I would like to begin my report by first congratulating Gerald Thom who has been named Citizen of the Year and Wilma Rowbottom for receiving the Nichole Stock award.
These prestigious awards have been given to two well-deserving individuals, who have dedicated a great amount of personal time and effort on behalf of their community. In the process of their accomplishments, they have provided great benefits to so many people in our community.
Since 2011, we have seen a dramatic reduction in the town’s consumption of water. Our research indicates an average of around 40 per cent of the reduction in water-smart municipalities, which have water meters, is achieved mainly through leakage identification and repairs.
Our review also shows an average annual reduction of around 12 per cent in consumption for those municipalities where leaks are not an issue.
Our statistics for water consumption are slightly below the average for municipalities and our figures show we have already reduced our water consumption by 7.2 per cent in 2012 and a further 7.3 per cent in 2013. Some numbers to help grasp the magnitude of the reduction of water consumed in Lake Cowichan would be helpful.
The following are the total amounts of water pumped through our water distribution system:
The total water consumption in 2011 for Lake Cowichan was 234,015,852 gallons which in litres is 885,750,000 litres or which works out to 885,750 in cubic metres;
Consumption of water in 2012 was 217,122,853 gallons or 821,810,000 litres or 821,810 cubic metres;
In 2013 it was 201,231,176 gallons or 761,660,000 litres or 761,660 cubic metres.
The variations in consumption from year to year for water is huge and a downward trend is certainly what we had anticipated.
If you were to break down the numbers by household (we allow 35 cubic metres per month) we would have eliminated 295.45 households from our system over the past two years.
While repairs to many leakages in water systems have resulted in our largest reductions — both commercial and residential — we also realize that a large majority of our residents are already using better water use practices to help conserve our water
We thank you for your consideration as we continue to reduce the strain on our water distribution system.
Six ladders have been installed on the wharf at Saywell Park. This is a much needed improvement for the safety of the many users of this float.
The tender for the Lake Cowichan Town Square was issued on March 21. Bids will be opened on April 4, after the closing of the bids. This project is a continuation of our downtown revitalization program.
Following up on our revitalization theme, the Town hosted a meeting of business people and residents to help identify ideas for improving our downtown. The meeting was a huge success with approximately 50 participants — all engaging in a constructive dialogue to share positive improvement ideas.
We really appreciate everyone who took the time out from their busy schedules to share your thoughts with us. This turned out to be a very encouraging and positive meeting.
