Reduce water use: NVCA

By Joanne Saunders Barrie Advance Jul 06, 2012

UTOPIA – Residents of the Nottawasaga River watershed, along with other water users, such as growers and golf course owners, are being encouraged to reduce their water use by 10 per cent in response to the current hot, dry weather. 

A Level I low water condition was initiated July 5 by the Nottawasaga Valley Conservation Authority’s Water Response Team. It is the first of three low water designations, the third being drought conditions.

Municipalities in the affected area are being asked to encourage water conservation practices.

CAO of Wasaga Beach, Georges Vadeboncoeur, said that since the town instituted metered water billing, there are no more severe spikes in water usage.

“Basically it’s lawn watering that taxes the system,” said Vadeboncoeur.

Now, bylaws require that even numbered houses water lawns on even numbered dates and odd numbers on odd days and only within restricted hours. He suggested that the only other change required at this point would be stricter enforcement of the water use bylaws.

He said Wasaga Beach has five deep wells and does not draw water from Georgian Bay, although, he added, Collingwood does.

At the Water Response Team (WRT) meeting July 5 at the Tiffin Centre in Utopia, growers were generally in agreement that Level 1 conditions had been reached a couple of weeks earlier than usual this year.

Though early, the low levels are not unusual for the past few years, WRT secretary, Stephanie Rivest said. Rivest, the authority’s Water Resources and Flood Program Coordinator, conducted the initial 2012 WRT meeting.

No one at the meeting voted against initiating the Level 1 designation.

In addition to growers, the 20 attendees included staff of both the NVCA and provincial government ministries.

Glenn Switzer, director of Engineering and Tech Services for the NVCA, was named chair of the Water Response Team.

Rivest told the gathering that when water levels decline to less than 80 per cent of the historical monthly average and streamflows are down to 70 per cent, it’s time for a Level I designation. When rainfall is down to 60 per cent and streamflow down to 50 per cent (other than springtime) Level II is initiated, calling for a voluntary 20 per cent reduction in water usage.

Collingwood’s Pretty River is now at 62 per cent of average, the meeting heard.

When there is a failure of water supply to meet demand and drought conditions prevail, the WRT recommends the Level III designation to the provincial government. Then water use reduction becomes mandatory.

During the 2007 drought, “nobody wanted to make that final decision,” pointed out grower, Wayne Dorsey.        

“It’s not a decision the province would make lightly,” said Switzer.  “We’re trying to promote the voluntary reduction of water use.”  

“Most farmers are already using good conservation practices,” said grower, Frank Solty.

“That really is the goal,” said Rivest. “Something that’s going to be led by the NVCA. Our leadership with your input.”

Dorsey indicated that he has hundreds of thousands of dollars invested in his potatoes adding, “ if we don’t have water we don’t have anything.”

If we go to Level III, continued Dorsey, the potato crop will not be saleable as sugar levels will be too low.

The meeting heard that, in some cases, there is not enough historical data to make comparisons.

“We’re dealing with present conditions,” said grower, Ross Reynolds. “It doesn’t matter what the history is.”

Switzer responded that history determines what Level I is.

We could have rain in Cookstown and levels go up, said Reynolds

“We use a seven day average,” Switzer explained. “We don’t go in and out of Level I.”

Ian Ockenden, Watershed Monitoring Specialist for the NVCA, told the meeting that in 2007, the main Innisfil Creek had exposed mud flats with fish getting stranded in separate puddles and cooking in the heat. Suckers and carp can survive higher temperatures, Ockenden explained, while other species like rainbow trout are more sensitive.

Reynolds said the situation in the mid western U.S. is serious right now. Sod will come back, he said, but not edible food.

Dorsey quoted an article, which said that to grow one ear of corn requires 15 gallons of water and taking a shower requires 51 gallons. It takes 39,000 gallons to manufacture a car.

Recommending action in response to low water conditions is included in the mandate of the  NVCA’s Low Water Response Team. It was first formed in 1999 following droughts of the late ‘90s.