Mesachie Lake Water System
Mesachie Lake Water System is located west of Lake Cowichan in Area F. The CVRD assumed responsibility for the Mesachie Lake water system, located east of Lake Cowichan in Area F, in 1969. The system services 101 residential and commercial properties.
Source, Treatment and Distribution
Water is pumped from a groundwater well directly into the distribution system as it fills the reservoir. If the well is not running, water is gravity-fed from the reservoir to the distribution system. The water does not currently require any treatment.
As directed by the Island Health Authority a backup chlorination system is in place should disinfection be required. Funding has been secured by Community Works Gas Tax for replacement of the existing reservoir.
Critical equipment is monitored 24-hours a day for malfunctions (such as high or low chlorine levels or pump failures); if such an abnormality occurs an alarm is sent to the on-duty pager for immediate response by CVRD-staff.
Annual Water Testing
Mesachie Lake water system is sampled, at a minimum, once a week. The following table shows the sampling frequency and parameters tested for the water system:
| Frequency | Parameter Tested | Laboratory |
|---|---|---|
| Weekly | Bacterial (E. Coli and Total Coliforms) | Samples are submitted to the Island Health Authority for testing by a provincial laboratory |
| Annual | Full spectrum analysis based on the Canadian Drinking Water Guidelines. Sampling of the source and distribution is alternated each year. | Bureau Veritas |
Testing results can be found in the Annual Water Report completed each year.
Fee Structure
Mesachie Lake Water System is a partially metered water system. Customers receive user fees every six months and an annual parcel tax is levied on individual property taxes. Current year budget information can be found here.
Undetected Leaks
Undetected Leaks will be considered in any buried service water line or water line in the building’s walls. Plumbing fixtures are taps, toilets and hose bibs.
User Charges may be adjusted where an undetected leak on the consumer’s property has resulted in water usage greatly exceeding typical usage of water, according to the applicable classification(s) and there is no indication that water was knowingly allowed to run to waste. A request for a leak adjustment may be granted if all of the following conditions are met or in extraordinary circumstances, upon approval of the Corporate Financial Officer or the Manager.
- The property owner has not been granted a leak adjustment in the last 5 years.
- The leak was repaired within 30 days of billing or discovery of the leak.
- Written verification describing the nature of the leakage and the action taken to rectify the problem must be received by the Manager before a leak adjustment will be granted.
Where a leak adjustment is approved, User Charge adjustments will be determined as follows:
- If the leak is found in the service line, volumes from the 2 previous years, of the same billing cycle, will be averaged and charged. i.e. Average of 2 previous summers, if leak occurs in the summer.
- If the leak is associated with an in-home plumbing fixture or irrigation system, volumes from the 2 previous years, of the same billing cycle will be averaged plus 50% of the incremental water usage (between the average and the overage) will be charged to a maximum added value of $500.
- Subsequent leaks occurring within 5 years of the previous leak adjustment request will be eligible for the cap of $1,500 per single family dwelling equivalent, up to a maximum of $5,000. Where the average of the 2 previous years of the same billing cycle is greater than $5,000, the eligible cap will be 1.5 times the average.
Undetected Leak Adjustment Application
In order to apply for an adjustment, an Undetected Leak Adjustment Application must be completed and submitted within 30 days of billing or leak discovery.
The process for submitting an Undetected Leak Adjustment Application is as follows:
- Identify and repair the leak on your property.
- Fill out the Undetected Leak Adjustment Application, found here.
- Submit the completed application with supplemental materials (photos, invoices, etc.) to Utilities@cvrd.bc.ca.
Please note the following:
- An incomplete application and/or missing photos/invoices will result in a delay in processing the Undetected Leak Adjustment Application.
- Completion of this form does not guarantee that an adjustment will be granted.
For any questions and inquiries regarding the Undetected Leak Adjustment Application, please contact the Utilities Division at Utilities@cvrd.bc.ca or 250.746.2530.
