BOWEN BAY WATER SYSTEM HAS OPTED NOT TO MERGE WITH KING EDWARD BAY AND BLUE WATER PARK WATER SYSTEMS. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION click here.
The Bowen Bay water system is the smallest of the six water systems owned and operated by the Bowen Island Municipality. Water is supplied from both a deep groundwater well, and an open reservoir to some 57 residential connections. The distribution system consists of three pressure zones. All water service connections have service meters, and seasonal meter based billing is in effect.
Options for Operating and Administering Neighbouring Water System on Bowen Island’s West Side:
Water utility costs to municipal and other water system users have been increasing as a result of increasingly stringent regulatory requirements regarding water quality, and the additional testing, reporting and quality control measures as well as rising insurance rates since the Walkerton, Ontario waterbourne disease incident. Given the limited number of users for some of the municipal water systems, the household cost for these increased accountability requirements is not able to be widely amortized. In addition, flexibility in water systems operation is limited for some systems, in isolation from other infrastructure. Consequently, Council has included the review of any possibly water system amalgamations into its Strategic Plan.
In order to address water system issues on Bowen's West side, which could take advantage from the imminent development proposed at King Edward Bay, the Public Works Department has prepared a report entitled Options for Operating and Administering Neighbouring Water System on Bowen Island’s West Side (Bluewater, King Edward Bay, and Bowen Bay). This report has been presented to Council, which has referred it for comments to the Local Advisory Committees for the Bowen Bay and Bluewater Water systems, as well as the Water Services Management Committee. The comments are due to be submitted by the Committees by mid-August.
The report provides information to Council following a petition by the developer of the King Edward Bay Estates (KEB) property to create a new municipal Local Area Service for the purpose of water supply. The report outlines and assesses options for operating the proposed water system, in order for Council to make a considered decision regarding the petition. The report can be viewed by clicking here.
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Annual Water Quality Reports:
The Municipality publishes an annual report for the Bowen Bay water system as a requirement of its operating permits under the Drinking Water Protection Act. The reports include various information including administration, water quality data, water consumption data, maps, budgets, and other pertinent information.
Annual Water Consumption Reports:
Groundwater Well Reports:
The following well reports contain information about Bowen Bay's three groundwater wells, including capacities and water quality.
System Operations:
The Public Works Department maintains the water system to protect the health and safety of the public and to protect the environment. This municipal system has its own Local Advisory Committee made up of community volunteers, and its own bylaws and rate schedules.
The Public Works Department maintains all of the water mains, and the individual house connections from the main to the property line dividing private property from the roadway. The Water Utilities are fully funded from user rates and funds for each water supply area are kept separate.
