This winter’s low snowpack has some water system managers busy with their calculators…
The River Forecast Centre says the snowpack is only at 28 per cent of normal for Vancouver Island and about 43 per cent for the Sunshine Coast.
Bill Sims is Nanaimo’s Manager of Water Resources. He says in the city’s watershed the snowpack is closer to just 10 per cent of what they’d normally see in February. But he says that looks more worrisome than it actually is.
Sims says the real threat to water supply would come if the drought persists into the spring and early summer.
The situation is being closely watched, municipal and regional water managers throughout the Regional District of Nanaimo met last week to plan what they’ll do if the supply is down too much.
The RDN says managers from the City of Nanaimo, the District of Lantzville, the City of Parksville, the Town of Qualicum Beach, the Regional District of Nanaimo and EPCOR Water Services will continue to meet regularly.
The Sunshine Coast Regional District also says rainfall in spring and summer is what makes the difference for its water system.
