Kristen Villebrun and Wendy Bush hoped they wouldn't have to pray for Chedoke Creek, but four years after they first raised alarm about the water's condition, they were part of an Indigenous full moon ceremony to do just that. About 50 people showed up near Princess Point on the dark and frigid Monday evening for the monthly ceremony, which was particularly special as it focused on Chedoke Creek. The body of water that runs into Cootes Paradise had about 24 billion litres of sewage and storm water runoff leak into it due to a gate being left open.
Nearly two months after drought Level 5 was declared on Vancouver Island, steps are underway in the Comox Valley to conserve water and aid returning salmon. Drought Level 5, declared when "adverse impacts to socio-economic or ecosystem values are almost certain," is the highest level on British Columbia's drought scale.
With Canada Day on the way, expect changes to your lawn sprinkling as the Comox Valley Water System is moving to Stage 2 restrictions. The change comes as a response to current drought conditions, high demand for water, and strain on the regional water infrastructure. They apply to Courtenay, Comox, and the Comox Valley Water Local service area. Senior manager of Water and Wastewater Services Kris La Rose says the past couple of weeks have seen a near record use of water from the community.
Thirty years ago, a public backlash over the issuance of a half-dozen water-shipping permits spurred B.C. to put a moratorium on bulk water exports, a measure later backed up with legislation. Santa Barbara-based Sun Belt Water, which had a deal with Snowcap Waters of Fanny Bay to ship supertankers of water to California, announced it would challenge that decision under NAFTA, but then the story petered out.
The Comox Lake reservoir provides some of the best drinking water anywhere in B.C., but even at that, there have been numerous boil water advisories over the years in the Comox Valley. “They started in October 2014 and we had roughly 140 days of boil water notice,” said Mike Herschmiller, Manager of Water Services at the Comox Valley Regional District. With every big fall storm that stirred up the lake, a boil water advisory was sure to follow and everyone on the system in Courtenay, Comox, the K’omoks First Nation and areas of the Regional district were affected by it.
The governments of Canada and British Columbia recognize how important investing in modern reliable water services is to building healthy sustainable communities. Today, Marco Mendicino, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Infrastructure and Communities, on behalf of the Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, and Ronna Rae Leonard, Member of Legislative Assembly for Courtenay–Comox, on behalf of the Honourable Selina Robinson, B.C. Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, announced more than $62.8 million in federal-provincial funding for a new drinking water treatment plant in the Comox Valley Regional District (CVRD).
