|
CITY OF VANCOUVER ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT |
Date: |
June 29, 2004 | |
Author: |
Susan Clift | |
Phone No.: |
7368 | |
RTS No.: |
04389 | |
CC File No.: |
3201 | |
Meeting Date: |
July 22, 2004 |
TO: |
Standing Committee on City Services and Budgets |
FROM: |
General Manager of Engineering Services |
SUBJECT: |
Water Shortage Response Plan |
RECOMMENDTION
A. THAT Council endorse the Water Shortage Response Plan (attached to this report).
B. THAT the Director of Legal Services be instructed to bring forward a new Water Shortage Response Plan By-Law for approval and to repeal the existing Water Rationing By-Law #7109.
GENERAL MANAGER'S COMMENTS
The General Manager, Engineering Services recommends A and B. A complementary report addressing residential metering will be before Council in September.
COUNCIL POLICY
Council approved the Water Rationing By-Law # 7109 in 1993 and approved further amendments to that By-Law in 1997.
PURPOSE
The purpose of this report is to request that Council endorse the revised GVRD Water Shortage Response Plan. A by-law to enforce the Plan will be brought before Council for approval.
BACKGROUND
The original regional Water Shortage Response Plan (WSRP) was prepared in 1993 as a tool to reduce demand for water during the summer months (when high demand and low rainfall can strain water storage capacity) and in the event of water shortages due to unforeseen emergency situations at any time of the year. The WSRP is implemented by each Greater Vancouver Water District (GVWD) member municipality through individual municipal by-laws, which allows enforcement of the water restrictions. Vancouver enacted the Water Rationing By-Law in 1993 for this purpose.
The most familiar component of the WSRP is the annual lawn sprinkling regulations. The WSRP is intended to manage discretionary uses of water in a manner which minimizes the impact on residents and does not impose unnecessary economic hardships on businesses. The impact of implementing the Plan has been a region-wide reduction in per capita demand by 20% since 1993.
DISCUSSION
The Summer of 2003
Up until 2003, only the first stage of the Water Rationing By-Law had ever been invoked. In 2003 maintenance at Burwell Lake (an alpine lake that feeds the Seymour Reservoir) and operational issues at Coquitlam Lake caused the GVWD to start the summer at 80% of the normal reservoir capacity. The summer was hotter than average, and due to concerns about a possible dry autumn, on August 1, 2003 further restrictions were imposed. Examples of those restrictions included, an outright ban on lawn watering, car washing, pressure washing and hosing of outdoor surfaces, and restrictions on shrub and flower watering, sports field and golf course watering.
Paid advertising as well as substantial media attention helped to ensure that the message to conserve was heard throughout the region. The City of Vancouver alone received over 100 calls a day on its Water Conservation Hot-line (up from 2 or 3 a day in previous years) and over 1500 letters were sent out to homeowners that were allegedly violating the By-Law.
After several weeks, the reduction in demand for water was sufficient to ensure all necessary fire and consumption needs could be met. The rains returned in early October and the reservoirs were full again within a few weeks.
Revisions to the WSRP
Municipal and regional staff used the experience of last summer as an opportunity to assess the effectiveness of the Plan, its stages and restrictions at each stage, as well as enforcement efforts and public notification.
At the request of the GVWD Board, a revised WSRP was prepared based on:
· Experience with enforcement of the existing WSRP in 2003
· Analyses of best practices and similar water shortage plans from other jurisdictions
· Analysis of summer water use in various commercial sectors
· Analysis of public input during the summer of 2003
· Input from GVRD and municipal staff including the REAC Water Subcommittee
· Input from the GVRD Water Committee and public delegations to that committee
The revised Plan is simpler, easier to understand and enforce, and adds some restrictions that were not thought about in 1993. The structure is similar but with a reduced number of stages. Stage 1 is the standard annual lawn watering restrictions twice a week and is now invoked automatically. Each stage is progressively restrictive, up to stage 4 with extreme restrictions which would only be invoked in severe emergencies, such as earthquakes or major system failures. The principles behind the Plan are to target ornamental or discretionary uses of water first, while preserving livelihoods as long as practical. Examples of changes are earlier banning of vehicle and boat washing, shutting down of ornamental fountains and acknowledging that sand based playing fields have special needs over ornamental lawns. A copy of the Plan is attached as Appendix A.
As a result of staff discussions about improving communications between the GVWD and its members regarding the potential for shortages, the Plan now includes a water shortage assessment chart. Its purpose is to provide a general guideline to when and why increased water shortage actions (e.g. advancing to a subsequent stage in the WSRP, or increasing water withdrawn from Coquitlam reservoir) may be invoked by the GVRD.
The `At-A-Glance' summary of the WSRP, attached at the end of Plan will be used in the future by City staff to aid in enforcement and public notification efforts.
A meeting was held at the GVRD to hear public input on a revised Plan on May 18, 2004 and at its meeting of May 26, 2004, the GVWD Board approved the revised Plan.
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS
There are no financial implications for implementing Stages 1 or 2. There are minor financial implications due to redeployment of staff and possible legal costs for implementing stages 3 or 4.
IMPLEMENTATION PLAN
The revised Plan cannot be fully implemented until new by-laws to reflect the changes are enacted by each of the GVWD member municipalities. A draft by-law has been prepared by Vancouver staff based on a regional template and revised to suit our unique regulatory environment through the Vancouver Charter. Starting with the regional template ensures region-wide consistency in the regulations and in the enforcement practices. If the Plan is endorsed, the draft By-Law can be enacted by Council in time for this summer. If substantial changes are requested, the existing By-Law will still be in effect for 2004, and the new By-Law could be adopted in the fall for the 2005 season.
CONCLUSION
A revised Water Shortage Response Plan was developed in response to municipal and public input after the summer of 2003. It was subsequently adopted by the GVRD Board on May 26, 2004. The Board has requested that all GVWD members implement the Plan by adopting by-laws to enforce the restrictions under the Plan. If Council endorses the Plan, the new By-Law will be brought forward.
* * * * *
