Residents connected to the Comox Valley Water System rely on water drawn from Comox Lake. We are fortunate to have the glacier-fed Comox Lake as the source for our drinking water, but the lake does not offer an infinite supply of fresh water.
Comox Lake is approximately 61 meters deep during the winter months. Only 4.5 meters of that total depth is available for domestic use, fish flows and power generation.
In the summer when the snow has already melted and the rain stops, the depth of the lake reduces and the amount of water that we can access shrinks with the level of the lake. During low snowpack and rainfall years, BC Hydro reduces the amount of water it releases down the Puntledge River to ensure there is enough water available in storage to keep the river flowing optimally for fish habitat and migration until the fall rains arrive. As summer weather intensifies, conditions become more and more difficult for the salmon population in the river. During these times, it is important that we do our part to limit domestic water use to protect our salmon populations.
The Comox Valley Water System moves to Stage 1 restrictions on May 1 each year. Not only is this the right thing to do from a conservation perspective, but it also helps to prepare us for the shift to Stage 2 on July 1, when lake levels begin to decrease and BC Hydro adjusts the Puntledge River water flows.
- Under the terms of the CVRD/BC Hydro water use agreement and provincial water license, shifts to stage 3 and 4 water restrictions are directly tied to the level of flow BC Hydro sends down the Puntledge River.
- Shifts to Stages 1 and 2 happen automatically (on May 1 and July 1 respectively) as these stages are designed to reduce rather than deny lawn watering and other non-essential, intensive uses of water.
- Under the terms of the CVRD’s water conservation bylaw, CVRD staff only have the authority to shift to stage 3 before BC Hydro reduces flow down the Puntledge below 11.3 cubic meters per second if there is a concern about water supply security.
- By moving the Comox Valley Water System intake from the Puntledge River to the Comox Lake in 2021, there is no longer the prospect of running out of water, as the lake intake is 5-8 meters below the lowest level of the BC Hydro dam. This change provides the system with excellent water supply security.
- Given the new intake has eliminated any drought-driven water security concerns, under the terms of the water conservation bylaw staff do not have the delegated authority to implement stage 3 restrictions in advance of BC Hydro reducing flows down the Puntledge River below 11.3 cubic meters per second.
- Should the drought conditions persist well into the fall, it is possible BC Hydro could be forced to take the unprecedented step of reducing flows down the Puntledge River below 5.7 cubic meters per second to ensure their ability to maintain some flow down the river through until the rains, triggering implementation of stage 4 water restrictions in the Comox Valley Water System.
