FAQ's

Three aquifers exist beneath the River’s Edge Water Service Area and are stacked on top of each other at varying depths. The two wells currently in use draw water from the middle aquifer, which has good water quality. As water demand in the service area has increased over time, the middle aquifer has begun to pull in water from the aquifer below it, which has poor water quality. Water consumption in this RDN service area is far above RDN per capita average, particularly in summer months when demand is highest, and has resulted in poor quality water being drawn from the lower aquifer into the middle aquifer. Water quality in the service area will continue to deteriorate if the middle aquifer continues to be contaminated by the lower aquifer.

High summer water consumption in the REWSA is the primary factor causing the deterioration of water quality in the area. To reduce consumption, residents would need to significantly improve conservation measures associated with irrigation. Installing efficient drip irrigation systems, reducing landscaping that requires watering, planting drought-resistant native species, and refraining from watering lawns are all helpful ways to reduce consumption. Please visit rdn.bc.ca/team-watersmart for further water conservation tips and resources, as well as information on available rebates and events in your area.

The drinking water for the River’s Edge Water Service Area comes from two groundwater wells located on Rascal Lane that draw from one of three aquifers located below ground. The water is chlorinated and stored in one reservoir before being distributed to 152 separate water service connections throughout the service area. Sampling and testing of raw and treated water is carried out regularly by the RDN and a third-party laboratory to ensure quality and safety standards are maintained.

An aquifer is an underground area of gravel, sand, or broken rock that allows water to collect beneath the surface. Water is drawn from aquifers via wells and is a very common source of drinking water throughout the world. Unconfined aquifers are permeable and allow water to flow across their borders, while confined aquifers are surrounded by impermeable rock or soil which water cannot pass through. The aquifers near the REWSA are both semi-confined and unconfined, meaning water can travel between systems under certain conditions.

If no action is taken to correct the issue seen in this service area water quality will continue to steadily deteriorate until it is no longer potable. High levels of chloride are found in the lower aquifer at levels that exceed maximum allowable concentrations in drinking water. If water consumption at current levels continues without action, it is expected that sodium and chloride (“salt”) levels in the drinking water aquifer would exceed safe levels in 10 years, at which point the installation of desalination treatment would be necessary. The capital and operating costs associated with desalination are significant.  If alternative solutions are not found, it is possible that permanent Stage 4 watering restrictions could be put in place in the future to reduce water consumption and lessen the demand on the aquifer.

Based on recommendations from a recent hydrogeological and water demand assessment, the RDN proposes to install an additional 3-4 wells in various locations that would further connect the middle aquifer to the service area supply. Installing more wells spread over a greater area will allow each well to be pumped at a slower rate, which will reduce the rate of contamination from the lower aquifer.  

The RDN expects the project to upgrade the water supply in the River’s Edge Water Service Area to take place in 3 phases:

1. Complete preliminary design and cost estimates for the new wells and transmission watermains (2022-2023). (Complete).
2. Engage with service area property owners to inform them of the planned upgrades and the costs involved and carry out a petition project to gain approval to borrow the funds necessary to complete the project (2024).
3. Complete engineering, construct the wells and transmission system, and bring new supply online (2025).

If the project does not proceed or fails, the RDN will still pursue options to defer the need for desalination. Individual property owners drilling their own wells is not a solution to this problem.  

The RDN will only be drilling one well at a time.  If all four test wells fail to meet the required production rates, we would go back to the hydrogeologists and request an additional review of the groundwater well logs (including new wells drilled) in the area, and they would provide the RDN with additional drilling site options. 

The REWSA was established in 2003 by a local developer and then given to the RDN as an asset, as a condition of the development. Since that time, water consumption has continued to rise in the service area, and River’s Edge has been the highest per-capita water consumer of all 9 RDN-managed water service areas for many years. The high rate of consumption and its effect on water quality in the aquifers below the REWSA was not predicted.

Drilling new wells is the most cost-effective and efficient solution to the water quality issue in River’s Edge. Pulling water directly from the Englishman River would require not only a water allocation from the Province which is unlikely to be granted, but also a treatment system and associated surface water infrastructure that would be far more expensive than drilling new wells.

The year 2024 has shown periods of higher-than-normal temperatures and drought, and the forecast is similar for the remainder of the year. Watering restrictions for River’s Edge will be put in place to conserve water in dry months in line with other local water service areas. Moving forward, if water consumption is not reduced in River’s Edge specifically, it is possible that Stage 4 restrictions will be enforced indefinitely to reduce the impact on the source supply. If the water quality improvement petition fails, Stage 4 watering restrictions may be put in place in River’s Edge until a solution to the water quality issue is found.

No. The RDN regularly monitors drinking water in all service areas it manages to ensure only safe water is ever distributed to residents. Exceedances of drinking water quality parameters within this service area's supply are not expected to be seen for approximately 10 years at current consumption rates.

Yes, property owners could install reverse osmosis (R.O.) systems in their homes, but the RDN is still required to protect the actual water utility. The costs of any improvements would still be borne by all of the River's Edge water system users, so installing your own R.O. unit does not mean that you won't pay an equal share of the costs of water utility improvements in the future. 

The petition process method uses paper petitions individually mailed to each property owner to garner support for an initiative. The advantages of a petition process are that it is less expensive than a stand-alone referendum, it involves active elector participation, and the results are easy to interpret. Petition correspondence by mail is considered to be the most fair and equitable way to garner participating area approval and has been widely used within the RDN for water service improvement projects over the past 20 years.  

Only property owners within the River’s Edge Water Service Area (REWSA) can participate in this petition process. Signed petitions in support of a proposed initiative must be returned to the RDN by owners of at least 50% of the parcels in the REWSA, and those parcels must represent at least 50% of the assessed value of all the properties in the REWSA.  

If you are IN FAVOUR of the borrowing of project funds to undertake the River’s Edge Water Quality Improvement Project, then a signed petition must be returned to the RDN before 4:30pm, September 16, 2024.

If you are OPPOSED to the borrowing of project funds to undertake the River’s Edge Water Quality Improvement Project no action is necessary. Unsubmitted petitions are considered to be an expression of opposition.

If the petition passes, the RDN Board of Directors would then consider the results for final approval.  Construction would likely begin in 2025. After construction has been completed, property owners would be notified when their share of the project costs are due and would be given an opportunity to pay the amount as a lump sum, or to amortize the amount on their property taxes for 25 years. 

If the petition fails then funding would not be granted, and this project would not move forward. Water quality levels would be monitored and heightened water conservation measures would likely be put in place for the service area, aiming to reduce the rate of chloride contamination. If water quality continues to degrade, as it is expected to, desalination infrastructure would likely eventually be required. The installation of a desalination facility is not a preferred solution to this issue, as it would require a high cost of construction and ongoing maintenance that would be much more expensive for residents than drilling new wells. Once a desalination facility is needed, the well-drilling solution will no longer be an option as the water quality in the aquifer would no longer be suitable for consumption.

As with every service in the Regional District, the costs of the service area improvements not covered by grant funding must be paid for by the service area participants. This project would be funded by the 157 property owners in the River’s Edge Water Service Area.  There is already $950,000 in funding that has been earmarked for this project (if it goes ahead). The remaining project funds could be borrowed from the Municipal Finance Authority on behalf of the River’s Edge owners. Using an estimated Municipal Finance Authority lending rate of 4.6% and a 25-year amortization period would result in a cost of $15,546 per property, or an estimated annual debt repayment of $1,110 for each of the 157 properties in the River’s Edge water service area.

The final amount owing will depend on the lending rate in place at the time of borrowing.  Lending rates tend to fluctuate from year to year, and the project will take more than one year to complete from its start date.

The Municipal Finance Authority of British Columbia (MFA) was created in 1970 to contribute to the financial well-being of local governments throughout BC. The MFA pools the borrowing and investment needs of BC communities through a collective structure and is able to provide a range of low cost and flexible financial services, regardless of the size of the community. The MFA is independent from the Province of British Columbia and operates under the governance of a Board of Members appointed from the various Regional Districts within the province.  The MFA provides long-term, short-term, and equipment financing, investment management, and other financial services to communities and public institutions in BC.

No project costs would be payable by the River’s Edge property owners until the well drilling and connection mains have been constructed and all costs have been accounted for.  Owners would be given the option to pay their share of the project costs as a lump sum of $15,546 (to avoid interest charges) or pay an additional $1,110 per year for 25 years on their taxes.  

If the project proceeds, and the construction costs start to approach the $3.5M limit promised to the property owners, the RDN has the option to reduce the scope of the project, halt the project, or temporarily suspend the project until additional funds can be secured.

Yes, if the petition project passes approval all property owners will be required to contribute equally to the financing costs.

At the end of construction (if the project proceeds), property owners would be given the opportunity to pay for their share of the project cost (debt) as a lump sum, thereby avoiding interest charges. Doing so would result in a one-time payment of approximately $15,546 per property.

Yes, once the debt amount has been added to a property owner's tax roll, it cannot be removed and will stay as a water quality improvement charge on the property for the stated repayment period of 25 years. 

You can't. Once the water quality improvement charge is added to a property owner's tax roll, it cannot be removed or paid off early. 

A breakdown of the project budget is as follows: 

Other items that are included in the project budget are:

Overall project budget required = $3,496,684

The histogram below shows the number of properties in each tier at increasing levels of daily water use (2023 data). The green line indicates the average daily use per property across all RDN water systems.  The red lines roughly indicate the current three tiers that RDN User Rates (water bills) are based on:  0-0.7 m³/day, 1.0 to 2.0 m³/day, and greater than 2.0 m³/day.