10 SUMMARY OF GGMS RECOMMENDATIONS

1. Rainwater harvesting systems should be mandatory in all construction in the Islands trust Area.
2. The practice of recharge of aquifers with treated wastewater should not be allowed. We have concerns about pharmaceuticals and other unfiltered chemical contaminants in the water that cannot be removed.
3. There needs to be clear and overarching priority for environmental concerns and conservation measures in the Islands Trust spirit of Preserve and Protect.
4. The protection of seasonal wetlands should be identified and respected in zoning land use.
5. We support drip irrigation in our conservation ethic.
6. There is a need for a clear priority to support farmers in their efforts to grow food locally, reducing our carbon footprint by replacing imported food with local food supplies; and to produce programs to assist farmers to improve their water management practices as new technology is developed.
7. GGMS is against groundwater use on lawns.
8. Water saving utilities (e.g. low flush toilets etc.) should be mandated in all new construction. Refit should be encouraged for all public buildings.
9. Education is needed within communities to alert people to the real danger of prolonged and frequent water shortages, the benefits of water conservation, and the part they can play to conserve and protect this precious resource.
10. The Islands Trust Areas should be classified as a slow development zone.
11. We need a clear statement of what development will be allowed based on present water stocks and taking into consideration the fact that in some areas the water table falls lower every year in the dry months. It recharges to the same levels in the wet months, but that ever declining water table in the dry months is an established trend and it concerns us.
12. Integrated water catchment systems should be mandatory in all new construction on the gulf islands.
13. We have 1800 developable properties on Gabriola. We need an approach like the Salt Spring study that relates water use to buildout capability. This is not possible with the old build-out plan obligations. All we can do is regulate the allowed development.
14. Storage and re-use of grey-water should also be considered as a mandatory feature in areas of acute water shortage. Grey water / purple pipe systems must require backflow prevention valves.
15. Bulk groundwater extraction for sale should not be an approved practice in the Islands Trust area.
16. There should be no bulk groundwater extraction from the Agricultural Land Reserve for non-agricultural use.
17. Plant life in ditches should be established to slow the stormwater flow along the ditches.
18. Permeable areas should be maintained as much as possible.
19. GGMS supports the Islands trust stand on Hydrofracturing in well construction.
20. The use of Well Watchers is recommended as a tool for the individual home owner’s water management.
21. Observation wells are to be used to monitor bulk groundwater extraction.
22. Drought response should be tied into the Provincial Emergency Plan (PEP) program then the same kind of response and reporting back to government becomes possible.
23. Levels of drought could be tied in to PEP to coordinate farmer protection.
24. Levels of drought could also be used to trigger emergency response planning and activate the Gabriola Emergency Response Committee.

APPENDIX A
24 Report of the DW-WP Stewardship Committee
Program 7: Climate Change
Climate change is permeating almost every aspect of
government decision-making. The potential impacts on
watersheds could be profound – from bigger floods in winter to
deeper droughts in summer.
The RDN has released a “Corporate Climate Change Plan
2007” in which it sets out ways and means by which it, as a
corporate entity, can reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by
4% over 2004 levels by 2012. The report details the measures
that the RDN can take to reduce energy consumption, and
thereby greenhouse gas emissions, in buildings, lighting, water
and wastewater operations, the vehicle fleet and corporate
waste management.
Objectives:
• To assess and adapt to the potential impacts of climate
change on water sources and supplies in the Region.
• To promote actions that will reduce the Region’s contribution to climate change.
Actions:
7A: Follow the Science
1) Monitor the evolving science on the relationship of climate change to water quantity and quality,
and the health of watersheds.
7B: Land and Water Use Adaptation
Taking action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions is one way of tackling climate change. This will help to slow the process, but it won’t stop it. It is equally important to anticipate what the effects of climate change will be – in this case, on the Region’s watersheds and water sources - and develop the means of dealing with them.
2) Develop a strategy that identifies the potential impacts of climate change on aquifers and watersheds and/or water service areas in the Region and measures for reducing the RDN’s contribution to greenhouse gases, but also to adapting to anticipated changes. The study should involve local residents in identifying risks and developing adaptation tools. Some of the adaptations to be considered include:
• Vulnerabilities – to flooding, runoff, erosion and other geotechnical hazards, drought.
• Adapting to less water – e.g., protecting water quality will be even more important as the relative impact of pollutants rises.
• Adapting to increased storminess - increased vulnerability to contamination from flooding and runoff events.
• Drought resistance – ways of putting more water into the ground as a preventative
strategy; e.g., infiltrating rainwater into the ground to recharge aquifers, thereby improving water supply during prolonged dry periods.
• Identifying potential development areas least vulnerable to climate change based on
availability of water, low potential for flooding and landslip, etc.
Regional District of Nanaimo
Report of the DW-WP Stewardship Committee 25
• Protection of riparian vegetation and wetlands – beyond preserving fish habitat, to
protecting water supplies and managing rainwater runoff.
• Climate change-adaptive building requirements – increased setbacks, shading and sun
orientation, window strength and size, shutters and overhangs, graywater separation,
rainwater collection.
• Potential long term shifts in population from highly vulnerable areas (low-lying coastal
areas, drought-prone areas) to less vulnerable areas.


7C: Assessing Local Hydro-climatic Balance
In addition to greenhouse gas emissions, many of the land use practices that are taken for granted - draining surface water into pipes, extracting ground water from aquifers, creating large impervious surfaces, eliminating wetlands and reducing the amount of forest land - can affect regional as well as global climates. These land use activities disrupt and even eliminate evapotranspiration from the earth's surface, which in turn alters the thermal balance in the atmosphere, and the hydro-climatic recycling of water. The loss of water/moisture stored in soil, plants and trees can reach a critical level.
At that point, there becomes less and less water/moisture available to maintain the hydro-climatic recycling process. The compounding effect can cause local droughts and in turn increased temperatures, reduced groundwater levels, lower river and lake levels, die-off of trees and vegetation, increased wildfires, and extreme weather events.
Maintaining a more sustainable hydro-climatic balance relies on incorporating these considerations into the Programs described in this Action Plan.
3) Incorporate consideration of local and regional hydro-climatic balance in the following:
- Improved data collection and evaluation of changes to groundwater, surface water, and
available evapotranspiration moisture levels (Program 2).
- Public awareness and education for government officials, planners, engineers, developers, forestry and agricultural professionals (Program 1).
- Best management practices to maintain the balance between land use and hydro-climatic changes (Programs 3-6), including: improved storm-water management and utilization techniques; creating more water infiltration capacity to maintain groundwater levels (LID measures); balancing water usage with the recharge or recovery rate; encourage water conservation, and re-vegetation and planting trees.

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Acknowledgements
The Drinking Water-Watershed Protection Stewardship Committee wishes to thank the Board of the Nanaimo Regional District for this opportunity to help shape the future protection of watersheds and surface and groundwater drinking water sources in the RDN. The Committee also thanks RDN staff – particularly John Finnie and Mike Donnelly – for their support, guidance and active participation in the Committee’s deliberations. We also thank David Reid and Harriet Rueggeberg of Lanarc Consultants Ltd. for the skills that they brought to the task of helping us define the issues, priorities and actions that are important to protecting the Region’s water resources. Gilles Wendling and Allan Dakin provided valuable insight into the scientific and technical sides of surface and groundwater management, and our various presenters (Doug Backhouse, Lori Henderson, Adrian Irwin, Ed Hoeppner, Berni Sperling, and Howard Stiff) enriched our understanding of important aspects of water use and conservation.
Drinking Water-Watershed Protection Stewardship Committee members:
Gary Anderson Vancouver Island Health Authority
Dave Bartram RDN Board Member
Gordon Buckingham Electoral Area Resident
Brian Epps Ministry of Environment
Jim Fyfe Well Drilling Industry Representative
Grace Gunderson Electoral Area Resident
Jennifer Ann MacLeod Electoral Area Resident
Stuart MacPherson Private Forest Lands Council
Sheila Malcolmson Islands Trust
Pearl Myres/Joyce Bartram Coastal Water Suppliers Association
Faye Smith Mid Vancouver Island Habitat Enhancement Society
J. Stanhope (Chair) RDN Board Chair
David Vincent Electoral Area Resident
Trevor Wicks Arrowsmith Watershed Coalition Society
Maureen Young RDN Board Member
RDN staff:
Mike Donnelly Manager of Utilities, RDN
John Finnie General Manager, Environmental Services, RDN
Consultants:
Allan Dakin Principal Engineer, Elanco Enterprises Ltd.
David Reid Principal, Lanarc Consultants Ltd.
Harriet Rueggeberg Planner, Lanarc Consultants Ltd.
Gilles Wendling Hydrogeologist, GW Solutions Inc.