The regional district water committee approved Tuesday an application submission to the province for a water licence increase on behalf of the Comox Valley sub-regional water supply system.
The other option was to apply on behalf of a regional water supply system.
The CVRD holds a water licence on the Puntledge River. To increase the allowable maximum annual and daily diversion amount, the province needs to review and approve a new application.
Water supply capacity of the Comox Lake watershed is limited by storage capacity. Comox Lake and the Puntledge are licensed for BC Hydro power generation, fisheries and local water supply. New licence applications with no increase in storage require the reallocation of water resources amongst users.
While the implementation of the CVRD water efficiency plan has yielded an approximate seven per cent decrease in water consumption between 2009 and 2011, population growth is expected to increase water demand which will eventually exceed the district’s licensed allocation.
The regional water supply strategy is a 50-year planning document which may guide long-term water service delivery throughout the region. The strategy includes several options, some of which expand the service area of the water system using Comox Lake as its source.
