A $350,000 upgrade of Lantzville’s wellfield could allow it to tap into more water, a new report shows.
A wellfield management plan study, released last week, shows the District of Lantzville could get an additional 400 cubic metres a day from its system, but whether that translates into new connections for residents hinges on politicians agreeing to improvements and tests to prove that upgrades increased supply.
The municipality commissioned the $65,000 two-part wellfield study last year.
Lantzville has 885 households on its well system, with 3,600 residents in the community. By 2065, that population is expected to grow to 5,700.
A deal with Nanaimo could see 225 households connect to city supply, and 50 hookups for new development, but there hasn’t been consensus on how to move forward.
The report offers a series of recommendations for Lantzville’s water supply, including the replacement of one well and the redevelopment of three others to boost production to an estimated yield of 2,424 cubic metres a day.
Fred Spears, the district’s director of public works, said the recommendation to council is to do the upgrades, monitor to ensure the district is getting what it was told it would and then look at expanding the amount of connections.
“[The study] indicates there’s potential to expand the system, but there’s a lot of steps that have to be taken prior to any thoughts on that,” he said.
Mayor Colin Haime said the first step is to clarify the extent of the water supply because the volume and timing of other water sources depends on what the municipality is able to produce. He said new connections depend on the water-per-household standard council adopts and the results of upgrades.
