Church Road Well Field Project

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Construction work on the Church Road Well Field began in March 2022. This project will add up to three 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.

The project is anticipated to be completed in the Spring of 2023 and will increase the overall water supply on the Chapman Water System.

This page is your space to learn more about this project and to ask any questions you may have about about it.

March 3 2023 Construction Update


Staff are currently working on two main priorities related to this project:


Supply

The potential supply from this well field is up to 4.6 millions litres per day. Through testing, the SCRD has determined that pumps currently in place at this well field will provide roughly three million litres per day. The SCRD is working to have larger pumps installed by June which would allow for more water to be drawn from the well field. Even if the larger pumps cannot be installed in the coming weeks, this well field is anticipated to be online and available for use by June.

Water licence

The SCRD currently has a conditional water licence that outlines requirements that need to be met before it can receive its final water licence. The SCRD’s consultant has been collecting Soames Creek flow and fish habitat survey data and will be providing this information to the Provincial Government in the next month for their review. A meeting has been scheduled with the Provincial Government to ensure the data is sufficient to obtain the final water licence before June 1.

On the right

Find answers to frequently asked about questions about this project and the impact of construction on the local area

See a timeline for the project

Sign up for updates on this project as it progresses

Find links to further information on this project

Below

Ask questions about the project

See a map of the area where construction is taking place





Construction work on the Church Road Well Field began in March 2022. This project will add up to three 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.

The project is anticipated to be completed in the Spring of 2023 and will increase the overall water supply on the Chapman Water System.

This page is your space to learn more about this project and to ask any questions you may have about about it.

March 3 2023 Construction Update


Staff are currently working on two main priorities related to this project:


Supply

The potential supply from this well field is up to 4.6 millions litres per day. Through testing, the SCRD has determined that pumps currently in place at this well field will provide roughly three million litres per day. The SCRD is working to have larger pumps installed by June which would allow for more water to be drawn from the well field. Even if the larger pumps cannot be installed in the coming weeks, this well field is anticipated to be online and available for use by June.

Water licence

The SCRD currently has a conditional water licence that outlines requirements that need to be met before it can receive its final water licence. The SCRD’s consultant has been collecting Soames Creek flow and fish habitat survey data and will be providing this information to the Provincial Government in the next month for their review. A meeting has been scheduled with the Provincial Government to ensure the data is sufficient to obtain the final water licence before June 1.

On the right

Find answers to frequently asked about questions about this project and the impact of construction on the local area

See a timeline for the project

Sign up for updates on this project as it progresses

Find links to further information on this project

Below

Ask questions about the project

See a map of the area where construction is taking place





Have a question about this project? Ask it here!

Questions will be reviewed by SCRD staff and posted with answers.

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  • Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linkedin Email this link

    Hi, Everyone is concerned with the ongoing water shortages within the scrd, and we are all fed up by 40 yrs of the local government not dealing with it. Please let us all know if the church rd well be up and running by June ? to mitigate as stated above. If not then when ? and what else is the scrd doing to fix the lack of water in the scrd water system?I am asking because metering and fixing leaks are only a small part of the problem 4months in stage 4 is not ok, there is no lack of water on the coast, there is only a lack of initiative and connection of water into the system, this along with population growth is contributing to our ongoing frustration if you are paying attention to the comments in the paper and online. Thank you for your reply Cordially, JC Sigurdson

    Julie asked 23 days ago

    Hello JC, on May 10, the SCRD provided an update on water projects, including the Church Road Well Field Project. The well field is anticipated to be complete and available for use in June. Here is a full update on our water projects: https://www.scrd.ca/news/water-projects-update-may/.

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    Are we on track to bring church road on line in June? Thank you.

    Kathy Bruce asked 10 days ago

    The project is on a revised schedule due to availability of important infrastructure for the water treatment plant. It is anticipated that the project will be completed in June.

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    Will the larger pumps that the SCRD is installing create more noise? And, if so, are there additional measures being put in place to mitigate that noise?

    Sean asked 13 days ago

    Thank you  for the question. No, the larger pumps will not generate any additional noise. The pumps are submerged 20 meters under water. 

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    Hello, I am wondering when the landscaping portion of this project is going to take place? The plan that was approved was to install Salal, Red Elderberry, Kinnikinnik, Sword Ferns & Juniper. Thank you, Sean

    Sean asked 13 days ago

    Thank you for your interest in the Church Road Project. The SCRD has initiated a procurement process to hire a contractor to complete the landscaping. The plan is to schedule the work in late fall, to coincide with wet weather and to help establish the new plants. 

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    When fully operational approximately what percentage of the SCRD water needs will this cover? What is the missing part that has held up this project? How many millions of litres are estimated to be lost due to leaks?

    Alan Sirulnikoff asked 8 months ago

    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.

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    Is there a chance of still going to level 4 once the wells are online

    Don asked 8 months ago

    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

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    I live within the Granthams-Soames water system. We’ve been fortunate to maintain very low water restriction usage over the last two summers. I have three questions: 1. Once the new Church Rd system activates, is our original water system still primary for us, and the Church system exists as a back-up; or is it transferring to a co-dependant water system? And if so, what describes the operational functionality of the co-dependence? 2. How will water treatment be affected? The smell and taste of treatment chemicals are already quite strong when the rainy seasons occur. 3. If the systems are to become fully blended, will that increase the water pressure in Granthams-Soames residences? I’d prefer this, as it’s not very strong here, but there hasn’t been any resident awareness communication about this potential, so it appears there’s not going to be an increase. Thank you.

    Lorelei asked 8 months ago

    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. 

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    Do we have a timeline for when Telus will come and move their wires and remove the extra poles? (Post at bottom of Central) There are also a couple of other services (coast cable and another). Are you coordinating with them as well? Who are they?

    Sharla asked 11 months ago

    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.

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    how many poles are being erected on Fisher just below Reed Rd?

    penny asked 11 months ago

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

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    I love @ 443 Elphinstone… how will I access my property? Are we able to park in our driveway ? What about visitor access?

    Victoria Cairns asked 11 months ago

    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.   

Page last updated: 31 Mar 2023, 10:31 AM