Speaker

Discussion

Opening Remarks

Ev McKay,
MIIWSS Chair

Introduction of the event
Appreciation to participants, supporters and attendees

Introductory Remarks

Mary Cooper, Vice Chair and
Program Director,
MIIWSS

Excerpts from Mary Cooper’s morning presentation:

Welcome to the 4th Annual Southern Gulf Island Water Workshop: Year of the Aquifer.
A special welcome to our guest speakers from the San Juan Islands, Vicki Heater and Tim Pope, who make this our first international event.
Each of our speakers and exhibitors have given up their weekend, some traveling a considerable distance, to be with us.
Their time and knowledge constitutes a 100% donation to this workshop and we sincerely appreciate their generosity.

The workshop report will be e-mailed to each of you, and posted on our website: www.mayneisland.com/water.

Workshop details:
For the first year, we are a bottled water free zone
Dereck Atha, Gulfport Realty, has provided notepads
We have gone into the rain gauge business and for only $2 (less than our cost) you can take several home for family and friends
We have copies of Beyond Pipes and Pumps available - $2. Again, below at our cost.
We also have water conservation signs available at our cost of $5.

We have 9 islands represented here today from the Trust area, Saturna, Galiano, Gabriola, Salt Spring, North and South Penders, Hornby, Mayne and a sister island, Quadra, as well as folks from Victoria, Mill Bay, Nanaimo and Vancouver.
We are also welcoming 6 sister advocacy and stewardship groups, 16 water purveyors and many individual well owners.

You will also come across folks from the Islands Trust, Ministry of Environment, BC Groundwater Assoc and several businesses.

Off hand, I would say this is about the best example of cross representation one could find for such an important topic.

Obviously, we need financial backing to put on workshops of practical value with low fees, and remain viable for long term programming.
We have so many to thank for helping us to meet those goals: every year our CRD Director Susan DeGryp is the first to offer support, the Ministry of Environment with wonderful encouragement from our friends in Nanaimo, and all 5 of the southern Southern Gulf Island Trust committees. This year several of our members stepped forward with donations, some in cash and some in kind. A huge thank you to all.

Our membership reaches well beyond the Gulf islands now, to include Vancouver Island up to Nanaimo and the mainland. For the first time, we have community water system memberships on 5 SGI. Our wish would be that this will be a uniting factor, promoting the uniqueness of our island aquifers at all levels of government, and including all individuals who choose to participate in our island lifestyles.

There are 2 young ladies here on University projects. Shelagh Thompson is a Masters Candidate, School of Resource & Environment at Simon Fraser University, and has chosen to place Mayne Island under the microscope.

Shelagh’s project is part of a larger research program currently underway at S F U Centre for Tourism Policy and Research, involving four case studies where lifestyle migration is a factor: Ucluelet, Naramata, Fernie, and Mayne Island.
They are assessing the extent to which ‘lifestyle migrants’ are changing the character of destination communities ,and how these communities are responding to the pressure.
The perceptions and behavior of both permanent and second-home/seasonal lifestyle residents concerning existing, emerging, and reactions to a range of alternative water resource management, will form the results.

The goal is to determine which water resource management issues are critical to address, and the preferred ways of dealing with them. Hopefully our approaches will be helpful to other marine based island destinations . In depth interviews with water people will initiate the project, followed by a household questionnaire. Shelagh would love to have guidance from as many people as possible.

Next to Shelagh is Susanne Porter-Bopp, Community Water Coordinator with the UVIC Polis Project on Ecological Governance.

Susanne has info on the expansion of this Project to the islands, and on the Polis Project in general.
Oliver Brandes will go into more detail in his presentation later this morning.

I’d like to take a minute to talk about an asset to our communities that we rarely think about: our small water systems operators. Most of us know what they do, but very little about the qualifications required to do their job, and this all ties in with a problem within our system and our Integrated programming.

There’s government involvement here, so naturally its rather convoluted.

There are 17 small water systems operators here today earning .5 Continuing Education Units.

SWS operators must have over 50 hours related experience, followed by a 2 day course and exams before being certified and registered with the Environmental Operators Certification Program,(EOCP), which is administered under contract to the Ministry of Health (MoH). After certification, the operators must earn 1.8 CEUs within a 2 year time span as part of continuing certification maintenance, plus pay a $50 annual fee.

These courses become very expensive for very small water systems of 12 or 20 connections, when it involves travel, accommodation and costs of over $200 for a 1 day course--- and some are 3 and 5 day courses. You pay for this out of your water taxes if you are on an organized system.

Part of our roll as Integrated Water is to balance programming to help our operators get those CEUs as economically as possible, while still providing programming of educational interest and assistance for our single well owners,
and while lobbying governments of behalf of our community aquifers . In return, we hope that the operators and their boards will assist us by passing their expertise along to fellow islanders
with single wells.

Here a problem arises: thanks to Ministry of Health, we are gradually losing operators.
MoH has taken the position that if there are over 500 warm bodies drawing on your small community system on any given day, you must have a certified SWS operator. But, under 500, they will settle for someone who has taken a lesser ‘water safe’ course.

I live in an area with maximum 300, and I am not even remotely happy about being thought of as a second class water consumer, and that the safe purveyance of my drinking water is of lesser concern. The entire population of Saturna Island would not make up a system requiring a certified operator, nor does any Mayne or Galiano system require a certified operator.

The under 500 breakdown is not only unverifiable (who does daily headcounts ? ) , but strikes me as a very odd approach by a health authority that uses the word Walkerton like a whip. In an era where quantity and quality of a water supply, and when safe supply is a huge issue as wells concentrate from drawdown, I again say, it seems a strange time to be reducing standards and settling for less for our small communities and their potable water systems.

Partial Solution: Use the Washington State method.
Go by the number of actual connections, which is fully verifiable using the existing annual system permitting process.

I am raising this now, in conjunction with operators, CEUs, and programming, so that everyone here understands the intertwining of all water purveyance issues, and how they tie in with our juggling act for programming. For single well owners on our islands we have a wonderful resource available to help with your well issues.
Good qualified operators are a win win for everyone.

So, thank you ladies and gentlemen for chasing those leaks, struggling with cantankerous pumps (probably the newer LMIs ), and all the other things you do that we don’t see. I can tell you from personal experience as a systems manager,
they also put up with a lot of unwarranted abuse from some ungrateful property owners.

Now, for a Lions Club project. This is a perfect example that community spirit is alive and well in the water industry . Last fall, Integrated Water facilitated donations of water treatment equipment and tests for the Lions new community
dining hall project in Dinner Bay Park. UV Pure Technologies donated 50% off a Hallett 15 UV unit, MB Labs donated water tests, and Water Tiger donated the big blue filtration unit. Four of our members stepped forward to assist with the balance of the UV cost. So we have the Hallett, MB Labs and Watertiger reps, along with supporters Henry Till, Katherine and Duncan Stevenson, and Marie Elliott, the Lions project chair Cal Biem, and Lion fundraiser & past president Len Epp and Lions treasurer Mike Bullis.

Integrated water sincerely thanks the suppliers and donors for your unhesitating and immediate generosity for a Mayne Island project. Cal and Len, on behalf of your fellow islanders and friends, we want to thank you for all that you and the Lions Club members do for our island.
We can't think of a Club that is more deserving of community support. Now for a great picture.

We have a superb program lined up for you today.
There are 3 things I would like you to keep in mind as you listen to the presentations.The first is that Canada is second only to the States for water consumption. Secondly, 1 in 4 Canadians rely on groundwater And lastly, as you drawdown your wells and aquifers, private or community, reducing your quantity of water, you are also reducing the quality by concentration of contents and contaminates.

On that cheery note, sit back, relax and enjoy.

Dave Mellis,
President,
EDS Pumps & Plumbing Ltd.

Arsenic is found dissolved in water everywhere and is found in abundance in the Sechelt, Gulf Islands, Langley areas of BC.

It cannot be destroyed, seen, smelled or tasted.
Arsenic is a carcinogen and comes in two forms: arsenite and arsenate.

In surface water it forms insoluble salts.
It can settle into the sediment at the bottom of a lake, but in wells it adheres to iron in the water and doesn’t settle as much.

Sources include smelting operations, microchip production, poultry feed, shingle and cedar preservative and some pesticides.

Arsenic causes nerve damage, circulatory problems and some cancers.

In Bangladesh, India and Taiwan refining processes have caused an epidemic of disease.

10 ppm can cause cancer at a rate of 1 in 500 people.

In 2004, Canada adopted guidelines similar to WHO and the U.S. of 10 ppm acceptability.

There are four common treatments to remove or reduce arsenic in water.

1.Membrane filtration (or reverse osmosis):
Water is pumped through a membrane, but at the end the membrane needs flushing. Initial water quality must be good. Membrane filtration is 30% effective in removing arsenite, 90% effective for arsenate.Performance is affected by pH, the oxidation state of the arsenic, the water temperature and suspended solids.

2.Ion Exchange:
This is like a water softening process, and water is required in the process.
It creates a stream of arsenic which must be dealt with at the end. Performance is affected by the valence state and the presence of competing ions

3.Precipitation/Co-precipitation:
This process is good for community systems.Iron (most frequently used mineral for this process) is added to absorb and bond to the arsenic, a flocculent is added, it coagulates and the iron is clarified and removed. It creates a concentration of arsenic in a sludge which is taken to a rendering plant for disposal.
Effectiveness depends on the source water and the presence of other compounds.

4.Adsorption Process (AdEdge):
This is the simplest treatment and has the least waste end product. It is suitable for private systems as well as communities and cities. Water is passed through and the arsenic is absorbed by a column of granular media, commonly ferric oxide (rust). It binds so well that it does not leach – the media can be disposed of in a landfill. Little maintenance is required other than periodic destratification of the media. Performance is affected by fouling, the state of the arsenic, pH, flow rate and competing compounds. It is the most cost-effective method of removing arsenic.

Oliver Brandes, Senior Research Associate, University of Victoria
Polis Project

Our largest source of new water in the coming decades will be that created by conservation.
The Polis project endeavors to embed environmental thinking in all levels of decision-making and puts the community in control of their water future by providing vision and flexibility to achieve a sustainable water future. Water sustainability depends on the enabling of options, tools, research and new infrastructure. Challenges include supply limitation, capital costs, development, and groundwater withdrawal. In the Gulf Islands those challenges also include tourism, proximity of wells, climatic changes and fractured governance.
Supply side management is an effective response but we are moving away from it. Demand side management must realize that it is a finite resource and usage reductions must be made.

The Soft Path to Water:

• Considers the environmental impacts and thinks into the future through a principled planning approach
• Is a paradigm between the development of supply infrastructure and the management of the users, each drawing from different sources, infrastructure and programs.
• Needs leadership to defer infrastructure costs by reducing use. This also saves energy.
• Was seen recently when Durham, Ontario chose a $17m efficiency plan over a $125m water infrastructure development plan.
• Maintains that just because population increases, water usage does not have to increase
• Relies on education, physical components, water sensitive urban design, rain and grey water use options
• Promotes urban changes to lawns, native greenery and matching water quality to the appropriate end use
• Needs green infrastructure like properly functioning streams
• Includes “backcasting” – planning backwards from the desired future state at the community through to provincial levels
• Starts with the the “magic 6”: showers, toilets, laundry, faucets, dishwashers and lawns
• Works with nature instead of against it
• Requires a change in our relationship with water

Possible Solutions for Water Management:

• Supply side: the resource is limitless (reactive)
• Demand side: the resource is finite (short term and temporary)
• Soft path: a finite resource (proactive and long term) – deliver the service in a sustainable way; an intelligent use of water.
  There will be resistance to this way of conservation.

Summary of Soft Path Research in Canada:

• Urban water use can drop by 45% despite 50% growth in population
• Dietary changes can cut water use by 1/3 to ½.

Conclusions:

• Start now - get the community engaged with solutions not problems
• Choose leaders who have vision
• Social and technical integration is needed
• Two-thirds saving are possible!

See www.waterdsm.org for more information

Alfonso Rivera, Chief Hydrologist
Natural Resources Canada

40,000 km3 of water moves from the land to the ocean in the global water cycle.
The world has 35,000,000 km3 of water and groundwater is 30.28% of that.
Globally the world uses 60% for agriculture, 12% for domestic and 25% for industrial purposes.
Canada uses mostly surface water and most of it is used for industry.
There is no scarcity of water in the world. The world used less water this year than in 2000.
Water availability and use, towards sustainability, needs more than science.
It needs a plan: quality/quantity, infrastructure, economic factors, water demands, laws and regulations.
It needs research on aquifer and groundwater inventory, storage, and rates of natural recharge.

Water management in other countries varies:
Libya has a vast man-made aquifer system; it sells water to Egypt and fruits and vegetables to Europe.
India uses dams and rainwater collection systems. (India uses 250,000 km3/year, Canada uses 1 km3 per year.)
China has built the Three Gorges Dam – the largest in the world. There has been huge environmental damage.
Spain builds channel from some rivers, uses cisterns and buys water from France.
Saudi Arabia buys water from Turkey and also has desalinization plants.
Morocco has nuclear-powered desalinization plants drawing from the Atlantic Ocean.
Isreal manages and conserves their groundwater.
Quebec does not have a shortage of water, and sells it. There are political issues with this.
Australia is increasing its desalinization plants and being criticized for that.
The Middle East uses dams.
The “trilogue” concept consists of an interface between government, society and science.
The world’s water problem is not quantity, but quality, conflicts in use, bulk transfer issues, and geographical redistribution.
It is subject to economics, geography, politics and consumption increase.
Canada’s issues are water management and knowledge, not scarcity.

Red Williams,
Island Well Drilling

Q How do you know of a well has been sealed?
A If the bacterial count is high, then groundwater is getting into the well.

Q Could rust bacteria cause choliform contamination in a sealed well?
A Rust bacteria will not come from the well casing, only from iron in the water.
Many old wells have a bio-mass in the bottom that needs to be cleaned out.

Q How could my ten-year old well have high leaf litter content?
A It is near a tertiary fault.

Q What are your thoughts on hydrofracturing?
A Hydrofracturing is controversial but must be used with control, avoiding elevated ground and saltwater proximity.
Blast fracturing which is of shorter duration, can have fewer ill effects that hydrofracturing.

Q How do you seal abandoned wells permanently?
A By use of alternating gravel and bentonite layers a well can be sealed for between $500 and $1000.

Q What is the lifespan of a deep well pump?
A Pumps usually last about 25 to 30 years. It is important to replace them before they burn out.
Some older pumps contain PCB’s, like the TRW and Barnes pumps. They should be removed.

Q How do you know where to drill for water?
A Many factors are taken into account like the allowable area, proximity of septic fields for example.
Many people prefer to try witching first.

Q Should I fill in my dry well?
A Yes – or you could use it as a geothermal heat pump.

Q How deep can you drill?
A We can drill up to about 1400 feet, but we never get to bedrock in the S. Gulf Islands.

Q We are monitoring tidal influence in our well. Is that bad?
A It could mean saltwater influence but it could also be a natural tidal water pressure phenomenon.
Tidal influence will be felt close to the ocean, and transmitted easier through sand and gravel soil than in hard rock.
Also keep good well records including driller’s records.

Q Do you utilize cameras in wells?
A This can be done even with the pump in place.

Q What is the most economical equipment with which to monitor water level?
A Transducers with readouts are the best.

Vicki Heater,
San Juan County Health and Community Services

Saltwater intrusion is a problem in San Juan County, Washington.
Long term monitoring, water level recording, and aquifer analysis for new development is being done.
160 ppm of saltwater intrusion is the ‘trigger’ for protection measures:
Wells cannot be installed less than 1000 feet from the shore or 1000 feet from wells with 160 ppm.
They must be eight feet above sea level and more than 100 feet away from the septic system.
Building permits in these areas will be considered if mitigation can be proven.
Rainwater is owned by Washington State and you need a permit to collect it.
Rainwater catchment as a sole source is a viable alternative in the County, and where wells cannot be drilled.
She suggests that we map actual saltwater intrusion on the island and use that information in the Building Code.
Vicki can be contacted at vickih@co.san-juan.wa.us.

Premier Plastics (flashlights): Angela Kingerlee, John Sanders
Water Matters (shower filter): Sheila Thompson
Osborne Electro Mechanics (utility pump): Katherine Stevenson
Remax Realty (wood carved box): Hazel Hansen
Water Tiger (reverse osmosis unit): Deborah
EDS Pumps (reverse osmosis system): Bruce Ingimundsen
Corix (Makita drill set): Al Wood
Islands Trust (coffee table book): Warwick Trigg

Mary Cooper,
Chair and Program Director

Highlights for Integrated Water, and lobbying status:

The date of our 2009 workshop is Saturday, April 25. We have booked the Dockside Green presentation from Victoria.
Development on the islands seems to be the issue of the day, so this would be right on topic.

Our '2008 AGM is Saturday, May 24, 1pm. at the Lighthouse. With development issues, tourism growth, and specific
project goals, we are going to circle the wagons and focus on Mayne at this meeting.

We have offered to place water conservation signs on our sister SG Islands.
South Pender, being solely reliant on groundwater, was the first to accept.
We will proceed from there to the other islands as finances, equipment and interest allow.

We will be at the fall fair again August 16 with consultants and loads of information.
Bob Burgess of Rainwater Connections will have a demo system set up.

Our expanding website seems to have been a positive addition.
We have added 4 new member water systems data - 1 from Saturna, 2 from Salt Spring and 1 from Pender.

Judi Walker has taken the library water resource shelf project under her experienced wing and we are looking for recommendations
on good how- to books. An interesting addition might be water conservation books geared toward children.

We have stored 155 VIHA Water Advisory signs at the firehall for the use of community water systems and inspected premises.
Thanks to Fire Chief Jeff, they will be available 24/7.

In a cooperative effort with our Fire Department, we are holding a 1-day confined spaces workshop, Saturday, October 25. While this is geared for small water systems operators and firemen, the owners of large water storage tanks are also
encouraged to attend. As is our practice, we will keep the cost to a minimum.

In the fall we will be assisting Queen's University Masters candidate Shawn Trimper, working on his graduate thesis on
the potential risk of viral pathogens in groundwater. He needs locations with fractured rock, low overburden,
wells and septics……..and here we are! This is a Canada wide study covering Newfoundland, Ontario and BC
and we will need the participation of 5 to 10 well owners.
If you are interested, we need to hear from you. We will be protecting your well interests by having a qualified person with Shawn.

University of Waterloo is conducting a 2-year study on the practices, and knowledge of residential builders re water
efficiency, promoting innovative practices in use in BC, Ontario, Alberta and California. We have agreed to be available.

With the plethora of small water systems on the islands, we are in an ideal position to work with an Island version
of the UVIC Polis Project Soft Path for Water with Oliver Brandes and his team.

As you know there are 3 areas where we have focused our lobbying efforts over the past 3 years:
rainwater collection within the building code bylaws, water well hydrofracturing meeting reporting and
good practices standards within Phase 3 of groundwater legislation, and a low flush toilet rebate using federal gas tax funds.

On rainwater collection:

From what we have been able to glean, Bill 10 appears to be an enabling bill that permits local government to pass
greener bylaws for energy and water conservation in general terms.

Our wish was that the Provincial Government would take a province wide stance on placing mandatory rainwater
collection systems within the code using provincial legislation, but this bill seems to leave us to work with local governments.
This is naturally going to produce piecemeal results.

My thoughts are that it’s a tad cowardly, but it is politics after all.
Potable water quantity has moved beyond being a local issue, as has the desire to protect our water quality directly affected by over taxing aquifers. And, as is usually the case, the public is far ahead of legislation.
Devolving responsibility is much more economical for the provincial government therefore our local governments
will once again bear the burden of programming and enforcement costs, as well as being subject to local pressures.
I sense this devolution is an attempt not to upset developers by increasing building costs with mandatory
rainwater collection installations.

For those under the umbrella of the CRD, we know full well that if you get a $100 rebate, you have paid them $100 up front.
So don’t have expectations of rebates for rainwater collection. We unincorporated ruralists will continue to have
great difficulty accessing funding while the cities get the bulk of attention----using rural tax dollars.

From my perspective at this point, Bill 10 is all hat and no cattle. If it’s the right thing to do locally, it’s the right thing to do provincially.

Hydrofracturing:

We will continue to make sure that our stance on hydrofracturing inclusion within legislation sits on every appropriate desk.

We are consistent in our belief that:

1. hydrofracturing should not be allowed under any circumstances within a minimum of 100 meters of the ocean, especially with eroding shorelines and rising sea water.

2. that those employing the hydrofracturing process be required to test community and private wells within a set circumference before the process begins. This is simply due diligence.

3. that all hydrofracturing must be pre-approved by the Ministry of Environment, recorded on the driller’s report and
maintained as part of the permanent well record.

4. where there is a proximity to community water systems, water boards must be given advance notice and an opportunity to comment.

In the above we have the full written support of the Islands Trust in a letter sent to the Ministry of Environment June 28, 2007, as well as the Gulf Island Alliance.

Every one of these proposals is based on the cautionary principle. After the fact knowledge of inflicted damage is not much help
to the suffering well owner next door, and successful lawsuits depend on meticulous long term well records and proven damage.
Only lawyers win in law suits.

In the letter to the Alliance, the Assistant Deputy Minister, Water Stewardship Division, states that hydrofracturing will - in
all probability – in some fashion, be dealt with through a Water Management Plan, similar to the one being developed by Langley,
an inland, non-saltwater-surrounded city. One of the items might include drilling authorizations for specific areas.
In other words, it will in all probability be another devolved responsibility, where we are dealing with local governments
and achieving spotty results - again. Minimally, we would hope that legislation would cover the Gulf Islands.

Hyrdofracturing dangers facing the islands will be the same for an interior well owner, minus salt water intrusion.
Drilling in the vicinity of a garbage dump? Fertilized acreages?
Contaminated soil site near gas stations? Leaching near junk yards? An old mine site?
Or near contaminated surface water such as a stream or river ?

Best protection practices should not be exclusive to coastal community aquifers. Drinking water is equally unpotable whether
it is degraded by salt water intrusion or other contaminates. Application of the cautionary principle should be the first concern
for all governments when it comes to drinking water protection----- and nothing is banned within our proposal except the no- brainer
for shoreline proximity. Hydrofracturing by proven necessity is still an option.
How Ministry devolvement works for rural areas with no incorporated areas of local government will be problematic.

Prior to Phase 3 being enacted, there will be a time for public input.
I am hoping for better publicized comment components than occurred for Phase 2.
We will keep you posted.

Our position: The application of regulations for hydrofracturing should be province-wide.

All of us are under development and tourism pressure.
We must continue to monitor development planning as it relates to our community water and aquifers.
Keep your head up on how your community aquifers are going to be accessed within each development.
Work with the Island Trustees wherever possible for the best results for your island.
There are still battles to be fought to drive home community concerns about aquifer endangerment.

Low Flush Toilet Project:

Regretfully, we are writing off the low flush toilet gas tax funds rebate project. Both CRD Director Susan DeGryp and I went
into this with high hopes for common sense from governments that cared about water sustainability on our islands.
We did minimally expect the support of our provincial signing authority, Minister of Community Services Ida Chong - and were disappointed –
all around. In this case, actions did speak louder than her words that praised the value of the project.
We truly believed that words, so nobly written into the Agreements meant something to the authors and the signatories.
We were obviously wrong.
Words such as: “ secure water supply in the face of drought”, “water conservation/demand management plans”,
“support the achievement of the environmental sustainability outcomes of cleaner water”, “a flexible approach”,
“keeping plans off the shelf and putting them into action”, and finally, the real capper:
“Canada, British Columbia and UBCM, commit to ensuring equity between urban and rural/remote communities”.

Now you can understand our disillusionment when we discovered all this motherhood is not worth the paper it is written on
for rural communities who care about water conservation, the future of our aquifers, not to mention the value of island properties.

We are still right. They are wrong!

We have hundreds of hours and a good deal of money into this project. Our executive agreed we should try for a grant
from the Provincial Government. After contacting our MP Gary Lunn and MLA Murray Coell for alternate funding information,
I have learned there is no current funding available. Minister Coell will keep us on his list.
From federal Minister Cannon we have the infamous rejection letter boasting how communities such as Mayne Island
will continue to benefit from the growing Gas Tax Fund, but not one word has changed to allow rural tax dollars to be spent within
rural communities for rural water conservation measures.

Since the gas tax agreements state that there should be no inequality of application between rural and urban,
it is a personal goal of mine to bring the inequalities of the application of these agreements to the attention of our governments
at every opportunity.

Money should be used at the ground level to produce ground level results---saving water and protecting aquifers.
The money, in fact, is our tax dollars, rural and urban alike, belonging to all of us, and we all should benefit equally.

One out of four Canadians rely on wells. Water is vital to your health, your life and your property values.
If you have a low flush toilet and your neighbour doesn’t, his straw is in your pond. You lose. It’s that simple.

It is up to us to act on issues raised here today, and to carry the message to our friends, neighbours and our guests.
Groundwater is an unseen and an unknown.

What your neighbour does IS your business when it comes to watering gardens in August, washing cars mid drought, and
generally displaying blissful aquifer ignorance. Its not always going to be easy, but we are making inroads.

Every well is a straw in the pond of community aquifers.

Thank you.

Dr. Quentin Cronk, Director, UBC Botanical Gardens

Much research is being done on plant drought tolerance because of the impact that drought has on world agriculture. Plants have survival mechanisms. Complete dessication can be survived by a few plants, others survive by drought hardening, glycolization (covering with sugar), and physical barriers (cacti), reflective surfaces, narrow leaves, and drought avoidance (bulbs).

The southern Gulf Islands have Mediterranean shrubland type of vegetation. Winters are expected to get wetter, with more storms and a 10% summer temperature drop by 2050.

Xeriscaping is water conservation in landscaping, including practices such as:

• design for conservation (use of gray and roof water)
• alternatives to lawns (gravel gardens, pavers)
• use of drought-tolerant plants (there are 75,000 species of plants in other Mediterranean areas of the world)
• water retentive soil amendments
• mulches to slow soil humus oxidation by the sun
• targeted watering.

We need a water-wise gardening section and instructions in our nurseries. Drought resistant plants include:

• Manzanita, Laurel Sumac, Coffeeberry from California
• French Lavender, Wallflower from southern Europe
• Melaluca, Gum Tree and Canberra Gem from Australia
• Cape Fuchsia from South Africa.

Refer to Heidi Gluldemeister’s, “Gardening the Mediterranean Way”.

Our bodies only use 25% of medications, the remainder goes into our ecology. All land activities affect surface and groundwater by the addition of pathogens, nutrients, metals, pharmaceuticals.
We have no idea how this is affecting our health. Data is now being calibrated.

Drugs for heart disease, pain and birth control are very potent.
The deeper the water source the safer it is; surface water–connected wells are less safe.
Research in Ontario found drugs in many of the water sources.
We need to research persistence, strength, transformations and our body’s ability to handle them.
Pharmacies are now taking unused drugs back for proper disposal.
Caffeine is used as an indicator because it is so commonly used in pharmaceuticals and it is easy to detect, i.e.,
caffeine frequently indicates fecal contamination.
Ibuprofen is found in Salt Spring Island lakes.
The nitrogen isotope can be used to detect septic input to source water.
Water treatment is not effective in the removal of pharmaceuticals from water, so we must take responsibility to reduce
the loading of chemicals and microbes in our water. By laws to stop fertilization and better land planning will help as will pressure
on the pharmaceutical industry to develop less toxic drugs and include environmental tests in their development.

Tim Pope, President, American Rainwater Catchment Association

There are 190 rainwater catchment systems in San Juan county at this time.
Amendments to the Plumbing Code are underway.
There is progress in the training and accreditation of installers and designers of rainwater catchment systems.
Tim will advise MIIWSS when the next course is in this area.
Copper piping can be affected by acid rain in the system.
Average system is 10,000 gallons for a dry summer for two people.
Mayne Islanders are encourages to join the association - see ARCA.org.
MIIWSS can also be an affiliate chapter.

Dr. Diana Allen, Associate Professor, Department of Earth Sciences, SFU

Groundwater interaction with surface water is important especially for shallow groundwater sources.
Factors influencing recharge include the amount, the season, the intensity of rain, and ground’s ability to absorb rain.
Causes of variations in water levels include El Nino, and Pacific Decadal Oscillation cycles.
Decrease in recharge affects the saltwater interface, as can increased pumping.
Observation of fractures in bedrock and fault zones, permeability estimates in sandstone and mud can help predict saltwater intrusion.

Climate models predict that by 2050 the global precipitation will change with precipitation increasing by 2%.
Sea levels can rise anywhere from a few cm to a meter, but the Juan De Fuca subduction plate is pushing this area of land upwards.
A bigger risk to the intrusion interface is water extraction.

Link to full presentation can be found here.

Caroma Toilet won by Gordon Martin from Mill Bay.