Church Road Well Field Project

Here are some numbers for the Chapman Water System:

• Peak use = about 20 million litres per day
• Church Road Well Field = will add 5 million litres per day 
• Stage 4 use (ban on outdoor water use) = 10 million litres per day

The Church Road Well Field uses variable speed pumps that are operated by microchips, similar to the ones in new cars. Due to global supply chain issues, the SCRD anticipates receiving the microchips by early 2023.

There is SCRD water infrastructure and private property leaks. SCRD has an extensive leak resolution program for the 50% of properties that have a water meter. The remaining water meters will be installed starting in 2023. We work with property owners across the region and throughout the year, through our quarterly leak notification letters, there is a notice on commercial utility bills and the SCRD Monthly Water Use Update. SCRD repairs leaks in public infrastructure, and there is also a water main replacement program for aging infrastructure.

The amount of water lost to leaks varies, as leaks can grow over time if they are not addressed. This volume will be more easily calculated once the final water meters are installed and there is a water meter on every service connection. Water meter installation project updates will be posted here.

The construction of the Church Road Well Field will add up to five million litres of water per day to the Chapman Water System and is a significant step forward in securing water supply for the Sunshine Coast. To put that number in perspective, water use on the Chapman Water System decreases to about 10 million litres per day in Stage 4. 

Projects like the Church Road Well Field will reduce the likelihood of going to Stage 4, but we know more water supply is needed. This is why the SCRD is pursuing the expansion of the Langdale Well Field and the Gray Creek Water Treatment Upgrades in the short term, and seeking more long term surface and groundwater options in the long term.

SCRD Water Supply projects are posted here: https://letstalk.scrd.ca/water

Thank you for the questions,

The Church Road Well Field draws from the same aquifer as the existing Granthams Well and will be the primary drinking water source for Granthams and Soames residents all year round, unless there is downtime for system maintenance or in emergencies. Then the alternate water source will be Chapman Water Treatment Plant. Connecting the Granthams, Soames and Chapman systems is important for redundancy during emergencies or maintenance. While Church Road will only service Granthams/Soames residents in winter, more water will be drawn from this source to support residents on the Chapman Water System during the dry summer months. Once connected, Grantham and Soames will follow the same Water Conservation Regulations as the Chapman Water System.

The current Granthams well is out of compliance with the 2016 BC Water Sustainability Act. The new Church Road Well Field project brings this water system into compliance, and also includes the construction of a new water treatment plant. 

The water pressure will remain the same, with the addition that the Grantham's system will have fire flow availability whereas in the past it was limited. 

Telus hasn't provided us with their schedule information yet regarding when they have available crews to move their wires, however we will provide an update in our weekly newsletter once we have confirmation.

Email: infrastructure@scrd.ca and request to be added to the mailing list for the Church Road Construction Updates weekly newsletter if you haven't already.

There are two hydro poles. One across from the Water Treatment Plant site and one just south of Central Ave.

Elphinstone Avenue will be completely shut during the day when the construction is happening and will be open after construction hours most days, if there are no health and safety concerns or open trenches. 24 hours advance notice plus a courtesy knock on the door will be given by the Contractor, if a major shutdown is happening. Residents will have driveway access after construction hours and the Contractor is to notify the parking areas for both residents and visitors.   

The BC Hydro power supply upgrades are expected to wrap up by July 5th. TELUS will also be transferring their wires to the new BC Hydro poles. The wooden TELUS poles will be removed once they are transferred.

The SCRD is confident the redesigned retaining wall will provide adequate clearance for MOTI to reinstate the roadway ditch on the north side of Elphinstone Avenue and to shift the alignment of the paved roadway further north. The SCRD has met onsite with both MOTI and their contractor and both Moti and their subcontractor are committed to the realignment at the Elphinstone Avenue/Fisher Road intersection.

The landscaping plan will be revisited once the redesign of the retaining wall is finalized. The SCRD is committed to visually softening the face of the retaining wall .

The service vehicle parking area was designed to have the smallest footprint possible while providing adequate space for the operators to deliver chemicals used in the water treatment process. The retaining wall layout was reviewed by MOTI and neither they nor the design engineers or record raised any concerns with visibility as a result of the new retaining wall. The SCRD is aware of the concerns the local residents have about the retaining wall and the SCRD remains committed to addressing those concerns.

Due to unexpected soil conditions at the new water treatment plant site,  the excavation for the foundation had to be dug deeper than originally designed. Consequently, the height of the retaining wall for the access parking lot will  be higher than originally designed.  However, the top elevation of the retaining wall will remain unchanged.  The design for the new retaining wall is still under review. Plans for the new retaining wall will be shared with the public once they become available. The SCRD expects that the contractor will begin work on the retaining wall as soon as the plans are finalized.

Additional compaction on the road gravel is required before it can be paved, which will require a stretch of drier weather.  The SCRD is pushing the contractor to complete this work as soon as possible so that the road can be repaved.