Tofino, BC out of water??

Started by CK, Aug 30 06 12:29

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CK

[A href="vny!://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20060830/tofino_water_060830/20060830?hub=TopStories"]vny!://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20060830/tofino_water_060830/20060830?hub=TopStories[/A]

   [H3]Extreme water shortage hits B.C. tourist town[/H3] [P class=timeStamp]Updated Wed. Aug. 30 2006 9:03 AM ET

 [P class=storyAttributes]CTV.ca News Staff

 

 

 An extreme water shortage in the Vancouver Island resort town of Tofino has prompted calls for commercial businesses to shut down as the final long weekend of the summer approaches.

 

 Water is so scarce in the tourist hot spot and community of 1,500 that there are worries there wouldn't be enough water if a fire were to hit the town.

 

 "That's why the panic's on," Mayor John Fraser said Tuesday afternoon.

 

 The B.C. government said it's monitoring the situation, and said hospitals, seniors' homes and residences won't run out of water during the shortage.

 

 Nevertheless, the District of Tofino issued an order to move to Level 5 regulations -- Level 6, the highest level, means a complete shutoff of taps.

 

 Tourists would normally be coming from all over the world to enjoy Tofino's spectacular scenery around the Pacific Rim National Park and stay at the world-renowned resorts, including the posh Wikckaninnish Inn this Labour Day long weekend.

 

 Now, businesses are scrambling to call their clients, telling them to stay away as they're being ordered to shut down by Friday.

 

 "We've had six and a half weeks now without any rain," Leif Pedersen, administrator for the District of Tofino, told CTV Vancouver.

 

 Added Fraser: "Now we're asking the businesses, essentially all commercial businesses, to close down until it rains."

 

 Tofino is located in a coastal rainforest that gets more than three metres of rain every year. But Pederson said high demand and low supply means the levels are low in district's main reservoir on Meares Island.

 

 Pedersen said fire trucks will be bringing in water to top up the Lovekin Reservoir at the south end of the district. He's also looking at ways to truck in more water, including from Ucluelet, about a 30-minute drive from Tofino.

 

 Municipal staff issues a public notice Tuesday, calling on local businesses to cut back on water or shut down.

 

 "The water shortage has become extremely severe,'' the notice reads.

 

 "All lodging, food service businesses are asked to shut down prior to Friday, September 1st, 2006 until further notice. Other commercial water users must not consume any water whatsoever."

 

 The notice said priority will be given to continued residential use.

 

 "We're going to try to save what water we have to keep residences with water as long as we can," Mayor Fraser told CTV Vancouver.

 

 The order will stay in effect until there is significant rain in the area, and would affect hotels, restaurants, bars, retailers and bed-and-breakfasts.

 

 According to Coun. Derek Shaw, the district needs at least two days of rain before businesses can open again.

 

 He said Tofino has been vulnerable for a long time because the last significant water-supply upgrade took place in 1991 -- and nothing has been done to add capacity since then.

 

 Whaylon Arthur, a Tofino resident, told CP that the district should have known this was coming and warned people sooner.

 

 "It's a bit drastic and it's a bit panicky," he said.

 

 But Pedersen said the water shortage became more severe than was expected.

 

 The municipality implemented Level 4 water regulations last week, meaning residents were prohibited from washing vehicles or watering lawns.

 

 Boil order

 

 For now, Tofino has switched to a back-up water source, Ginnard Creek, for residents' use only -- but that water is under a boil-water advisory.

 

 "We'll be testing it in, I believe, in four spots each day," said the mayor, "and if it comes back in good enough shape then they'll (call) the boil-water warning off."

 

 In December 2005, the Community Services Ministry said Tofino was eligible for grant money to upgrade its water system after the district experienced low water levels in the summer of 2004.

 

 A joint federal, provincial and municipal water system improvement project -- estimated to cost about $6 million -- is scheduled for completion in 2007.

 

 With files from the Canadian Press and a report by CTV Vancouver's Michelle Simick

 [img alt="Hosted by FreeImageHosting.net Free Image Hosting Service" src="vny!://img3.freeimagehosting.net/uploads/cf8c47689c.jpg"]

 What the F***!!? This is scary stuff!


Sportsdude

How can someone run out of water when they are right next to the ocean?
"We can't stop here. This is bat country."

CK

Or part of a rain forest. I know its a dry time of year there. I was in Tofino in September last year and the creeks were hardly trickling. There is not a lot of huge mountains there for much of a snow pact.

  ...but..if the whole eastern seaboard of the USA and lets say Los Angeles,  seems to have a steady flow of water, how come a tiny tourist town in the rain forest is having troubles?

Sportsdude

yeah they must have bad water mangement
"We can't stop here. This is bat country."

CK

Yet, they want to build a "Jack Nicklaus" signature golf course in neighbor Ucluelet? You know how much water that would use?

SMAAART!

49er

CK wrote:
   ...but..if the whole eastern seaboard of the USA and lets say Los Angeles,  seems to have a steady flow of water, how come a tiny tourist town in the rain forest is having troubles?

 

 
 

   Remember LA/Southern California get their water from Northern California via miles of aqueducts

CK

oh I see. It must take a lot of water to fill all the swimming pools in Malibu and Beverly Hills hey?!

  I guess a fishing/tourist village on the other side of an island where most of the population is wouldn't have enough infrastructure in place to be prepared for such an emergency. Most people that lived there for many years, have never even dreamed it would happen. On the plus side, the rainy season is knocking on the door.

weird al

Let them drink Chardonnay!

Sportsdude

If it gets really bad they could start boiling there own urine but thats when people start getting desperate.
"We can't stop here. This is bat country."

49er

invest in a desalinization plant....and convert sea water into fresh water

Sportsdude

I don't think they can its a UNESCO World Heritage site.
"We can't stop here. This is bat country."