May 03, 2020
The connection to the CRD watermain on West Coast Road is now operational. We will be keeping a close eye on the new operations and making final adjustments over the next few weeks. The Chubb Road pumphouse at Kemp Lake remains available as a backup during this initial period.
Ratepayer water meters will be read over the coming week and Toll notices will be mailed out around the middle of May. The toll rate for the period 01 Jan 2020 to time of meter reading (which is happening currently) is the same as 2019 at $0.95 per 100 gallons. As we move forward with the CRD water billing cycle, the next meter reading will happen at the end of May with toll invoices issued early June, and every two months thereafter. The CRD retail rate for 2020 is $2.2159 per cubic meter ($1.01 per 100 gallons). The new water toll rate starting now will be $2.60 per 100 gallons which includes the $0.95 per 100 gallons to operate the district, ratepayer usage, and water losses through leakage, flushing, reservoir cleaning, etc. The renewal reserve fee per house or lot serviced by water will remain the same at $6 per month or $12 per 2 month cycle as opposed to the $18 for the old 3 month cycle.
The entire water system has been flushed and both reservoirs have been cleaned. Water users should be aware of, and expect the following during the transition from the Kemp Lake water source to the CRD source:
- may experience fluctuating chlorine levels (smell) in the water for the first week;
- customers localized between the 7700 block of West Coast Road and Kemp Lake Road may experience a brief period of discoloration due to unidirectional flushing, for the first week.
The lake water currently in the system will transition over to CRD water as we replenish the reservoirs with the new source supply. The current water quality is exceptional as per normal for this time of year and there may be little to no difference as we become fully replenished from the new source supply
Daily testing and current standards to ensure safe potable water will not change and current procedures for day-to-day operations will be unchanged.
We have received confirmation from Vancouver Island Health Authority (VIHA) that we are in compliance with our operating license.
As always, we recommend that water users use best practices for water conservation.
Any question or concerns please email the administrator@kemplakewaterworks.bc.ca.
April 22, 2020
We had hoped the connection to the CRD waterline would happen closer to the beginning of April. We have to read all the meters and send out water bills at the time of the change over to CRD water so as to charge for the water used up to that point at current water rates and not the new rates under the CRD.
In order to avoid an extra reading within a month, we had delayed the end of March meter readings until the the connection is completed. When the change over happens, we will read the meters and issue water bills that will cover your water usage from the beginning of January. That way the readings and billing would reflect the current water rates and not the new rates under the CRD, as well we would not be incurring the expense of an additional reading and billing within a month of each other.
We are still hoping for the end of April if all testing goes well and then the meter readings will take place. After we connect to CRD water, the billing periods will be changed to match the CRD billing schedule. When all this happens we will post another alert to our website detailing the new billing schedule and rates.
Thank you for your patience.