I
introduce my water conservation slide-show (see sample images below) with a
brief look at the desperate water shortages in Lima, Peru. The shanteytown dwellers
on the outskirts of Lima have very poor water supplies - and what they can get
is poor quality.
We return to British Columbia and to Victoria to see our unique water geography, and how our water infrastructure has met the growing population of our region over the past decades. Flying over over the Sooke Reservoir, we can see how the drought of 1998 brought our water supply down to very low levels.
Comparing Victoria to our cities in British Columbia, we have some unique water challenges. For example, our Sooke Reservoir water supply area doesn't have the snow-pack of most other areas.
The challenges of reaching our water supply limits demands new approaches to thinking about how we use water and of water conservation.
Watering cans are a better alternative to that un-nozzled hose that I'm using
in the photo at top!
| Water conservation and conflict in Peru can give us a better idea of really tough situations. The little girl in this Pueblo Joven (shanteytown) outside of Lima, Peru, is standing behind a water-filled ditch. However, her village has not had any water until Peruvians, with Canadian cooperants (WUSC), have begun to contruct a well and distribution pipes. The water in the ditch is for a nearby farmer - the people here cannot use any of it. |  |
| This map of streamflows of British Columbia shows high early - summer peaks of waterflow after snowmelt - in most places in the province. However, in several watersheds on the coast - without snowpack from the mountains, the situation is reversed. Our Sooke Lake Reservoir is an example of a watershed with little or no snowpack. Current runoff conditions of the Fraser River at Hope. |  |
| An aerial view of a log-sorting site on Cowichan Lake. Cowichan Lake water issues have been significant, along with marine (salmon-logs) in Cowichan Bay, and water issues in the Cowichan River. The people of the Cowichan Valley and of Cowichan Lake have tried to develop integrated resource plans and regulations over the years in order to be able to accommodate land uses that could be in conflict. Another issue in the Cowichan Valley water supply mix is groundwater from the Cowichan aquifer, which is vulnerable to pollution. |  |
| The Sooke Lake Reservoir intake tower, shown as it was before the dam was raised in 2002. Adjusting the water intake higher or lower can reduce the amount of algae in the water supply. Algae is commonly seen in summer, when the water is warmer and as the volume of water in the reservoir decreases. |  |
| Sooke Reservoir, looking down onto the dam and the intake tower. This image shows clearly how shallow the reservoir is at this south end, and the impacts of significant drought on the water supply. See weekly Water Level Photos of Sooke Reservoir. |  |
| Dedicated volunteers, including Mrs. Connie Morgan, ex-chair of the CRD's Water Advisory Committee, participate in water conservation displays at several home-shows in the region. Its a good way of reaching people who are considering home renovations - and who could install low-flow toilets and showerheads, as well as micro-drip irrigation systems. |  |
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Some of our home water conservation tools, including a low-flow showerhead, a shower flow gauge bag, a restaurant JUST ASK "table tent", a clear-plastic tube lawn sprinkling measure, some toilet tank dye tablets, and a fridge magnet lawn watering schedule. Demand management has become a significant tool of the CRD's water management system Watersaver Tip: |
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Niagara Creek waterfall, just before it flows under the Island Highway at Finlayson Arm. Enjoying the recreational use of our water heritage is a right for everybody, but we should be vigilant in our efforts to consume only what we need. |
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