Sunshine Coast lifts state of emergency for drought

The Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) has lifted a local state of emergency that was put in place due to drought.

In an update on Friday, the SCRD says a recent snow melt has led to levels in the region’s primary water supply, Chapman Lake, to increase slightly.

Those levels were enough for the region to cancel the state of emergency; however, Stage 4 water conservation regulations remain in place.

“Until the soils in the Chapman watershed are fully recharged, there is an ongoing risk that an extended period of cold and dry weather could put the water supply for the Chapman water system at risk,” the SCRD said in an update.

The Stage 4 restrictions prohibit water use for watering lawns, gardens and sports fields, washing vehicles or filling ponds and hot tubs.

The Chapman Lake Channel in the Sunshine Coast, which is the region’s primary water source. (Photo supplied by Sunshine Coast Regional District)

A series of fall storms earlier in the month brought much-needed rainfall to the region that appeared to replenish water levels. However, a quick freeze made it so Chapman Lake’s levels weren’t filled as much as officials had initially hoped.

“Our staff have worked hard to get us to this point and I’d like to recognize what they have done to ensure our community has had uninterrupted access to water through a 100-day summer drought and an unprecedented transition to freezing events at Chapman and Edwards lakes,” said SCRD Board Chair Leonard Lee.

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Mayor of the District of Sechelt, John Henderson, commends the community’s perseverance through the drought, adding things are not yet back to normal.

“The fact is that we need rain regularly over several weeks to replenish our existing system. In the meantime, we will continue our work with the SCRD to ensure that water sources are brought online as quickly as possible to address any supply emergencies in the coming weeks,” he said.

The weeks-long drought to end the summer leading into the fall led to the Chapman Water supply falling to just 20 per cent of its capacity at one point, prompting the initial emergency declaration. The restrictions had an effect on the area’s local businesses, which were left with few options for commercial water use for a time.

With files from Hana Mae Nassar and Kurtis Doering