The City of Campbell River Watershed Protection

John Hart Lake
The Campbell River Watershed Protection Zone
Recommendations for best management and Recreational Practices
The Coastal Western Hemlock Biogeoclimactic Zone
Protection and Recreational Vehicles on Unauthorized Trails
Water Conservation
Making your lawn water efficient in Spring
Keeping your lawn water efficient in Summer
Water Conservation and the Campbell River Bioregion
Water Conservation and Watershed Protection Education
Water Service Contacts

John Hart Lake

The water course drops 624 feet from Buttle Lake in Strathcona Provincial Park through Upper Campbell, Lower Campbell, McIvor Lake and John Hart Lake.  It then spills over Elk Falls into the last five kilometers of the Campbell River before entering Discovery Passage.

The city has a license to draw drinking water from John Hart Lake via the BC Hydro penstocks. The already high quality water is treated in the Ultraviolet disinfection facility, chlorinated, and stored in reservoirs for distribution to industrial, commercial, institutional and residential customers.

Protection of the drinking water is achieved through the City of Campbell River Watershed Management Plan. This plan prescribes source water protection, sampling, testing, public education and watershed stakeholder collaboration to ensure the drinking water quality meets or surpasses Canadian Drinking Water Quality guidelines as outlined in the Drinking Water Protection Act.

The Campbell River Watershed Protection Zone

The mixed use watershed is divided into several Risk Zones depending on distance from the drinking water intake.

Commercial, industrial and recreational activities in each zone are governed by the degree of risk to the City of Campbell River drinking water supply.




While commercial and industrial activities are governed by different regulatory bodies, public outreach informs recreational users on best management practices for protecting the safety of the drinking water.

John Hart Lake (JHL) and its watershed were designated a “community watershed” in 2001. Recreational activities such as camping, swimming and motorized vehicle access are no longer allowed.

The other lakes, McIvor, Lower Campbell, Upper Campbell and Lower Campbell all feed into JHL via the Campbell River system, but given the distance and residence time in each of those lakes, an increasing amount of recreational practices are allowed as the distance from the drinking water intake increases.

Despite the size of the watershed and watershed management plan, there is a risk of contamination of the drinking water supply if recreational users engage in harmful or illegal practices.

Recommendations for best management and recreational practices.

The City of Campbell River is located in the “Coastal Western Hemlock (CWH) Biogeoclimactic Zone”.

Mountains and ocean create the coastal climate and ecology. The rainy season begins in October and on average ends between June and July. A summer drought with hot dry weather ensues during July and August. Snow-melt, lake reservoirs and water retained by forest cover keeps local rivers and streams flowing during the dry season.

The CWH Biogeoclimactic zone has characteristic vegetation that includes a wide variety of evergreen and deciduous trees, shrubs and ground cover, as well as ferns, mosses and lichens.

These native plants colonized the area since the last ice-age ended, 12,000 to 10,000 years ago, and are uniquely suited to the local climate and soil conditions. The resulting forest, with trees, shrubs and ground cover, protect the streams and rivers that flow through them. The complex forest vegetation prevents soil erosion and acts as a sponge, absorbing the copious rainfall in the wet season and releasing it slowly into the rivers and streams during the dry season.

Dumping yard Waste

Dumping yard waste in natural areas and green spaces threatens the health of local ecosystems and watersheds and impacts the quality of drinking water.  Around In the City of Campbell River drinking watershed, dumped yard waste contributes to nutrient loading in the lakes, which can lead to algal blooms and increased turbidity. This can make water treatment more difficult and expensive.

In addition, dumping of yard waste threatens forest and aquatic ecosystems . Yard waste spreads alien invasive plants and animals, some of which over-take and change the character and function of natural areas. There are many examples of spreading alien (non-native) invasive plants around the City of Campbell River and in the Campbell River watershed.

Lamium (silver nettle) is a popular garden ground cover plant which is introduced into natural areas with other garden waste. It spreads easily and is nearly impossible to eradicate.

Of particular concern are the “ground cover” plants. These plants take root from the smallest cutting and spread quickly. They are nearly impossible to eradicate, once started. Some of these include:·
   

• Ivy
• Lamium (Silver nettle)
• Periwinkle

The soil retention properties of these plants are not equivalent to a healthy, native plant community.

Another urban escapee spread by yard waste is the common garden earthworm.  These earthworms are NOT native to this region. They are actually considered to be a serious invasive species in eastern forests, as they upset the balance of nutrient cycling. Earthworms are increasingly colonizing the margins of local western forests.  

There are four species of native earthworms on Vancouver Island. These species survived the last ice-age in refugia (un-glaciated spots, e.g. Brooks Peninsula). They occur in some sites, but are not widespread.

There are many alternatives to dumping yard waste in natural areas – see the City of Campbell River Garbage and Recycling.  

Watershed Protection and Recreational Vehicles on Unauthorized Trails: A Risk to Drinking Water

Heading out into local forests with All Terrain Vehicles (ATV), dirt bikes and 4 x 4 vehicles is a popular activity around Campbell River. Unfortunately, some of the paths follow old logging roads and rail beds that crisscross the John Hart Lake Watershed.

These roads provide unauthorized motor vehicle access into the drinking watershed for people illegally dumping household, commercial and yard waste.

Use of the un-maintained roads threatens the quality of drinking water by causing erosion that worsens during the rainy season.

The erosion will cause sedimentation and if the practice continues and becomes even more popular, the current methods of water disinfection which rely on non-turbid water, ultraviolet treatment and chlorination, will fail.


















The City will need to install filtration systems which will cost millions of tax-payer dollars.

Off road users should seek alternatives to unauthorized trail use in the John Hart Lake watershed.

For more information on watershed protection visit the City of Campbell River web-site.

Water Conservation

The expansive watershed from which the City of Campbell River draws its high quality drinking water can lead to the myth that there is an inexhaustible amount of water available for personal use.

The city has a water license to draw drinking water from John Hart Lake via the BC Hydro penstocks. The water delivery system is designed to meet current and future water demands while maintaining a reserve for fire-protection.

Water consumption is well within system capacity during the fall, winter and spring months, but triples to exceed the system capacity during hot dry summers. The figure below shows typical daily consumption patterns in winter and summer. The 2009 water use pattern is typical during hot summers.

As in other North American cities, 80 – 90% of the summer increase is attributed to lawn and garden irrigation. In Campbell River, this can be further narrowed to predominantly sprinkler use for lawn irrigation.


Exceeding system capacity means there is not enough water pressure left in the system for fire-fighting


At the cost of millions of dollars to tax-payers, building more capacity to handle excessive summer use is not an option.

Instead, the City of Campbell River has a sprinkling restriction bylaw and a comprehensive water conservation education program in place, raising awareness of best practices for maintaining healthy gardens and lawns on little or no water.

Bylaw 3216 restricts sprinkler use for lawn irrigation to before 7 am and after 7 pm on alternate days. The reason for this is that up to 50% of sprinkler water can be lost to evaporation on hot days.

The water education program offers tips for water-efficient use indoors and outdoors, but focuses primarily in the area where the most change is needed –over-watering lawns

Making your lawn water efficient lawn starts in spring:

Water efficient lawns have a healthy plant with deep roots, near neutral acidity, good water absorption and retention rather than run-off, and shady spots. Following these activities in spring will make your lawn more water efficient.

• Aerate
• Dethatch
• Add lime
• Top-dress lawn with ¼ inch compost or good soil
• Test and repair your automatic irrigation system –
• Set automatic sprinkler systems to every four days or once per week –
• DO NOT set automatic sprinklers for every other day: This leads to lawn over watering and uses thousands of litres per home per irrigation session
• Plant islands of shade to decrease evaporation
• Consider using native plants where appropriate

Keeping your lawn water efficient in summer

• Raise your lawn mower to 3” or more
• Add 1" or less of water per week
• Ensure deep soil and deep roots: 6"
• Test your automatic sprinkler system once per month to make sure it is still aimed correctly
• Set your automatic sprinkler system to once every four days or once per week·   
• If you have followed all the spring care advice, you should be able to “go blond” and still retain a healthy lawn

To find out more about each of these tips and about water and water conservation visit the City of Campbell River.

Water Conservation and the Campbell River Bioregion

The City of Campbell River is located in the “Coastal Western Hemlock (CWH) Biogeoclimactic Zone”.

What does this mean and how does it relate to water conservation?

Mountains and ocean create the coastal climate and ecology. The rainy season begins in October and on average ends between June and July.  A summer drought with hot dry weather ensues during July and August. The steady rains leach nutrients out of the soil. The summer drought means that vegetation must survive without summer irrigation.

The CWH Biogeoclimactic zone has characteristic vegetation that includes a wide variety of evergreen and deciduous trees, shrubs and ground cover, as well as ferns, mosses and lichens.

These native plants, which colonized the area since the last ice-age ended, 12,000 to 10,000 years ago, are uniquely suited to the local climate and soil conditions. It is possible to landscape urban areas with native species which, within two years of planting in the right location for the plant, will not require any water.

However, urban gardeners have a wide array of personal choices and uses. Cultivated plants are available from all over the world, each with their own appeal, ideal growing condition, hardiness and uses. Some of these plants require more water than is available in our dry growing season. So irrigation becomes necessary and hence the need for water conservation education in summer.

The need for irrigation is directly proportional to the amount of rainfall.

















Source: Weather Network, City of Campbell River Annual Report

MML = million litres

Yearly per capita residential water consumption In Campbell River has been steadily dropping since 2006 but is higher than the BC and Canadian averages. The high use is concentrated in summer. Most of this is for lawn and garden irrigation, but particularly lawn irrigation, as lawns make up between 85 and 95% of residential landscaping.

To find ways to improve lawn and garden watering efficiency and reduce unnecessary water consumption in summer, visit the City of Campbell River's website.

Water Conservation and Watershed Protection Education

In addition to the “Water” section in the City of Campbell River web-site, the Water Department has an active public education program promoting water conservation and watershed protection. The following resources are available to City of Campbell River residents:

• Water conservation and watershed protection workshops for schools (Grades 4 – 12)
• Water conservation presentation/workshop for adult groups
• Watershed protection presentation/workshop for adults
• “Powerful Water Tour: From Source to tap and after”

A five hour field trips for schools (maximum 30 youth participants plus teachers, parents) or public (minimum 8 participants).

Tour includes:

• John Hart Lake watershed
• Ultra Violet Treatment facility
• Norm Woods Environmental Centre (sewage treatment facility)

Water Service Contacts

Water-Wise Hotline - 8:30 am to 5:30 pm weekdays for questions and concerns
Phone: 250 - 203 - 2316
Email:  waterwise@campbellriver.ca

Water Service or Operations Inquiries
City of Campbell River Dogwood Operations
Phone:  250 - 286 - 4033
Email:  dogwoodcentre@campbellriver.ca

Watershed Protection, Water Conservation or Water Education
Phone:  250 - 203 - 2316
Email:  waterwise@campbellriver.ca

AFTER HOURS EMERGENCIES:
Phone:  250-287-7444