rising number of water main breaks in certain areas. “We lose about a million gallons a year and I feel replacing the water mains in the Province Road, Cliff Drive, Roosevelt Drive area would reduce that,” Bourks said. “It’s an attainable goal.” The area, which Bourks said is the most critically in need of replacement, suffered nine water main breaks in 2007.

Other goals agreed to by commissioners included evaluation of opportunities to use reclaimed water and developing a tiered rate structure for commercial users.

Anderson wanted to ensure one of the district’s goals was public education about individual contributions to water efficiency. “We could look into rain barrels, notify customers of water saving techniques,” she said.

Randy Forsyth of Stanton Northwest was at the meeting to talk about negotiations on developer participation in building additional storage, but he had water saving ideas too, such as restricted watering days in summer, with alternating days for odd and even addresses. “You could see a measurable difference from the year before if you started a summer watering schedule,” he said. He also suggested a water-saving toilet coupon program.

Under the district’s new water efficiency plan they will report annually on progress towards achieving these efficiency goals. “I think it’s a good start,” Anderson said. “They’re all measurable and achievable.”