City of Dawson Creek Water Usage Update 2017
May 2018
Prepared by: Kayla Boyd, B.Sc., Watershed Technician
City of Dawson Creek Water Usage Update 2017 Page i
EXCECUTIVE SUMMARY
Water usage data for the City of Dawson Creek (City) was collated and analyzed in support of the City’s Water Strategy and in aid of water conservation programming. Results indicated annual treated water usage in the City has decreased from 2.5 million m3 in 2008 to 2.3 million m3 in 2017. Total water use in litres per capita per day (lpcd) also decreased from 564 lpcd in 2008 to 481 lpcd in 2017; which is above the City’s target value of 467 lpcd by 2020. Residential water use for the City decreased from 225 lpcd in 2008 to 189 lpcd in 2017, and was below 2015 BC and Canadian averages.
Water usage fractions have remained relatively consistent over time with approximately 37% of treated water being used commercially, 36% used residentially, 11% used by private industry, 10% used by City operations, and 3% supplied wholesale to the Village of Pouce Coupe. Unaccounted water use ranged from 0.3 to 9.1% from 2011 to 2017; with the high of 9.1% occurring in 2014 as a result of a major water main leak. The City’s unaccounted water use from 2008 to present is comparable with or below national averages. Unaccounted volumes may be attributed to water main leaks, flows to unmetered facilities, and inaccuracies in estimations.
From 2012 to 2016, approximately 30-45% of water demand by private industry has been met by the Reclaimed Water Facility. The facility has been operating below 20% of its designed capacity from 2012 to 2016. In 2017, 80% of water demand by private industry was met by the facility; operating at 34% of its capacity.
Water use rates and pricing for Dawson Creek were compared with reported values from other BC municipalities; Dawson Creek was found to be among the lowest municipalities in terms of residential water use with one of the highest average annual water prices for household use.
City of Dawson Creek Water Usage Update 2014-2016 Page ii
Table of Contents
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………i TABLE OF CONTENTS……………………………………………………..……………………………………………………………………..ii BACKGROUND ...... 1 OBJECTIVES ...... 2 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION...... 2 Treated water ...... 2 Reclaim water ...... 12 Raw water ...... 14 ANALYSIS ...... 15 Residential water use characterization ...... 15 Comparison with other BC municipalities ...... 16 CONCLUSIONS AND SUMMARY ...... 19 REFERENCES ...... 20
City of Dawson Creek Water Usage Update 2017 Page 1 of 20
BACKGROUND
In 2008, Kerr Wood Leidal (KWL) was engaged to collect baseline water usage data for the City of Dawson Creek (City). Results of the 2008 KWL report included:
Higher than Canadian average consumption per capita; Consumption in all sectors increasing as river flow rates decreased (i.e. in the summer months); Unaccounted for water volumes slightly higher than the Canadian average; and An increasing demand for non-potable fresh water by the oil and gas sector (Henderson, 2009).
The City of Dawson Creek Water Strategy was established in 2009 in order to align with the provincial ‘Living Water Smart’ program (HB Lanarc Consultants, 2009). Two goals were identified as part of the water vision:
1. In line with new British Columbia Government legislation, the City of Dawson Creek will meet 50% of its new water needs through conservation measures by the year 2020.
2. As a volume target the City will reduce the current per capita daily consumption by 20% by the year 2020, going from an average of 584 litres/capita/day (2005-2007) to 467 litres/capita/day by 2020.
Since 2008, the City of Dawson Creek (City) has updated and added new water meters to its distribution system, implemented Water Conservation Measures Bylaw 3844, introduced an increase in water rates (2011), constructed the Reclaimed Water Facility (2012), constructed a treated water reservoir (2017), constructed a new 1,000,000 mᶾ raw water reservoir (2017/2018), and continued water conservation educational and outreach programs.
In 2014, Urban Systems Inc. (Urban Systems) was engaged to update the City’s Water Quality Assurance Plan (Urban Systems, 2015). Results from the 2015 Urban Systems report included:
Decreasing total water meter values year over year since 2008; Increasing commercial and industrial usage while overall usage declined; and Large fractions of unaccounted for water usage ranging from 5% to 22% with an estimated 200,000 m3 attributed to a known water main leak in 2014.
The City’s Watershed Stewardship Program continues to track City water usage as a component of the Program’s water conservation initiatives and annual reporting. In January 2017, a need to harmonize water usage reporting within the City was identified in addition to reducing the fraction of unaccounted for water identified by the Urban Systems 2015 report.
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OBJECTIVES
The objectives of this report include:
The characterization and analysis of water usage within the City of Dawson Creek; Identification of trends in water usage over time; Comparison of Dawson Creek water usage data and pricing with other BC municipalities; and Update of the City of Dawson Creek Water Quality Assurance Plan with water usage data from 2017
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Treated water
Detailed treated water use volumes from 2011 to 2017 are presented in Table 1 along with the KWL 2008 data. Results from the Urban Systems 2015 report for 2011 to 2013 water use volumes were reviewed by comparing values obtained from City records. Based on the review, it was determined that multiple water use volumes were not included in the report. It was also noted that commercial bulk water use volumes were not included in the City’s 2016 report. Records of water use values from the Water Treatment Plant and City Hall Utilities were used in the following tables from 2011 to 2017; resulting in reduced unaccounted water volumes than previously reported.
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Table 1: Dawson Creek treated water usage summary table for 2008 and 2011-2017
Year* Treated Water Use (m3) 2008 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 Business - Metered Business1 715,768 313,141 292,886 267,526 257,324 251,154 232,443 254,154 Business (2" & Over)2 200,090 343,343 287,599 382,325 449,694 475,695 385,671 427,224 Outside City - Business3 N/A 3,210 3,086 2,981 1,588 2,059 N/A N/A Outside City - Business (2" & Over)4 31,654 21,603 19,827 18,816 22,165 17,805 17,159 18,130 Bulk Water Sales - Commercial5 N/A 197,702 195,526 155,953 159,649 144,125 125,766 211,239 Business Total 947,512 878,999 798,924 827,601 890,420 890,838 761,039 910,747 Residential - Metered
Residential6 892,682 741,678 683,964 666,385 702,237 696,609 679,483 709,106 Residential (2" & Over)7 59,688 64,772 60,383 62,067 59,459 52,014 46,758 52,347 8 Outside City - Residential N/A N/A N/A N/A 1,776 2,212 4,107 6,836 Bulk Water Sales - Residential9 N/A 55,458 62,183 59,200 61,664 70,700 87,540 72,485 Residential Total 952,370 861,908 806,530 787,652 825,136 821,535 817,888 840,774 Private Industry - Metered Private Access10 228,765 240,008 226,173 130,064 153,578 97,059 124,437 64,333 Bulk Water Sales - Private11 N/A 145,959 119,770 119,825 146,311 94,182 118,590 59,316 Private Industry - Unmetered
Fire Hydrant Permits12 N/A N/A N/A N/A 12,829 158 446 1,600 Private Industry Total 228,765 385,967 345,943 249,889 312,718 191,399 243,473 125,249 City Operations - Metered Metered City Owned Infrastructure13 N/A 37,118 32,536 33,318 29,084 33,289 42,722 49,088 City Operations - Unmetered Bleeder Valves (winter)14 200,000 200,000 200,000 200,000 200,000 200,000 200,000 200,000 15 Firefighting and Training N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A 90 170 16 Construction Activities N/A N/A N/A N/A 7,600 N/A N/A N/A City Operations Total 200,000 237,118 232,536 233,318 236,684 233,289 242,812 249,258 Pouce Coupe - Metered
Pouce Coupe17 92,924 67,129 75,366 64,408 68,722 68,142 59,759 67,033 Pouce Coupe Total 92,924 67,129 75,366 64,408 68,722 68,142 59,759 67,033 Total Water Use18 2,421,571 2,431,121 2,259,299 2,162,868 2,333,680 2,205,203 2,124,971 2,193,061 Total Treated Water Production19 2,537,601 2,460,042 2,380,226 2,210,368 2,566,848 2,211,452 2,149,098 2,276,473 Unaccounted Water Total20 116,030 28,921 120,927 47,500 233,168 6,249 24,127 83,412
City of Dawson Creek Water Usage Update 2017 Page 4 of 20
Footnotes for Table 1: * 2008 values from Urban Systems (2015) N/A = not available
1 Small commercial buildings (<2" water service)
2 Large commercial buildings (>2" water service)
3 Small commercial buildings outside City Limits (<2" water service)
4 Large commercial buildings outside City Limits (>2" water service)
5 Bulk water fill stations, Commercial
6 Single-family residential, duplexes (<2" water service)
7 Apartment buildings (2" water service)
8 Single-family residential outside City Limits (<2" water service)
9 Bulk water fill stations, Residential
10 Private industry
11 Bulk water fill stations, Private
12 Unmetered private industry, Fire hydrant permits for construction, dust control, etc.
13 City owned infrastructure, including soccer/ball field irrigation
14 Bleeder valves (estimation based on average of 12 m3/day for 92 services over 6 months)
15 Firefighting and training (estimate volume from fire truck pumps)
16 Filling of Loran Reservoir in 2014
17 Water supplied wholesale to the Village of Pouce Coupe
18 Sum of all accounted for water use volumes (business, residential, private, etc.)
19 Total volume of treated water measured at the Water Treatment Plant
20 Difference between Treated water production total and Measured water use total
Informat ion sources: City Hall Utilities: Footnotes 1 - 4, 6 - 8, 10, 13 Water Treatment Plant/Water Sales: Footnotes 5, 9, 11, 17 Public Works: Footnotes 14, 16 City Hall Engineering Department: Footnote 12 Fire Department: Footnote 15
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When compared to 2016 water use volumes, business totals increased by approximately 150,000 m3, residential totals increased by approximately 30,000 m3, and unaccounted totals increased by approximately 60,000 m3 in 2017. An increase in business totals may indicate economic growth while an increase in residential water use may indicate population growth. An increase in unaccounted for totals from 2016 to 2017 can likely be attributed to water main breaks that were identified and repaired in 2017/2018. City operation totals and Pouce Coupe totals for 2017 remained consistent with totals from the previous year (Table 1, Table 2).
Table 2: Dawson Creek treated water usage volumes by sector for 2008 and 2011-2017 Treated water use (m3) 2008 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 Business Total 947,512 878,999 798,924 827,601 890,420 890,838 761,039 910,747 Residential Total 952,370 861,908 806,530 787,652 825,136 821,535 817,888 840,774 Private Industry Total 228,765 385,967 345,943 249,889 312,718 191,399 243,473 125,249 City Operations Total 200,000 237,118 232,536 233,318 236,684 233,289 242,812 249,258 Pouce Coupe Total 92,924 67,129 75,366 64,408 68,722 68,142 59,759 67,033 Unaccounted Total 116,030 28,921 120,927 47,500 233,168 6,249 24,127 83,412 Total 2,537,601 2,460,042 2,380,226 2,210,368 2,566,848 2,211,452 2,149,098 2,276,473
The relative percentages of business, residential, private industry, Pouce Coupe, and City operations have largely remained unchanged over 2011-2017, with the exception of private industry totals (Table 3). The Reclaimed Water Facility was constructed and began operations in 2012, which provided an additional source of water for private industry. Since 2012 there has been an overall decrease in private industry water use volumes which is likely due to the availability of reclaimed water. Non-potable water was also withdrawn from the City’s sewage lagoons in 2017 to meet the needs of private industry and may account for the decrease in potable water usage for private industry in 2017.
Unaccounted water use ranged from 0.3 - 9.1% over 2011 to 2017, with the high of 9.1% occurring in 2014 as a result of a major water main leak which was located and repaired. The remaining unaccounted water use may be attributed to water main leaks, flows to unmetered facilities, and inaccuracies in estimations. The City has been expanding its water metering program over time, with meters installed at the Paul Loiselle soccer fields and Harry Morrow Ball Park (included under the City Operations category in Table 1) and the Mile Zero Campground (included under the Business category in Table 1). As of 2017, unmetered City facilities include the fairgrounds and boulevard irrigation systems.
The majority of water use by City operations is attributed to bleeder valves employed throughout the City in the winter months (Table 1). The bleeder valves are unmetered, so an estimation of 200,000 m3/ year was used based on an average flow of 12 m3/day (measured in 2014) for 92 services over six months (G. Lacey, personal communication, Feb. 16, 2017):
푚3 푑푎푦푠 12 푥 92 푠푒푟푣𝑖푐푒푠 푥 30 푥 6 푚표푛푡ℎ푠 = 199,000 푚3 ≈ 200,000 푚3 푑푎푦 푚표푛푡ℎ
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Table 3: Dawson Creek treated water usage percentages by sector for 2008 and 2011-2017 Treated water use (%) 2008 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 Business Total 37.3% 35.7% 33.6% 37.4% 34.7% 40.3% 35.4% 40.0% Residential Total 37.5% 35.0% 33.9% 35.6% 32.1% 37.1% 38.1% 36.9% Private Access Total 9.0% 15.7% 14.5% 11.3% 12.2% 8.7% 11.3% 5.5% City Operations Total 7.9% 9.6% 9.8% 10.6% 9.2% 10.5% 11.3% 10.9% Pouce Coupe Total 3.7% 2.7% 3.2% 2.9% 2.7% 3.1% 2.8% 2.9% Unaccounted Total 4.6% 1.2% 5.1% 2.1% 9.1% 0.3% 1.1% 3.7%
The total treated annual water usage volume has an overall downward trend over time since 2008. A significant increase in total water use for 2014 corresponds to an increase in unaccounted water loss, and can likely be attributed to a major water main leak. An increase in total water use for 2017 may be a combination of economic and population growth coupled with water main leaks (Figure 1).
Business Total Residential Total Private Industry Total
City Operations Total Pouce Coupe Total Unaccounted Total 3,000,000
2,500,000
) 3 2,000,000
1,500,000
TreatedWater Use (m 1,000,000
500,000
0 2008 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 Year Figure 1: Dawson Creek treated water usage by sector for 2008 and 2011-2017
City of Dawson Creek Water Usage Update 2017 Page 7 of 20
Commercial water use made up the largest fraction of City water use in 2017 (40%), with residential (36.9%) and City operations (10.9%) making up the second and third largest fractions, respectively (Figures 1 and 2). Water usage fractions have remained relatively constant over time with an average of 37% of treated water being used commercially, 36% residentially, 11% private industry, 10% City operations, and 3% supplied wholesale to the Village of Pouce Coupe. The characterization of Pouce Coupe water usage is outside of the scope of this report (Figure 2).
Unaccounted Total 4% Pouce Coupe Total 3% Business Total City Operations Total 11% Residential Total Business Total Private Industry Total 40% 5% Private Industry Total
City Operations Total
Residential Total Pouce Coupe Total 37% Unaccounted Total
Figure 2: Dawson Creek treated water usage by sector for 2017
Statistics Canada (2013) reported fractions of unaccounted municipal water ranging from 10-15% due to distribution losses such as leaks. It is estimated that an average of 13% of the total treated water in Canada is lost through similar losses (Urban Systems, 2015; Statistics Canada, 2013). Unaccounted for volumes from 2008- 2017 are all below the Canadian total treated water average (Table 3). Figure 3 shows average potable water fractions by sector of use for municipalities across Canada (Statistics Canada, 2013), which are comparable to the residential, business, and unaccounted sector fractions reported in Dawson Creek for 2017 (Figure 2).
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Figure 3: Average potable water use percentages by sector for Canada in 2011. Percentages do not add up to 100% due to rounding. Wholesale indicates wholesale transfers of water to other jurisdictions (Statistics Canada, 2013)
Nationally, water use data is calculated in litres per capita per day (lpcd). Table 4 compares water use for the populations of Dawson Creek and Pouce Coupe to national averages based on the following population census data from Statistics Canada (2017a and 2017b). While the City does provide water to rural residents and a shadow population of temporary workers, no attempt was made to estimate these populations in this report. The 2011 Statistics Canada population values below were used to calculate per capita water use for 2008 and 2011-2015, and the 2016 population values were used to calculate the 2016 and 2017 water use in lpcd.
Population 2011 2016 Dawson Creek 11,583 12,178 Pouce Coupe 738 792 Total 12,321 12,970
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In 2017, the average total treated water usage for the combined populations of Dawson Creek and Pouce Coupe was 481 lpcd and the residential water use for the City of Dawson Creek was 189 lpcd (Table 4). The total water use for Pouce Coupe has decreased from 345 lpcd in 2008 to 232 lpcd in 2017, and includes all water uses; the characterization of which are outside the scope of this report (Table 4).
Table 4: Dawson Creek, Pouce Coupe, BC, and Canadian averages for total and residential water use in litres per capita per day (lpcd) Treated water use (lpcd) 2008 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
Dawson Creek and Pouce Coupe - Total1 564 547 503 467 542 467 454 481 Dawson Creek - Residential2 225 204 181 177 186 185 184 189 Pouce Coupe - Total3 345 249 261 223 238 236 207 232 BC Total Average4,5 - 532 - - - 494 - - BC Residential Average4,5 - 312 - - - 312 - - Canada Total Average6 - 485 - 460 - 447 - - Canada Residential Average6 - 251 - 222 - 235 - -
Footnotes: 1 = (Annual total treated water volume (m3) x 1000L/m3) / (Total population x 365/year) 2 = (Annual total residential water volume (m3) x 1000 L/m3) / (Dawson Creek population x 365 days/year) 3 = (Annual total Pouce Coupe water volume (m3) x 1000 L/m3) / (Pouce Coupe population x 365 days/year) 4 Statistics Canada (2013) 5 Honey-Rosés et al. (2016) 6 Statistics Canada (2017c)
Treated water usage for the combined populations of Dawson Creek, Pouce Coupe and rural residents in lpcd has generally decreased over time; from 580 in 2007 to 481 lpcd in 2017. The 2017 total water usage of 481 lpcd is greater than the City’s target value of 467 lpcd by 2020 (Figure 6). The Dawson Creek residential water use has declined over time from 225 lpcd in 2008 to 189 lpcd in 2017 (Figure 7).
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Dawson Creek and Pouce Coupe Total 2020 Goal (467 lpcd) 700 657 612 600 580 564
547 542
503 481 500 467 467 454
400
300
200 Litres Per Capita Per Day(lpcd) PerPer Capita Litres 100
0 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 Year Figure 6: Dawson Creek and Pouce Coupe total treated water use in lpcd compared to the goal of 467 lpcd by 2020
Dawson Creek Residential Total 250 225
204 200 189 181 186 185 184
177
150
100 Litres Per Capita Per Day(lpcd) PerPer Capita Litres
50
0 2008 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 Year
Figure 7: Dawson Creek residential water use in lpcd for 2008 and 2011-2017
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The Dawson Creek total daily average water use volume (including Pouce Coupe and rural residents) calculated for 2017 was slightly below the British Columbia 2015 average and slightly above the Canadian 2015 average (Table 4, Figure 4). Residential average daily water usage volumes for Dawson Creek for 2017 were below both the BC and Canadian averages (Table 4, Figure 5). The total water use average for Dawson Creek was greater than that of Alberta, however was comparable for residential water use; which generally has a more similar climate to Dawson Creek than much of BC.
2011 Total Water Use 2017 Total Water Use 2015 Average Canadian Total Water Use 2015 Average BC Total Water Use
900 800
700 600 500 400 300
Water Use (lpcd) 200 100 0
Figure 4: 2011 provincial total water use values (Statistics Canada, 2013) and 2017 Dawson Creek total water use values compared to 2015 average Canadian (Statistics Canada, 2017c) and 2015 average British Columbia total water use values (Honey-Rosés et al., 2016) recorded in lpcd
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2011 Residential Water Use 2017 Residential Water Use
2015 Average Canadian Residential Water Use 2015 Average BC Residential Water Use 700
600
500
400
300
Water Use (lpcd) 200
100
0
Figure 5: 2011 provincial residential total water use values (Statistics Canada, 2013) and 2017 Dawson Creek residential total water use values compared to 2015 average Canadian residential (Statistics Canada, 2017c) and 2015 average British Columbia residential total water use values (Honey-Rosés et al., 2016) recorded in lpcd
Reclaim water
The Reclaimed Water Facility was constructed in 2012 and is permitted to provide reclaimed effluent for industrial purposes and City operations (Urban Systems, 2015). Reclaim water usage volumes for 2012-2017 are presented in Table 5. The annual capacity of the facility was calculated based on a daily rate of 4,000 m3/day (D. McMillan, personal communication, Feb. 22, 2017), and is compared to the annual water usage at the facility as a percentage of capacity in Table 5 and Figure 8. The fraction of private industry water use met by reclaim is also presented in Table 5.
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Table 5: Water volume usage summary for the Reclaimed Water Facility for 2012-2017 Year* Reclaim water (m3) 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 Private industry
Shell1 153,863 127,707 128,524 44,066 18,848 180747 Private industry2 24,531 105,836 108,825 61,039 96,940 314,321 Private industry total 178,394 233,543 237,349 105,105 115,788 495,069 City operations
Public works3 N/A N/A N/A 3,996 1,806 1,707 City operations total N/A N/A N/A 3,996 1,806 1,707 Reclaim water total 178,394 233,543 237,349 109,101 117,594 496,776 Annual Reclaimed Water Facility Capacity4 1,460,000 1,460,000 1,460,000 1,460,000 1,460,000 1,460,000 Capacity used 12.2% 16.0% 16.3% 7.5% 8.1% 34%
Fraction of private industry water use met by 35.9% 45.3% 43.6% 29.4% 29.3% 88.5% reclaim5
* 2012-2013 from Urban Systems (2015)
1 Direct access through pipeline
2 Reclaim truck fill use minus Public Works (Reclaim)
3 Public Works reclaim water consumption
4 4,000 m3/day x 365 days
5 Private industry reclaim / (Private industry reclaim + private industry total treated)
Information sources
Water Treatment Plant: Footnotes 1, 2, 4
Public Works: Footnotes 3
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Reclaim Water Use Reclaim Facility Capacity
1,500,000
1,200,000
) 3 900,000
600,000 Volume(m
300,000
0 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 Year
Figure 8: Total Reclaim Facility annual water use volumes and facility capacity from 2012-2017
Reclaim water accounted for approximately 45% of private industry water use in 2013 and 2014, 35% of water use in 2015 and 2016 and 88% of private industry water use in 2017. The reclaimed water consumption volume has remained below 20% of the facility’s capacity from 2012 to 2016 with the exception of 34% in 2017 (Table 5, Figure 8).
In 2017, private industry withdrew approximately 550,000 m3 of non-potable water from the seaplane base; one of the City’s sewage lagoons of the wastewater treatment system. While pulling water from the lagoons does not directly affect the Reclaimed Water Facility capacity, it likely contributes to a reduction in the private industry treated water use total.
Raw water
The City supplies non-potable water to residents along the 208 Road between the raw water intake at Arras and the water treatment plant. Raw water usage between 2014 and 2017 is presented in Table 6. Raw water usage is not represented in residential water use as the raw water is non-potable. Raw water usage is considered to be separate from the City’s treated water usage for the purposes of this report.
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Table 6: Raw water supplied to residential water users outside City limits for 2014-2017
Year Raw water (m3) 2014 2015 2016 2017 Residential Residential on 208 Road1 8,212 10,051 8,590 9,855 Raw water total: 8,212 10,101 8,590 9,855 1 Non-potable only, 39 accounts Information sources City Hall utilities (Raw), Footnote 1
ANALYSIS
Residential water use characterization
In order to estimate the amount of water used by City residents outdoors for lawn and garden watering, the residential (<2” water service within City limits) summer and winter average monthly water usage rates were compared for 2014-2017. Monthly water use from October through March was averaged to represent winter water use, and averaged monthly use for June through August was used to represent summer months. The results of the estimation are presented in Figure 9. The results show a difference of approximately 2,500 m3 to 6,500 m3 between an average summer month and an average winter month, which over four months (May to August) would equal approximately 2-4% of total residential water use or approximately 1% of total treated water use. The difference between summer and winter months was higher in 2014 and 2015, and was lower in 2016 and 2017.
Summer month average Winter month average 70,000
60,000
50,000
40,000
30,000
Water Use(m3) Water 20,000
10,000
0 2014 2015 2016 2017 Year
Figure 9: Average monthly residential water use for summer and winter months
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Comparison with other BC municipalities
In 2015, a survey of BC municipality water usage was conducted by the University of British Columbia’s Water Planning Lab (Honey-Rosés et al., 2016). Information on water pricing, total and residential water use, metering programs, and conservation measures employed was collected from 45 local governments, representing 66% of the population of BC and 32% of BC municipalities (Honey-Rosés et al., 2016). While the raw data was not published as part of the report, selected graphs are reproduced here in order to compare Dawson Creek with the municipalities surveyed.
In order to compare water prices, Honey-Rosés et al. (2016) used the approach employed by Environment Canada (2011) to estimate an annual water bill for a residential household at a consumption level of 25 m3 of water per month; approximately the average consumption of a three-person household. Although the values calculated by Honey-Rosés et al. (2016) were based on 3/4” connections, the majority of households in Dawson Creek have 5/8” connections. The calculation for a Dawson Creek household with a 5/8” water service using 2017 water rates is presented below:
Variable Charges, based on actual water use Fixed, Bi-Monthly Charges
Water Usage Charge Water Fixed Charge Rate per cubic Service Type Meter size Fixed rate meter Residential $1.68 5/8" $37.00
Sample calculation for a 25 m3 monthly residential water bill in Dawson Creek:
$1.68 퐴푛푛푢푎푙 푤푎푡푒푟 푏𝑖푙푙 = $37 푥 6 푏𝑖푙푙 푝푒푟𝑖표푑푠 + 25 푚3 푥 푥 12 푚표푛푡ℎ푠 푚3
퐴푛푛푢푎푙 푤푎푡푒푟 푏𝑖푙푙 = $222 + $504 = $726
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Figure 9 shows the calculated average annual household water bills in 2015 based on a monthly consumption of 25 m3 for the surveyed municipalities with the addition of Dawson Creek.
Rate structure
Dawson Creek
Figure 9: Average annual water charge and residential water use in litres per capita day (LPCD) for surveyed municipalities (Honey- Rosés et al., 2016) and Dawson Creek in 2015
Residential water use in lpcd was plotted against the calculated annual price of 25 m3 per month of water consumption for the surveyed municipalities. Figure 9 and 10 presents the findings to which the Dawson Creek data has been added ($726 per year and 189 lpcd in 2017 (Table 4)).
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Average annual water bill for 25 m3/month
Chilliwack Armstrong Terrace Elkford Cranbrook Salmon Arm Hope Cumberland Williams Lake Kent Powell River District of New Hazelton Campbell River Comox Abbotsford Surrey Naksup Whistler Courtnay Kelowna Port Moody Gibsons North Vancouver City Squamish Penticton Prince Rupert Kamloops Richmond Chetwynd Pitt Meadows Coquitlam Township of Langley Mission Delta Victoria Prince George Maple Ridge West Vancouver Burnaby Anmore Village Vancouver Nelson North Vancouver District Dawson Creek Vernon 0 200 400 600 800 Canadian $
Figure 10: Average annual water bill for a household with a 25 m3 monthly water consumption rate and 3/4” connection (with the exception of Dawson Creek which used rates for a 5/8” connection), using 2015 rates and excluding assessed (frontage based) fees or taxes (Honey-Rosés et al., 2016)
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The City of Dawson Creek had one of the lowest residential water use volumes per capita and the second- highest annual price of the surveyed municipalities (Figures 9 and 10). While no clear relationship between price and water usage was reported, it was found that residents with higher-priced water generally had lower consumption rates (Figure 9). It was noted by Honey-Rosés et al. (2016) that Vernon appeared to be an outlier with high price and high water usage, and it was hypothesized that Vernon may be supplying neighboring communities not accounted for. Dawson Creek does provide water to rural residents and a shadow population of temporary workers not included in the population data used in this report, and it is probable that the residential water use volume per capita for the City is a conservative estimation.
CONCLUSIONS AND SUMMARY
Results of the water data usage collection and analysis for the City of Dawson Creek from 2008 and 2011-2017 indicated:
Annual treated water usage in the City has decreased over time from 2.5 million m3 in 2008 to 2.3 million m3 in 2017; Total treated water consumption in litres per capita per day (lpcd) also decreased from 564 lpcd in 2008 to 481 lpcd in 2017, which is slightly above the City’s target value of 467 lpcd by 2020 identified in the City of Dawson Creek Water Strategy (2009); Residential water use for Dawson Creek decreased from 225 lpcd in 2008 to 189 lpcd in 2017, and was below 2015 BC and Canadian averages; Treated water usage fractions have remained relatively constant over time and may be roughly represented as: o Business– 37% o Residential – 36% o Private Industry – 11% o City Operations – 10% o Village of Pouce Coupe – 3% o Unaccounted for – 0.3 to 9.1% Unaccounted water volumes may be attributed to water main leaks, flows to unmetered facilities, and inaccuracies in estimations, and are below or comparable to Canadian averages; Since 2012, approximately 30-45% of water demand by private industry has been met by the Reclaimed Water Facility with the exception of 2017 where 80% of water demand by private industry was met by the facility; The Reclaimed Water Facility has been operating below 20% of its designed capacity from 2012 to 2016 and reached 34% capacity in 2017. Dawson Creek was found to be among the lowest municipalities in terms of residential water use with one of the highest average annual water prices for household water use in BC.
City of Dawson Creek Water Usage Update 2017 Page 20 of 20
REFERENCES
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