Water Technical Report for the April 2016 AGM
SPID has spent considerable resources executing the upgrade plan that the ratepayers agreed to several years ago. This project will ensure an enduring and sustainable system that will deliver safe quality water and provide fire flows to meet insurance requirements for the foreseeable future .This will enhance the property and improvements value of each and every ratepayer on the Point.
Before describing the current and future developments of the SPID water system we will do a brief review of the recent history.
Several years ago the sustainability of the water infrastructure for Ships Point Improvement District was in question .There had been an Ecoli detection in one of the water tests with the consequential boil water advisory. This prompted VIHA to ask SPID to review the water infrastructure and install a disinfection system. SPID chose chlorination which was the most used type of disinfection in municipal and community water systems
The system installed was a fixed rate injection system which caused large differences in chlorination concentration depending on water flow. In addition it was connected to the historical piping system that had been put together piecemeal over the years. This cobbled together system made it very difficult to maintain a constant chlorine concentration in the water
SPID hired a consultant to evaluate the problems and subsequently issued a contract to revise the piping at the existing pump house and install a proportional chlorine injection system that maintained a constant chlorine concentration.
A Materials Testing Engineering company’s report on removed sections of the existing asbestos cement identified that the pipe was deteriorating and that point failures were imminent. In addition a computer model of the total piping system and site tests indicated that the available water supply at many hydrants on the Point was insufficient to meet fire flow requirements. Cross overs and increases in pipe diameter were identified as solutions not only to fire flow requirements but to circulation problems identified by VIHA.
To meet the challenges of the water system SPID put a financial program in place with the approval of the ratepayers and hired a consultant by tender to evaluate the options , complete the design work, tender the contract and supervise the contractor
This contract, commonly referred to as Phase I, was completed in 2014 and included a new concrete block pump house ,new pumps and control system , a 100 kw stand by generator , a new well and a consolidation of the piping system in the pump house compound . The piping changes also included a new line from the pump house property to the distribution manifold at the corner of SPR and Tozer and a cross over from Tozer to Vivian.
There were a few start-up problems with the operation of the new system but the SPID water techs were able to solve and work through them and the pumping system is now operating as designed. There was some data collection and remote access functionality that was omitted in the Phase I contract and we worked with a contractor to correct this deficiency. This functionality provides better information for the water techs to respond to problems and comprehensive records of hourly flows, well levels, water line pressures and alarm incidents .This data will be used for baseline and historical monitoring of the health of the aquifer in the event there is a threat to the recharge area such as a coal mine.
SPID is now moving ahead with Phase II of the water upgrade. The design consulting contract was awarded to McElhanney Consulting Services Limited (MCSL) in Q4/15. You may have noticed some blue paint marks on the road and grass area. These marks were made by a contractor hired by SPID to locate the existing pipe using ground penetrating radar. Following the pipe location contractor, the surveyors from MCSL transferred the pipe location to the land survey in order to layout the new lines.
The Phase II contract includes new water lines on Tozer and Michael Place and the cross over from Tozer to Wente Way. The crossover is on private lands requiring legal Right of Ways for which we are completing the final legal documentation. The crossover is a complement to the cross over from Tozer to Vivian and is required to meet VIHA water quality requirements and Fire Insurance fire flows. Included in the tender request will be a section on SPR from the SPR/Tozer junction to the second entrance to Baynes, the South Baynes loop and Park Lane . The decision to do the latter section will be determined at time of contract tender evaluation and will depend on the available capital funds.
The timetable:
Q4 /15: Engineering design contract awarded
Q2/16: Engineering design submitted to SPID for approval
Q3/16: Engineering design finalised,
Q4/16: Contract for tendering and construction supervision issued
Q1/17: Construction contract tendered and awarded
Q2/17: Contractor mobilised and construction started
Q3/17: Construction accepted as complete by SPID
This timetable may seem extended but it is lengthened to meet the requirements of the $200,000 federal grant. The requirement for the grant is that the majority of the money be spent in 2017 with smaller expenditures in 2015 and 2016. The major spending in 2017 is to correspond with the 150 year anniversary for Canada
The exact location of the new line is not known at this time but will be determined when the contract is awarded Q1/17. The choice of construction methods will determine the path the new line.
The installation of the new water pipe and connections will be disruptive to the householders along the route and we ask for your patience and cooperation. The contract will be set up to try and limit the disruption but there will be times when road passage and access to homes will be limited, water supply will be interrupted and water quality at your home may be temporarily impacted.
For the new pipeline construction the following policy should be noted .Some trees and other plantings in front of homes on public property may be removed/destroyed and not replaced in kind. The contract will include a minimum restoration of the areas affected that will include compacting ,topsoil and seeding .Sufficient warning will be provided for individual homeowners to remove plantings from the affected areas at their own cost .Driveways will be replaced in kind or better. SPID is trying to be fair with the policy and does not consider it fair and equitable that all the SPID taxpayers pay for individual landscaping extras on public property
Credit should be given to the present and past SPID boards for their leadership in developing and implementing a plan for the water infrastructure redevelopment. The ratepayers decided several years ago to upgrade the water system as an Improvement District. The SPID board put together a financial and technical plan and are now implementing the plan with very little outside assistance. The SPID board was able to get a grant to cover 10% of the costs of Phase I and was successful in obtaining a $200,000 grant from the federal government for Phase II. Special thanks to our retiring trustee Pat Edwards, the SPID treasurer Frank Green and the SPID administrator Nina LeBlanc in their efforts obtaining grant moneys. As you may be aware Improvement Districts are treated like second class citizens by the province as we are allowed to pay taxes but not allowed access to provincial grants. Our first grant was from the CVRD and the second was directly from the federal government under the 150 anniversary program
There are many challenges to effectively managing the threats to the SPID community water system. The new Water Sustainability Act has been promulgated by the BC government but as of today we have not been affected. We were supposed to be charged $2.25 per million litres starting on Jan 1 of this year but we have yet to hear from the ministry responsible. As a budget item this will be insignificant (less than $300) but there may be some onerous reporting .
The coal threat has disappeared thanks in great part to the persistent efforts of John Snyder of Fanny Bay and the supporting members of “Coalwatch”. However there other threats that may arise from the spraying of herbicides in the BC Hydro corridors and along the beaches of Ships Point and surrounding area . SPID currently has assurances that the spraying is not taking place, but the risk still remains as the permission to spray still remains .
The BC government has adopted stricter rules to ensure the safety of water distribution in the province and these rules may require some additional changes to the SPID system . In addition the CVRD has revived a discussion about water governance in the Comox Valley . SPID is monitoring and participating in this initiative .
In closing I would like to thank the board of trustees for their support and active engagement in the in the management of the SPID water system, the water technicians for their diligence in the management of the operation of the water and the Water Technical Committee for their contributions to the operational issues of the water system .
Bill Trussler SPID Trustee
SPID Water Group
Water Technicians:
Bob Beedle, Dave Henderson, Jack Wilson, Mike Mesford
Water Technical Committee;
Bob Beedle, Dave Henderson, Jack Wilson, Mike Mesford, Bruce Prested , Kevin Gardave, Charlie Wells, Bill Trussler (chair)
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