LEADERSHIP AND INNOVATION
SMALLMUNICIPALITY (POPULATION UNDER 5,000)
TheVillage of Lions Bay is located approximately 11 km north of HorseshoeBay on the east coast of Howe Sound. The Village has a population of approximately 1500 with 530 homes and is built in a mountainous area which presents special infrastructure challenges.
With assistance from engineering staff at the City of Richmond,through the Team Works Program, and the consultants at Earth Tech Inc., the municipal staff at the Village of Lions Bay have recently completed thedevelopment of an Infrastructure Master Plan. The terms of reference for the master plan were defined by the community’s Infrastructure Replacement/Maintenance Assessment Committee. The Master Planning program included conducting an inventory and mapping on a GIS system, and commissioning assessments of our water, sewer, drainage and roads infrastructure in order to provide Council and the community with meaningful information to develop short and long term plans for maintenance and replacement. A key component of the program was the commitment to economic, social and environmental sustainability.
The strategy identified a number of components to be undertaken to develop the action plan for infrastructure improvements. In prioritizing these components, the Village of Lions Bay determined that water quality and an assessment of the water infrastructurewerehighest priorities which meets the goal as stated in the Village’s Official Community Plan:
“Ensure the quality of drinking water through multiple barrier treatment, protection of the watershed, monitoring, and testing of water systems.”
The Infrastructure Master Planning process was made up of several components. These components have been undertaken over a period of time based on Village priorities and funding availability. All components show a commitment to sustainable development through leadership and innovation. The components include:
Water Consumption/Drought Management Plan – (completed) which addresses material and resource-use intensity and includes other demand-side management strategies and leakage assessment;
Water Quality Monitoring Study – (completed) which addresses health and safetyissues, including a water source and rockfall stabilization component that addresses eco-system management, as well as an investigation of alternative water sources;
Water Quality Monitoring Program and Conceptual Treatment Plan (on-going) – which also addresses health and safety issues and includes a component of life-cycle cost analysis to compare various treatment options;
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Village of LionsBay
Community Excellence Awards Submission
Infrastructure Assessment – (on going) including inspections and condition assessments of the wastewater treatment plant, the water treatment plant, the reservoirs, the PRV stations and roads. The report addresses material and infrastructure sustainability, and the requirements for infrastructure reinvestment planning;
Health and Safety Inspection – (on going) through consultation with McMullen and Associates, the Village of Lions Bay has addressed health and safety in their operations, and are completing a program to implement recommendations; and
Hydro-potential Investigation – (completed) which addresses material and resource-use intensity as well demonstrates that LionsBay is a progressive and innovative municipality.
Throughout these initiatives, stakeholder engagement, especially the participation from the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority, and Earth Tech involvement has been key in maintaining continuity and cost effective strategies. The Village of Lions Bay has partnered with Earth Tech for engineering services to ensure cost effectiveness for the small municipality, as well, to ensure the provision of important community services are met with innovative and current solutions.
Water Consumption and Drought Management Plan
Earth Tech was retained by the Municipality of the Village of Lions Bay to complete a Water Consumption Study and Water Quality project. The objective of this report was to prepare an orderly and cost effective plan that summarizes present water use, source potential, recommended system upgrades, and costs. The plan developed is proactive, providing the Village with direction in administrative, operation and upgrading/renewal aspects of the water system as well as providing the Village with “Professional Assurance” that they are providing a responsible water supply service.
Specific tasks included:
Reviewing and quantifying water consumption rates, including overall system leakage;
Developing a water model (quantity and quality) of the water distribution system;
Assessing the hydraulic capacity of the distribution system in terms of pressures, velocities, fire flows and chlorine residual;
Identifying distribution system deficiencies; and recommending system improvements; and
Providing costs for the required upgrades within the system.
The 560 hectare (ha) study area has approximately 530 single family and multi-family residences. The water model that was developed was complex and difficult as there are many pressure zones and nodes within the distribution system. Fire flow demands and peak hour demands were also evaluated using the model. Future sustainability of the existing water distribution system capacity was assessed. The result of the study was a complete assessment of the water distribution systems and recommendations for the optimization of the system with an eye on sustainability and public participation.
The Village of Lions Bay is also developing a Drought Management Plan which will help in material and resource-use management and long-term ecological sustainability. The development of the comprehensive water conservation plan includes:
Improve water use efficiency;
Identify and quantify future water demands;
Water management modelling;
Determine the most cost-effective water conservation measures; and
Investigate the potential for alternate water sources.
The Village of Lions Bay has taken a proactive role in ensuring the long-term sustainability of the municipality by assessing its water conservation requirements.
Water Quality Monitoring Study
The Village of Lions Bay retained Earth Tech to complete a Water Quality Monitoring Program study. Earth Tech tracked the historical water quality issues to identify patterns. From this information and previous water quality monitoring results, Earth Tech was able to assess the current situation and to make recommendations to improve water quality monitoring and water treatment at the Village of Lions Bay.
The result of the initial Water Quality Monitoring Study was a detailed analysis and recommendations for an integrated water management approach and multi-barrier treatment. This project demonstrates excellence as it is a future-looking assessment of treatment recommendations by Earth Tech which involved several considerations includingfuture implications of Canadian Drinking Water Quality Guidelines, life-cycle costing analysis of various treatment options, alternative financing and economic sustainability of implementation of treatment option, and stakeholder engagement and participation.
Water Quality Monitoring Program and Conceptual Treatment Plan
The Water Quality Monitoring Program and Treatment Plan followed the initial Water Quality MonitoringStudy. Earth Tech developed a Water Quality Monitoring Program to identify sites, sampling frequency, the equipment required and the elements to be measured (i.e. chlorine and turbidity residuals).
With a focus on health and safety, the Village of Lions Bay is also pursuing the implementation of water treatment for the two water sources, HarveyCreek and Magnesia Creek. While automated chlorination was recommended by Earth Tech, additional treatment may be required by future Canadian Drinking Water Guidelines. The Village of Lions Bay and Earth Tech strive to achieve a high standard of protection of public health and safety and thus are undergoing life-cycle costing analysis, stakeholder engagement and completion of a water quality monitoring program to determine the most suitable treatment technology for the community.
Infrastructure Assessment
The Village of Lions Bay retained Earth Tech to assess the condition of the Village’s wastewater treatment plant (WWTP), water treatment plant (WTP) and the PRV stations. The first component of the assessment entailed visual inspections of the structures, with the objective to establish maintenance and rehabilitation requirements to ensure that the structures are in good conditions. The second part of the assessment was a process mechanical assessment which included a review of the existing design drawings, field inspections and the operating information for the WWTP.
A water reservoir assessment was also conducted within the Infrastructure Assessment project. The Village of Lions Bay emptied, cleaned and inspected each of its eight (8) water reservoirs. This improved the water quality of the system, while providing a much needed opportunity to assess the condition of the reservoirs.
Another component of the infrastructure assessments included condition assessments and inventory of roads. Specific criteria were developed to help in the assessment of road conditions, with the help of GIS which was developed not only for water and sewer infrastructure, but also for roads.
The objective of this study was to establish the capital reinvestment requirements and additional maintenance and rehabilitation needs over the next five (5) years. The report details the expected life span and replacement cost of all infrastructure. The Village of Lions Bay demonstrates excellence in leadership in managing the community’s resources through infrastructure reinvestment planning and public participation.
Health and Safety Inspection
The Village of Lions Bay also took the initiative to hire a consultant, McMullen and Associates, to assist in a health and safety inspection of the municipality’s daily operations and maintenance practices, specifically in the public works area. A health and safety audit was completed on several categories, followed by program recommendations for each area including:
Education and training;
Confined space practices;
The provision for regular inspection of premises, equipment, work methods and other work practices;
Prompt investigation and reporting of incidents (accidents);
Safety policy;
Maintenance records and statistics; and
WHMIS training.
This proactive role in the social sustainability aspect of health and safety demonstrates a goal of Excellence that the Village of Lions Bay is working to achieve.
Hydro-Potential Investigation
An innovative and progressive initiative that the Village of Lions Bay completed was an investigation into the hydro-potential of the two water sources, HarveyCreek and Magnesia Creek. Sigma Engineering Ltd. completed a hydrological examination into the water flow, and the potential for a green municipal water energy system. This investigation coincided with a BC Hydro request for proposals for green energy from small generators. The potential power generation based on mean annual flows, estimated heads and the 60% capacity factor for HarveyCreek and Magnesia Creek was determined to be 1,450 kW and 1,460 kW respectively. Several factors such as the Green Energy Criteria for a contract with BC Hydro, and conservation principles such as conserving fish habitat and wildlife resources, and maintaining integrity of existing downstream ecosystem, and aboriginal and community input were all evaluated when considering the development of the two water sources. Both sources appeared technically and commercially feasible but would require additional study before proceeding.
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Village of LionsBay
Community Excellence Awards Submission
Executive Summary
The Village of Lions Bay has demonstrated excellence in the category of Leadership and Innovation for a small municipality through their pursuit of initiatives supporting their Infrastructure Master Plan. Terms of reference defined by the municipality’s Infrastructure Replacement/Maintenance Assessment Committee, have supported several initiatives including a Water Consumption/Drought Management Plan, a Water Quality Monitoring Study, a Water Quality Monitoring Program and Conceptual Treatment Plan, detailed Infrastructure Assessments, a Health and Safety Investigation, and alternative energy in the form of a Hydro-Potential Investigation. The Village of Lions Bay leads in the areas of economic, ecological and social sustainability for a small community because there is consistent stakeholder engagement and public participation in the innovative initiatives that the community pursues in support of the Infrastructure Master Plan.
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