News
Summer 2025 Newsletter
Important note: In this newsletter, the WPS Board of Directors announced this year’s AGM for September 19th. This was incorrect. The correct date is September 18th.
WPS president Jean Wilkinson welcomes intern Lindsay Martin, and looks ahead to the community consultation process for revisions to SSI’s Official Community Plan.
Board member Ian Peace notes the ecological impacts of sunscreen.
Consider reducing your use of sunscreens when swimming in our lakes and beaches, with special care taken in lakes that provide drinking water to local families and farms.
Rainwater gardening expert Sharon Bywater reports on a successful public workshop.
Creating systems for outdoor use doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive if you work with gravity, Do-It-Yourself, and use some recycled materials. [You can] create a system specific to individual needs and the ecosystem in which you garden.
Photo: C. Drake A misty morning in the Garry oak meadow at Andreas Vogt Nature Reserve. Restoration of these rare ecosystems is slow but very important for many native species-at-risk.
Photo: J. Wilkinson Garden Club members listening to Sharon Bywater explaining rainwater catchment systems.
Winter 2025 Newsletter
WPS president Jean Wilkinson shares updates on WPS advocacy regarding new connections in the North Salt Spring Island Waterworks District, announces the new WPS website, and reminds members to renew their memberships.
Rainwater collection expert Sharon Bywater muses about a life of observing human impacts on nature, and shares some tips on overwintering a rainwater system.
My father took me birding and taught me how to identify birds and about the habitat they need to thrive. Inevitably, these lessons would lead to his explaining how poorly planned development was impacting the survival of the very birds we were spotting.
Dog-lover and WPS vice-president Chris Drake addresses the impact of dogs on natural spaces, and asks owners to keep their canine friends on a leash.
Remember, dogs are apex predators […] One study found dog-walking in a forest led to a 35% reduction in bird diversity. Another study indicated lower deer numbers within 100 metres of a trail and fewer small mammals within 50 metres of a trail. […] Dogs swimming in wetlands destroy fragile amphibian and insect eggs, and their waste also impacts water quality.
A snowy view of the Garry Oak Demonstration Ecosystem at Blackburn Lake Nature Reserve.
Fall 2024 Newsletter
WPS President Jean Wilkinson welcomes Sharon Bywater to the WPS board of directors.
Fairgoers Sharon Bywater and Chris Drake describe WPS outreach activities at the Fall Fair, and report on the many creative ways in which Salt Springers conserve water.
The enthusiasm shown for water conservation was certainly inspiring. And though the suggestions were often what individuals can do, a lot of discussion concentrated on the ways society and industry waste and misuse water. […] Ensuring there is enough drinking water for all people plus the environment is a challenging task, but one that many keen Salt Springers are ready to take on.
Science geek and WPS vice-president Chris Drake shares some interesting facts about water molecules.
Perhaps the desire to protect clean water can come from a deeper understanding of what makes it so special.
The WPS board of directors is seeking tech help, and especially someone to help maintain the WPS website.
Cattails around Hitchcock pond at Blackburn Lake Nature Reserve. These hardy wetland plants are a traditional food source and can outcompete invasive s yellow-flag iris.
Some of the responses from our Fall Fair attendees survey.
Summer 2024 Newsletter
WPS President Jean Wilkinson reports on broom removal, collaboration with the Stqeeye’ Society at Xwaaqw’um, and advocacy against the Vortex development; and congratulates WPS members Wayne and Doreen Hewitt on receiving an exciting award.
Avid reader and WPS vice-president Chris Drake reviews the book Eat, Poop, Die: How Animals Make Our World, by Joe Roman (2023).
As someone who’s worked in restoration ecology for many years, I found this fascinating book encouraged me to look at the natural world in an entirely new way, through poop-coloured glasses.
Freshwater catalogue co-ordinator Joanne Millson champions the citizen scientists who are helping us know more about our precious water resources.
Salt Spring Island (183 km²) has just one funded province station in operation [and so is somewhat] reliant on our citizen science work. […] Our community science information supports future policies to ensure the responsible use of, and equitable access to, this precious, shared, resource—freshwater.
The WPS board of directors announces this year’s AGM date, a list of proposed constitutional amendments, and instructions on proxy voting.
Photo: Chris Drake Red columbine, called “red rain flowers” in Haida, is one of our gorgeous native spring wildflowers popular with hummingbirds and butterflies.
“Salt Spring water: a developing storyline” (Driftwood, Dec 2023)
Joanne Millson, Anne Parkinson, Samantha Scott, and Peter Ross tell Driftwood readers about the W̱E¸NÁ¸NEĆ/Hwune’nuts (Fulford Harbour) study.
A first glimpse into water quality in Fulford streams provides some reason for optimism, but suggests that we may wish to dig a little deeper into contaminants that were not part of this study. In-depth knowledge will provide meaningful guidance for best practices in Fulford-area watersheds.
REPORT: Pilot water quality report for streams discharging into W̱E¸NÁ¸NEĆ/Hwune’nuts (Fulford Harbour) (Nov 2023)
WPS-affiliated scientist Joanne Millson co-authored (along with P.S. Ross, A. Parkinson, and S. Scott) a scientific paper whose findings show the presence of biocontaminants in the Fulford Harbour basin. The paper was published by the Raincoast Conservation Foundation.
[…] We conducted a small-scale study of water quality in seven creeks entering Fulford Harbour at three points in time in 2022 and 2023. Measurements were made of basic water properties in situ, including temperature, conductivity, pH, dissolved oxygen (DO), and flow. […]
Basic freshwater properties data fell within the range measured previously both in Fulford Harbour streams and at other freshwater sampling sites on Salt Spring Island. […] There were no exceedances of BC Environmental Quality Guidelines for the protection of aquatic life for any of the water properties or metals. Fecal coliforms were detected in 93% of water samples, and E. coli was detected in 91% of samples, indicative of land-based biological contamination of creeks from wildlife, livestock, pets and/or humans. Fecal coliform [and E. coli counts] were highest in summer […]. Variations in E. coli in some creeks highlight the potential for sporadic releases of pathogens into Fulford Harbour. […] [This is concerning given the] anticipated future re-opening of shellfish harvesting […]
Photo: Alex Harris Study authors Millson, Ross, Parkinson, and Scott testing water quality in the Fulford Creek estuary
Fall 2023 Newsletter
WPS President Jean Wilkinson welcomes Giselle Pacquet and Doug Wahlsten to the WPS Board of Directors, asks members to write to local trustees about Bylaw 530, and celebrates a new partnership with Transition Salt Spring’s Climate Action Research Lab.
World traveller and WPS vice-president Chris Drake reflects on forest restoration efforts in Ireland and on Salt Spring.
There are only pockets of ancient forests remaining in most developed countries, and those are threatened in myriad ways. Fortunately, there are also many groups of environmentalists dedicated to forest conservation and restoration.
Freshwater Catalogue (FWC) co-ordinator Joanne Millson celebrates the FWC’s achievements on the occasion of its five-year anniversary, and looks to the project’s future.
Rainwater gardening expert Sharon Bywater gives tips for water-efficient gardening in autumn.
Fall is the time to rake up leaves, spread them on garden beds, and fill bags or bins to use next spring and summer.
Fall means fungus! Keep your eyes open for the Fly Agaric or Amanita muscaria, a forest mushroom that forms a mycorrhizal relationship with conifers but is poisonous (and psychoactive) to humans.
Spring 2023 Newsletter
WPS President Jean Wilkinson reports on public education campaigns from articles in the Driftwood to showings of a WPS-produced film at the Salt Spring Island Film Festival; and successful WPS advocacy on behalf of the SSI Watershed Protection Alliance.
The WPS board of directors asks members to help enforce trail-use rules in the St. Mary Lake Watershed Reserve.
We believe most people are respectful of the sensitive nature of this area and follow the posted rules. We continue, however, to have problems with unleashed dogs, horses, and bikes, as well as obvious use of unauthorized or closed trails. Our legal covenant on the property strictly forbids these situations, as they negatively impact the land and water quality.
Rainwater collection expert Sharon Bywater shares a wealth of tips for beginning the garden season, with a focus on food-gardening.
Finally, the WPS board of directors announces this year’s AGM date and instructions for proxy voting.
Fall 2022 Newsletter
SSI Middle School student and activist Quyên Fernandez writes about his participation in the Freshwater Catalogue citizen science initiative, the importance of watersheds, and how Indigenous knowledge-keepers helped him to develop “two-eyed seeing.”
First, we use a special instrument called an Oakton to check pH, conductivity, and temperature of the water. We take a cup of water from the creek and insert the device, and it will read the measurements for us to record. These measurements help determine if fish can live in healthy creeks. If it’s too acidic, nothing can live. Second, we take a wetted width of the creek to see how wide the creek is that week. We use a long bendy ruler. We use a steel ruler to measure the depth of the creek at each 20 cm span. Third, we send a stick or sometimes Mr. Duckie (a rubber duck) down the creek, and we use a timer to see how fast he swims. This shows the flow of the creek, which helps determine how much water is flowing out.
Freshwater Catalogue (FWC) co-ordinator Joanne Millson shares updates on collaboration with the Stqeeye' Learning Society, additions to the FWC website, and the role of FWC data in CRD decision-making.
WPS president Jean Wilkinson announces a celebratory tour of the recently-purchased Larmour lands, reports on some advocacy actions, and notes that the board of directors is looking for a new treasurer. (Thank you to Judy McLennan for your years of excellent work in this role!)
Rainwater collection expert Sharon Bywater provides a list of native and non-native garden species that are drought-tolerant.
The weather extremes of 2021 and 2022 make it clear that our gardening practices must evolve if we are going to create resilient garden ecosystems. Not only do we have to be water efficient, we should also be thinking of how we can support biodiversity in our plant choices.
Summer 2022 Newsletter
The WPS Board of Directors announces this year’s AGM date (June 10th) and provides instructions for registration or voting by proxy.
Tree enthusiast and WPS vice-president Chris Drake writes an ode to the shade of a bigleaf maple.
[T]here is no cooler place in the forest than under an old, mossy Bigleaf maple tree. […] As they grow, maple trees provide habitat for an incredible array of flora and fauna. If that maple you plant makes it to old age, just think of all the creatures that will get a home in that tree, the birds and bats that will roost, the moss and lichen that will proliferate, the leaves that will drop, nurture, and protect.
Rainwater collection expert Sharon Bywater describes the important role of mulching in water-efficient gardening.
Think of the garden as a forest — all vegetation that falls to the ground will break down over time, ensuring healthy, moisture-retentive soil for the future. Apply this lesson from nature to your gardening practice: plant material that comes out of the garden goes back on top of the soil in the form of a mulch.
After the success of Alex Harris’s WPS-funded short film, Joanne Millson lays out the plan for longer works.
The WPS Board of Directors calls for volunteers for a fun work party on the St. Mary Lake bench lands.
Spring 2022 Newsletter
WPS president Jean Wilkinson honours the legacy of Susan Bloom and Nancy Braithwaite, and encourages members to respond to a BC government request for public input regarding watershed security.
Rainwater collection expert Sharon Bywater begins a six-part series on water-efficient gardening.
In my experience, rain barrels are like peanuts: there is no stopping at just one! My partner and I began our rainwater journey about 20 years ago with the installation of one 65-gallon barrel. When we saw how quickly it filled, we were hooked! […] Our garden has been supported by rainwater alone for many years now, including last summer’s drought. Our catchment holds 4500 litres (about 1100 gallons) of water. If you’re paying consumption fees for water, you’ll find the savings in reduced water use will offset some of the cost of your catchment system over time.
The WPS Board of Directors writes to the Driftwood regarding changes to housing bylaws and their impact on water security, and requests support for the filming of a longer documentary film.
“Salt Spring Island’s dueling crises” (Capital Daily, Aug 2021)
The Capital Daily’s Jimmy Thomson’s long-form piece explores the tension between housing and water issues.
Salt Spring’s decisions now—whether or not to house those who need housing; to protect its vital water supply; to maintain the systems, human and natural, that keep the water clean and plentiful—are going to shape how it comes into the era of unimaginable change.
Fall 2021 Newsletter
Bryophile and WPS vice-president Chris Drake encourages us to pay attention to mosses.
Though flowering plants are battening down the hatches and preparing for winter dormancy, mosses delight in the dampness and the lack of competition. It may be fall for us, but for them it’s springtime.
WPS president Jean Wilkinson celebrates the protection of the Larmour lands, and reports on WPS advocacy with the SSI Watershed Protection Alliance and stewardship of the St. Mary Lake reserve.
Larmour lands project partner Jonnie Penn thanks WPS for helping him achieve a dream, and describes the hard work of building a homestead on the ALR section of the Larmour lands.
Hour by hour, week by week, all the way through the summer and into the early autumn, we pulled up invasive plants, steel springs, broken glass (so, so much broken glass), rusted tins, scattered plastics, old TVs, bottles, tools, sinks, bicycles, beds; the list goes on. As is true of every old home, and particularly of farm land active before the introduction of communal waste processing facilities, the valley had its share of material inheritances. We called every cousin and friend available to help in the restoration process. That more than one showed up to help with a new baby on their hip is a testament to the multi-generational restoration project this farm has become.
The WPS Board of Directors posts volunteer opportunities with the Vancouver Island Water Watch coalition and the WPS annual fall planting.
Summer 2021 Newsletter
Incoming WPS president Jean Wilkinson thanks outgoing president Maxine Leichter for her hard work on behalf of the society, and reports on several initiatives.
WPS-affiliated scientists Maggie Squires and Drew Bodaly have published a book based on their studies of watersheds on Salt Spring and Cortes Islands.
The WPS Board of Directors calls for volunteers to help with our MailChimp email list and Facebook page, and recommends a couple of film about fresh water.
Maxine Leichter reports on groundwater testing policies.
Islands Trust Freshwater Specialist (William Shulba) had recommended that our SSI Local Trustees pass a bylaw to provide stricter requirements for pumping tests to show if a subdivision has sufficient water for development. His report suggested that tests should include determining possible impacts on neighbouring wells. […] The province has given our Local Trust Committee little power to protect our water supply. But here’s something that they can do to help prevent groundwater overuse and wells going dry in the summer, as has already happened in many homes in the north island.
WPS film executive Joanne Millson describes how the WPS will shift its public engagement strategy in the context of the COVID pandemic.
“Larmour Lands purchase deadline looms” (Driftwood, May 2021)
Gail Sjuberg’s article calls on Salt Springers to meet the fundraising goal that would protect 20 acres of forest around Cusheon Creek.
“We are hoping to have a purchase offer by the end of this month and we are hoping to bridge the gap in our funding, which is something like $100,000,” said Rodney Polden, who has been working on the conservation campaign in one way or another for well over a year.
Spring 2021 Newsletter
The WPS Board of Directors announces this year’s AGM, which will be held on Zoom on April 8th.
WPS president Maxine Leichter says the organization has become overextended and will require more board members and volunteers to continue operating at its current level.
We are at a crossroads. Either we recruit more board members or volunteers, pay for assistance, reduce the number of projects, or transition these to other SSI organisations—or some or all of the above. Paying for assistance, especially legal support, will be expensive and could deplete our reserves, most of which come from one bequest. The majority of annual income comes from a few major donors whose funding is discretionary from year to year. Using reserves may be risky given that we are still under the cloud of a lawsuit from the owner of the yet-to-be developed Channel Ridge lands.
This article is to reach out to you, our members and ask for your advice and your help. What do you think are our core tasks and responsibilities? If we have to cut back, what should be reduced? If you have professional or volunteer experience that could be applied to help, or have other ideas about our future, please contact us at ssiwps@gmail.com.
“One Cool Island: On rain-soaked Salt Spring, every drop is precious” (Driftwood, April 2021)
Transition Salt Spring’s Andra Palframan describes the severity of summer drought on the Island, the risk of climate change making it worse, and some of the ways in which Salt Springers are taking action to address it.
Salt Spring’s newly released Climate Action Plan weaves the links between rainfall, freshwater and forest conservation. While setting out a bold plan to reduce island emissions by 50 per cent by 2030, the plan also lays out a stark warning: the future viability and safety of our island’s drinking water will be under increasing threat if we do not act now to protect ecosystems ahead of increasing drought, higher temperatures and damaging storms.
“An opportunity to help protect the forest on lot F of the Larmour lands” (Salt Spring Exchange, Nov 2020)
Corinne Boucher’s article makes the case for preserving 20 acres around Cusheon Creek.
SSI Water Preservation Society is pleased to participate in this campaign to protect the lands once owned by a founder of the society, Mike Larmour. Mike understood the importance of protecting water resources and watersheds. Undisturbed wetlands and forests filter and purify water as it percolates through the soils, providing good quality drinking water for residents throughout the whole area. Protecting the ecological values of this land in perpetuity will honour Mike’s lifetime work and legacy.
“Funds needed to complete Larmour land purchase” (Driftwood, Sep 2020)
Gail Sjuberg makes the case for preserving 20 acres around Cusheon Creek, and describes WPS’s important role in the fundraising effort.
SSIWPS president Maxine Leichter said her group was pleased to step up and take on that crucial role. “It’s just a fabulous opportunity to acquire a beautiful property to help us protect the Cusheon Lake watershed,” she said, adding, “We fear if we don’t buy it it will be logged like the other parcel [on Beddis Road], which would be bad for the watershed.”
“ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT: The Saga of a ‘Sustainable’ Planned Village on Salt Spring Island, 1985-2016.” (BC Studies, Sep 2020)
Professor emeritus Jack Little’s article explores the history of the Channel Ridge development from a socio-environmental lens. WPS members may be interested as we are currently in a legal dispute with the developers.
As a newcomer to Salt Spring and a regular walker on Channel Ridge, I began to wonder how the abandoned development site could come into being on an island that has long been experiencing pressure for more population growth. […] The first questions this research note addresses, then, are: What happened and why? On a broader scale, it asks what this environmental scar reveals about recent attitudes towards the natural environment and about the relationship between property developers and the wants and needs of the broader community.
Spring 2020 Newsletter
WPS president Maxine Leichter reports that the AGM has been postponed due to the COVID pandemic, but that the society’s finances are strong. In separate articles, she provides a summary of currently relevant data from the North Salt Spring Waterworks District, CRD, and Salt Spring Island Watershed Preservation Alliance, writes about groundwater testing requirements, and announces a new grant awarded to the Freshwater Catalogue.
Winter 2020 Newsletter
WPS president Maxine Leichter summarizes all WPS activity during 2019. In a separate article, she shares two provincial water reports urging action to protect BC water.
Approximately 63% of BC’s population (2.9 million people) live in water-stressed areas.
The WPS Board of Directors seeks a volunteer to tally grocery tapes from Country Grocer.
Winter 2019 Newsletter
Maxine Leichter sounds the alarm on deforestation in important watershed areas.
The relationship between trees and water is inherent in healthy forests. Water availability directly influences watershed ecological function and sustains healthy forests as a whole. Forests are a mosaic landscape of ecology and geology that maintains water storage and contributes to water quality by filtering through forest soils and biomass […] Tree canopies collect rainfall, releasing it slowly into forest floor that contributes to the health of the forest ecosystems and contribute significantly to sustained groundwater recharge.”
Chris Drake insists on an ethically demanding definition of “stewardship.”
In its simplest sense, environmental stewardship means taking care of the ecosystem […] Part of environmental stewardship is knowing your place in nature. […] And though forest ecosystems are resilient to a certain amount of disturbance, they can change to a poorly-functioning landscape if too many stresses occur at the same time. If human impacts across a landscape are to be balanced, then people need to be excluded from certain areas.
Joanne Millson provides a primer on the science of groundwater systems.
An idea of the extent of the island’s shallow glacial sediments (and any potential associated shallow aquifers) can be gleaned from looking at the island’s landscape. Areas of smoother, gentler, rounder terrain, distinctively horizontal(-ish) benches of land, thicker and variable soils, and sometimes poor drainage may be associated with the legacy deposits of glaciation.
Fall 2018 Newsletter
The WPS Board of Directors announces the WPS fall speaker series, which features David Rapport and William Shulba.
Engineer Donald Hodgins gets into the nitty-gritty on water allocations.
When a resource is over-allocated, restrictions become severe and more frequent as the climate warms. The supplier then faces a number of challenges: summer revenue is reduced because less water is used and can be offset only through higher rates. This is not in the interest of either ratepayers or the service district. Restrictions can also be difficult to enforce and administratively time-consuming.
Freshwater Catalogue co-ordinator Joanne Millson gives an update on WPS’s flagship citizen science project.
Currently, we are focusing on the quantity of standing and surface water. If water flows throughout the summer, a component may be from groundwater. Standing water may indicate a groundwater recharge area. Both provide valuable information that can improve our understanding of the linkages between our surface and ground water.
Spring 2018 Newsletter
Joanne Millson announces a major new citizen science project: the Freshwater Catalogue.
This catalogue will be a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) online map documenting the island’s key water features […] New information will be gathered on creeks, ponds, and lakes and will include location, changes with the seasons, surrounding vegetation, and local terrain. […] It will support expert analysis into better protection and management of the island’s surface and subsurface water supply, water quality, and wildlife habitat conservation and protection.
In a separate article, she describes the science of groundwater percolation.
The WPS Board of Directors announces this year’s AGM date: 3:30 on April 24 at the SSI Conservancy meeting room.
REPORT: “Water diversion license limits for St. Mary Lake” (Feb 2018)
WPS-affiliated scientist Donald O. Hodgins has released a report on the capacity of the St. Mary Lake watershed under a variety of scenarios.
The Province issues licenses for surface water withdrawal [that specify] the maximum amount that can be withdrawn over a defined period of time, usually one day or one year. For St. Mary Lake, all licenses total 573 dam³ [1 dam³ = 1,000,000 L] for the critical June-October summer season. However, for an extreme drought the available safe yield during summer is about 350 to 380 dam³, substantially less than allowed by license. […]
[T]he basic design principle is to allocate water licenses up to a limit that is available for climate average hydrological conditions, taking critical environmental flow thresholds into account. The Province recognizes that the full allocation will not be met during droughts, and has implemented a complex procedure for restricting or denying withdrawals. […] The weaknesses [of this principle] are obvious: there are dry winters when the runoff is inadequate to replenish the fully allocated storage, and there are summer droughts that result in significant shortages of water to meet the licensed withdrawal total. Periods when restrictions come into force are inevitable.
Current demand appears to be well below the licensed total for St. Mary Lake. […] However, summer demand (June-October) is roughly 340 dam³ without water restrictions, leaving a reserve of about 12% of the safe yield [figure adjusted for environmental flows and evaporation].
REPORT: “Drought-limited water supply and demand for St. Mary Lake and Lake Maxwell” (Feb 2018)
WPS-affiliated scientist Donald O. Hodgins urges caution regarding the creation of new water licenses in north Salt Spring Island.
The maximum amount of water available from St. Mary Lake and Lake Maxwell for potable supply is about 1,000 to 1,100 dam³/year [1 dam³ = 1,000,000 L]. This is the limit for the worst drought on record for the past 100 years. It is sufficient to supply about 4,000 single-family dwellings each year. Current demand (2017) is approximately 880 to 900 dam³/yr, leaving a reserve of 15% to 20% of supply (about 170 dam³ or 660 single-family dwellings). Climate change over the next 100 years could potentially reduce this reserve by about one-half. The safe supply reserve would then be less than 100 dam³, or approximately 300 to 350 single-family dwellings. […]
Water diversion licenses issued by the Province for both lakes total 2257 dam³/yr, more than twice the supply available in a severe drought. [This does not] seem appropriate for future planning, and for allocation of the water resource.
Channel Ridge lawsuit update (Jan 2018)
The WPS Board of Directors reports that the new owner of the Channel Ridge development may proceed with the lawsuit, and lays out the Society’s legal strategy.
Senior lawyers at Woodward and Company in Victoria are handling WPS’s defence. They have been WPS's lawyers since the early 1980s and are familiar with its history. WPS thinks that the plaintiffs’ legal argument for the return of the watershed lands is weak. However, WPS has to defend itself or possibly lose the lands. Legal costs could be $50,000 or more depending on how long the legal wrangling goes on. […] The WPS Board of Directors is taking this challenge very seriously and will strive to do its utmost to maintain ownership of these lands, which are a precious resource for the entire Salt Spring Island community.
REPORT: Safe yield analysis for surface water resources (Aug 2017)
WPS-affiliated scientist Donald Hodgins has released a paper analyzing water flows on SSI during extremely low-precipitation years. This paper has been independently reviewed by Professor Steven Weijs of the Civil Engineering Department at the University of British Columbia.
June-October yield values of ~ 415 dam³ [1 dam³ = 1,000,000 L] in 2015 have a return period of about 25 years, with an equivalent annual yield of 705 dam³. 1987, the worst drought year on record, has a return period of 80 years, with a yield of ~ 360 dam³ (annual 612 dam³).
For return periods of 50 to 100 years, the dry-season yield would be about 380 to 350 dam³ respectively. The annual equivalent is 650 to 595 dam³. Current withdrawals (2014) are about 580 dam³, leaving little additional capacity in St. Mary Lake.
Increasing the storage until refilling limits withdrawals would provide about 930 dam³ annually, assuming that winter outflows equivalent to what currently is discharged through the fish ladder would be acceptable to the BC Ministry of Environment. If higher environmental flows are required, the benefit of raising the weir is reduced. […]
The yield calculations for 2009, 2014 and 2015 are considered reliable because of the weir control of outflows and relatively good information on withdrawals. The long-term yield estimates for 1981-2006 are less certain because of possible errors in the discharge estimates to Duck Creek, in withdrawals, and the difficulties is calculating changes in storage from the adjusted water level series. Application of a hydrological model, including a rigorous uncertainty analysis for the yield estimates, should be considered to further support the safe yield assessment.
REPORT: Linking watershed exports & the ecology of Blackburn & Cusheon Lake, 2014-16
WPS members (and scientists) Maggie Squires and Drew Bodaly have released a scientific paper summarizing the results of an extensive study of the Blackburn & Cusheon Lake watersheds. The WPS Board of Directors would like to thank both authors and the many citizen scientists who assisted with the project for their excellent work.
Over a 2-year period, a group of volunteer Citizen and Professional scientists closely monitored lake inflows and outflows […] and the water chemistry of tributary streams and lake water […] at Blackburn and Cusheon Lake […]. Chemical measurements included dissolved inorganic and total phosphorus (P), nitrate (NO₃), suspended sediment, and dissolved organic carbon. Calculations included chemical export coefficients for nine tributary and lake inflow and outflow streams, and water budgets and [phosphorus] loads […].
Major new findings include the following:
• groundwater appears to be an underappreciated flow component
• septic field failures at the Cedar View Trailer Park may episodically contribute nutrients to Cusheon Lake
• net dissolved inorganic [phosophorus] load was substantially lower than the previously modeled estimate of [phosphorus] load (CWMP 2007) yet provided realistic predictions of lake water phosphorus concentration
• lake waters undergo strong seasonal cycles including NO₃ depletion-replenishment, and low-high water clarity.[…] Both lakes were relatively turbid during the winter when flushing with inflow water was frequent, and relatively clear during the spring-summer when inflow and outflow ceased; and, in both lakes, a late summer/early fall algal bloom was triggered by internal mixing (deepening of the epilimnion) and bloom collapse coincided with lake turnover (mixing to the lake bottom). The biomass of algal blooms was greater at Blackburn than at Cusheon.
Lake and bloom enhancement was due, we think, to internal loading via ebullition and flotation of sediment rafts. Based on summer chlorophyll and [total phosphorus] levels in lake water […] Blackburn Lake is between mesotrophy (intermediate productivity) and eutrophy (high productivity) while Cusheon is between oligotrophy (low productivity) and mesotrophy. Both lakes had relatively high mean summer water clarity for their trophic status and likely this was due to zooplankton grazing that kept chlorophyll concentration (algal biomass) lower than expected for late winter/early spring [phosphorus] levels.
Recommendations for improving lake water quality include
• monitoring outflow from the garbage transfer station (once a garbage dump):
• regular inspection of lakeshore and streamside septic fields (by residents) to detect and repair field failures as soon as they occur
• a halt in activities that discourage beaver dams and log jams at the Cusheon Lake outflow; rewatering of the Blackburn wetlands
• removal of the abandoned pump house and pipes on the Blackburn lakeshore and of the pumps, pipes, and rock dam in the vicinity of the Blackburn Lake outflow
• seeking of public support for the installation of holding tanks where septic fields are within 100 feet of the Cusheon lakeshore.
REPORT: “Rainwater Harvesting: An Investigation of the Current Use on Salt Spring Island” (Aug 2017)
University students Kendra Anderson, Angela LeBlanc, Charlene Lloyd, and Derek Wilcox explore the use and potential of rainwater collection as a water-conservation strategy. (WPS was not involved in the research or writing of this study).
SSI is an ideal location to encourage [rainwater harvesting] at a broad scale because of the supportive an environmentally conscious community. Overall, residents expressed concern surrounding the costs associated with [rainwater harvesting] systems. Additionally, existing regulations are affecting public perceptions regarding the accessibility and ease of installing these systems. Education on water conservation and the benefits of [rainwater harvesting] is clearly lacking for those that are not experiencing water shortages.
REPORT: “Maxwell Lake, Rippon Creek and Larmour Creek Watersheds water availability — climate change assessment” (Apr 2017)
Engineers Craig Sutherland and Wendy Yao were commissioned by the North Salt Spring Island Waterworks District to study the effects of climate change on sustainable withdrawal levels in the Lake Maxwell watershed. (WPS was not involved in the research or writing of this study).
Although there is sufficient storage to support withdrawal to NSWWD water system up to the licensed withdrawal limit there would not be sufficient inflow under 10-year drought conditions to refill Maxwell Lake prior to following summer draw down period. [We recommend that withdrawals] from Maxwell Lake be capped at 72% of the licenced withdrawal limit (477,900 m³) such that inflow from Larmour Creek, Rippon Creek and Maxwell Lake watersheds can refill Maxwell Lake after 10-year drought conditions
REPORT: “Brief report and feasibility study on desalinization for Salt Spring Island BC” (Feb 2016)
Mechanical engineering student Devesh Bharadwaj prepared this study for the Salt Spring Island Community Economic Development Commission. (WPS was not involved in the research or writing of this study).
Using a desalination plant not only accommodates for the increase in water demand but can also make the island independent of the rainfall rate and groundwater levels as the main source of water. […] With the low GHG emissions associated with electricity use for the potential plant and multiple options of sea water intake and brine disposal, a desal plant can be a reliable option with minimal environmental effects.
NSSWD releases sustainable water management strategy (Jun 2015)
[Click the headline to view the document]
“About cyanobacterial blooms” (Driftwood, Jan 2011)
WPS co-founder Mike Larmour flags a water-quality concern at St. Mary Lake.
Many years ago, as I walked along the shoreline of St. Mary Lake, I was struck by the sight of a vivid blue green scum along the waters edge. You would think that someone had spilled a can of oil paint. I now know that what I saw was a bloom of blue green algae, more correctly identified as cyanobacteria.
ARTICLE: “A Soft Path strategy for Salt Spring Island” (Feb 2010)
Carol Maas and Susanne Porter-Bopp, writing on behalf of the Salt Spring Island Water Council co-founder Mike Larmour flags a water-quality concern at St. Mary Lake.
Using the POLIS Water Smart Scenario Builder, we constructed a desired future condition as the simplified goal of preserving water supplies for future generations by meeting all new water needs until 2026 through conservation and efficiency measures […] These targets are based on the understanding that expanding current water takings and constructing the associated infrastructure may damage local aquatic ecosystem health and can be avoided through conservation and increased water productivity.
ARTICLE: “Water for Life on Salt Spring Island” (Nov 2009)
Phaedra Henley’s interdisciplinary study examines water issues on SSI with an emphasis on public awareness and capacity for community organization. (WPS was not involved in the research or writing of this study).
Salt Spring has the potential for turning around its increasingly critical water situation. To accomplish that requires a science-based framework for understanding the pressures that have led to and continue to promote the current situation. Actions based on this understanding should not only be directed toward alleviating symptoms in our surface water — lakes and streams — (and also in ground water) such as high levels of phosphorus, heavy metal or microbial contamination, but as well toward reducing the pressures that have led to these undesirable conditions. This will involve setting guidelines that limit human activities within watersheds such that the aggregate stress from these activities does not compromise the health of the watershed.