City of Dawson Creek Water Usage Update 2014-2016

May 2017

Prepared by: Ekaterina Daviel, M.Env.Sc. Watershed Technician

City of Dawson Creek Water Usage Update 2014-2016 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 since 2008, declining from 2.5 million m3 to 2.1 million m3 in 2016. Total water use in litres per capita per day (lpcd) also decreased from 579 lpcd in 2008 to 465 lpcd in 2016, which meets the City’s target value of 467 lpcd by 2020. Residential water use for the City decreased from 225 lpcd in 2008 to 181 lpcd in 2016, and was below 2011 BC and Canadian averages.

Water usage fractions have remained relatively constant over time with approximately 37% of treated water being used for residential purposes, 30% used commercially, 15% used by private industry, 10% used by City operations, and 3% supplied wholesale to the Village of Pouce Coupe. Unaccounted water use ranged from 2-16% over 2011 to 2016, with the high of 16% occurring in 2014 as a result of a major water main leak which was located and repaired. The City’s unaccounted water use is comparable to national averages and may be attributed to water main leaks, flows to unmetered facilities, and inaccuracies in estimations.

Since 2013, 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.

Water use rates and pricing for Dawson Creek were compared with reported values for 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 ...... 10 Raw water ...... 12 ANALYSIS ...... 12 Residential water use characterization...... 12 Comparison with other BC municipalities ...... 13 CONCLUSIONS AND SUMMARY ...... 16 REFERENCES ...... 17

City of Dawson Creek Water Usage Update 2014-2016 Page 1 of 17

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), 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;  Definition of terms and production of a water usage summary table;  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 2014, 2015 and 2016.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Treated water

Treated water meter volumes from 2014 to 2016 are presented in Table 1 along with the KWL 2008 results and results from the Urban Systems 2015 report for 2011 to 2013. Water usage for 2014 was included in the Urban Systems report with estimated volumes for November and December, and it was noted that the residential and private industry bulk water sales appeared to have not been included (these values are reported by the Water Treatment Plant and are separate from the values reported by City Hall Utilities). These values were obtained from City records for 2008, 2011, 2012, and 2013 and are included in Table 1, which reduced the unaccounted for water fractions from the values originally reported. Sources of information and term definitions are included as footnotes to Table 1.

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Table 1: Dawson Creek treated water usage summary table for 2008 and 2011-2016 Year* Treated water use (m3) 2008 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 Commercial/industrial

Business1 715,768 494,627 381,400 356,199 257,324 251,154 232,443 Business (2" & Over)2 200,090 242,541 220,970 328,523 449,694 475,695 361,298 Outside City - Business3 N/A 3,014 8,876 2,181 1,588 2,059 N/A Outside City - Business 31,654 19,850 18,545 17,845 22,165 17,805 17,159 (2" & Over)4 Business total 947,512 760,032 629,791 704,748 730,771 746,713 610,900 Residential

Residential5 892,682 840,474 835,289 789,174 702,237 696,609 679,483 Residential (2" & Over)6 59,688 37,671 39,045 43,697 59,459 52,014 46,758 Outside City - N/A N/A N/A N/A 1,776 2,212 3,857 Residential7 Bulk water sales8 N/A 55,458 62,183 59,200 61,664 70,700 75,778 Residential total 952,370 933,603 936,517 892,071 825,136 821,535 805,876 Private industry

Private access9 228,765 239,817 122,527 126,197 153,578 97,059 124,437 Bulk water sales10 N/A 197,702 195,526 155,953 153,362 155,022 154,842 Fire hydrant permits11 N/A N/A N/A N/A 12,829 158 446 Private industry total 228,765 437,519 318,053 282,150 319,768 252,239 279,725 City operations

Firefighting and N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A 90 training12 Public works13 N/A N/A N/A N/A 3,831 2,171 2,351 Construction activities 14 N/A N/A N/A N/A 7,600 N/A N/A Bleeder valves (winter)15 200,000 200,000 200,000 200,000 200,000 200,000 200,000 Irrigation of soccer N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A 13,819 fields16 City operations total 200,000 200,000 200,000 200,000 211,431 202,171 216,260 Pouce Coupe

Pouce Coupe17 92,924 75,000 75,366 64,408 68,722 68,142 59,759 Pouce Coupe total 92,924 75,000 75,366 64,408 68,722 68,142 59,759 Unaccounted for18 Watermain leaks 116,030 50,378 217,103 66,991 211,019 120,652 176,578

Known and repaired N/A N/A N/A N/A 200,000 N/A N/A watermain leaks19

Unaccounted for total 116,030 50,378 217,103 66,991 411,019 120,652 176,578 Measured water use total20 2,421,571 2,406,154 2,159,727 2,143,377 2,155,829 2,090,800 1,972,520 Treated water production 2,537,601 2,456,532 2,376,830 2,210,368 2,566,848 2,211,452 2,149,098 total21 City of Dawson Creek Water Usage Update 2014-2016 Page 4 of 17

Footnotes for Table 1:

* 2008, 2011-2013 from Urban Systems (2015) with additions of Residential and Private Industry bulk water sales (Footnotes 8 and 10) N/A = not available 1 Small commercial buildings, including City facilities (<2" water service) 2 Large commercial buildings, including pool and other City facilities (>2" water service) minus soccer field usage 3 Small commercial buildings outside City Limits (<2" water service) 4 Large commercial buildings outside City Limits (>2" water service) 5 Single-family residential, duplexes (<2" water service) 6 Apartment buildings (2" water service) 7 Single-family residential outside City Limits (<2" water service) 8 Bulk water fill stations, Residential 9 Private industry/Oilfield 10 Bulk water fill stations, Commercial minus Public Works (potable) 11 Fire hydrant permits for construction, dust control, etc. 12 Estimated from fire truck pumps 13 Public Works potable water consumption 14 Filling of Loran Reservoir in 2014 15 3 Estimation based on average of 12 m /day for 92 services over 6 months 16 Soccer field turf irrigation 17 Water supplied wholesale to the Village of Pouce Coupe 18 Difference between Treated water production total and Measured water use total 19 Estimated value based on Urban Systems (2015) 20 Sum of Business, Residential, Private industry, City operations, and Other totals 21 Total volume of treated water measured at the Water Treatment Plant

Information sources: City Hall utilities: Footnotes 1 - 7, 9, 16 Water Treatment Plant: Footnotes 8, 10, 17, 21 Public Works: Footnotes 10, 13, 15 City Hall Engineering Department: Footnote 11 Fire Department: Footnote 12 Urban Systems (2015): Footnotes 14, 19

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Treated water usage volumes are separated by sector in Table 2 and presented as percentages of the total volume of treated water in Table 3.

Table 2: Dawson Creek treated water usage volumes by sector for 2008 and 2011-2016 Treated water use (m3) 2008 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 Business total 947,512 760,032 629,791 704,748 730,771 746,713 610,900 Low-density residential 892,682 895,932 897,472 848,374 765,677 769,521 759,118 High-density residential 59,688 37,671 39,045 43,697 59,459 52,014 46,758 Private industry total 228,765 437,519 318,053 282,150 319,768 252,239 279,725 City operations total 200,000 200,000 200,000 200,000 211,431 202,171 216,260 Pouce Coupe 92,924 75,000 75,366 64,408 68,722 68,142 59,759 Unaccounted for 116,030 50,378 217,103 66,991 411,019 120,652 176,578 Total 2,537,601 2,456,532 2,376,830 2,210,368 2,566,848 2,211,452 2,149,098

Table 3: Dawson Creek treated water usage percentages by sector for 2008 and 2011-2016 Treated water use (%) 2008 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 Business total 37.3% 30.9% 26.5% 31.9% 28.5% 33.8% 28.4% Low-density residential 35.2% 36.5% 37.8% 38.4% 29.8% 34.8% 35.3% High-density residential 2.4% 1.5% 1.6% 2.0% 2.3% 2.4% 2.2% Private industry total 9.0% 17.8% 13.4% 12.8% 12.5% 11.4% 13.0% City operations total 7.9% 8.1% 8.4% 9.0% 8.2% 9.1% 10.1% Pouce Coupe 3.7% 3.1% 3.2% 2.9% 2.7% 3.1% 2.8% Unaccounted for 4.6% 2.1% 9.1% 3.0% 16.0% 5.5% 8.2%

Total water usage volumes by sector for 2008 and 2011-2016 are presented in Figure 1. Figure 2 displays the water usage by sector as percentages for 2016.

The total volume of water used by the City annually has decreased since 2008 with the exception of 2014, which corresponds to an increase in unaccounted water loss, and may be attributed to a major water main leak which was found and repaired in 2014 (Figure 1, Urban Systems, 2015). The relative percentages of business, residential, private industry, Pouce Coupe, and City operations have largely remained unchanged over 2011-2016 with an increase in private industry water use from 9% to 17% between 2008 and 2011. The Reclaimed Water Facility was constructed and began operations in 2012, which provided an additional source of water for private industry, the details of which are discussed on page 10 of this report. The majority of City operations water use 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 City of Dawson Creek Water Usage Update 2014-2016 Page 6 of 17

Figure 1: Dawson Creek treated water usage by sector for 2008 and 2011-2016

Low-density residential water use (i.e. single or multi-family dwellings with water connections less than 2”) made up the largest fraction of City water use in 2016, with business and private industry water use making up the second and third largest fractions, respectively (Figures 1 and 2). Water usage fractions have remained relatively constant over time with approximately 37% of treated water being used for residential purposes, 30% used commercially, 15% used by private industry, 10% used by City operations, and 3% supplied wholesale to the Village of Pouce Coupe. The characterization of Pouce Coupe water usage is outside the scope of this report.

Unaccounted water use ranged from 2-16% over 2011 to 2016, with the high of 16% 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 (tabulated under Footnote 16 on Table 1) and the Mile Zero Campground (included in the Business category on Table 1) in 2016. Water usage at the Ken Borek Aquatic Centre is included under Business (2” and over) on Table 1. As of 2016, unmetered City facilities include the fairgrounds, boulevard irrigation systems, and sports fields irrigation systems. City of Dawson Creek Water Usage Update 2014-2016 Page 7 of 17

Statistics Canada (2013) reported fractions of unaccounted municipal water ranging from 10-15% due to distribution losses such as leakages. 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). Figure 3 shows average potable water fractions by sector of use for municipalities across Canada, which are comparable to the residential, business, and unaccounted sector fractions reported in Dawson Creek for 2016 (Figures 2 and 3, Statistics Canada, 2013).

2016 Treated Water Usage by Sector

Unaccounted 8% Pouce Coupe 3% Business total City operations 29% total 10%

Private industry total 13%

High-density residential Low-density 2% residential 35%

Figure 2: Dawson Creek treated water usage by sector for 2016

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) City of Dawson Creek Water Usage Update 2014-2016 Page 8 of 17

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 water use, resulting in the production of conservative estimates.

Population 2011 2016 Dawson Creek 11,583 12,178 Pouce Coupe 738 792 Total 12,321 12,970

Table 4: Dawson Creek, Pouce Coupe, BC, and Canadian averages for total and residential water use in litres per captia per day (lpcd) Treated water use (lpcd) 2008 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

Dawson Creek and Pouce Coupe - Total1 579 560 542 504 585 504 465 Dawson Creek - Residential2 225 221 222 211 195 194 181 Pouce Coupe - Total3 345 278 280 239 255 253 207 BC Total Average4,5 - 532 - - - 494 - BC Residential Average4,5 - 312 - - - 312 - Canada Total Average5 - 483 - - - - - Canada Residential Average5 - 251 - - - - -

*Statistics Canada Census Data Footnotes

1 = (Annual total treated water volume (m3) x 1000 L/m3 ) / (Total population x 365 days/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 Honey-Rosés et al. (2016) 5 Statistics Canada (2013)

In 2016, the total water use for the combined populations of Dawson Creek and Pouce Coupe was 465 lpcd and the residential water use for the City of Dawson Creek was 181 lpcd (Table 4). The total water use for Pouce Coupe has decreased from 345 lpcd in 2008 to 207 lpcd in 2016, and includes all water uses, the characterization of which are outside the scope of this report (Table 4).

City of Dawson Creek Water Usage Update 2014-2016 Page 9 of 17

Table 4 also presents water usage averages for BC and Canada, and Figure 4 shows the Dawson Creek and Pouce Coupe total water usage and Dawson Creek residential water usage in lpcd as compared with Canadian and provincial averages.

Yukon

NFL & Labrador

Quebec

British Columbia

New Brunswick

PEI

Canada

Nova Scotia

NW Territories

Ontario

Saskatchewan

Dawson Creek

Alberta

Manitoba

0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 Daily water use per capita (lpcd)

Average daily total use Average daily residential use

Figure 4: Dawson Creek and Pouce Coupe 2016 values with 2011 provincial and Canadian total and residential water usage averages in lpcd (Statistics Canada, 2013)

The Dawson Creek and Pouce Coupe total average daily water use volume calculated for 2016 was slightly below the BC 2015 and Canadian 2011 averages (Table 4). Residential average daily water use volumes for Dawson Creek for 2016 were below both the BC and Canadian averages (Table 4, Figure 4). However, the total average for Dawson Creek and Pouce Coupe and the residential average for Dawson Creek were above or comparable to the provincial averages for Alberta, which generally has a more similar climate to Dawson Creek than much of BC. Provincial averages for Alberta were 373 lpcd (total use) and 187 lpcd (residential use) in 2011 (Figure 4).

Total water usage for the combined populations of Dawson Creek and Pouce Coupe and residential water use for the City in lpcd over time are displayed in Figure 5. Residential and total water use have declined from 2011 to 2016, with the exception of total water use in 2014, which may be attributed to a major water main leak (Figure 5, Table 1, Figure 1). City of Dawson Creek Water Usage Update 2014-2016 Page 10 of 17

Figure 5: Dawson Creek and Pouce Coupe total treated water and Dawson Creek residential water use in lpcd for 2008 and 2011-2016

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 2012-2016 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 6. 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 2012-2016

Year* Reclaim water (m3) 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 Private industry

Shell1 153,863 127,707 128,524 44,066 18,848 Private industry2 24,531 105,836 108,825 61,039 96,940 Private industry total 178,394 233,543 237,349 105,105 115,788 City operations

Public works3 N/A N/A N/A 3,996 1,806 City operations total N/A N/A N/A 3,996 1,806 Reclaim water total 178,394 233,543 237,349 109,101 117,594 Annual Reclaimed Water Facility Capacity4 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%

Fraction of private industry water use met by 5 35.9% 45.3% 43.6% 29.4% 29.3% reclaim

* 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

1,500,000 Reclaimed Water Facility Capacity

1,200,000

) 3

900,000

600,000

300,000 Reclaim water volume volume water(m Reclaim

0 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

Year

Figure 6: Total reclaim water use volumes and facility capacity from 2012-2016 City of Dawson Creek Water Usage Update 2014-2016 Page 12 of 17

Reclaim water accounted for approximately 45% of private industry water use in 2013 and 2014, and 30% of water use in 2015 and 2016. However, the amount of reclaim water consumed has remained below 20% of the facility’s capacity from 2012 to 2016 (Table 5, Figure 6).

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 2016 is presented in Table 6. Raw water usage was higher in 2015 when compared with 2014 and 2016, but is not represented in residential water use as the raw water is non-potable. The raw water usage was considered to be separate from the City’s treated water use for the purposes of this report.

Table 6: Raw water supplied to residential water users outside City limits for 2014-2016

Year Raw water (m3) 2014 2015 2016 Residential Residential on 208 Road1 8,212 10,051 8,590 Raw water total: 8,212 10,101 8,590 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 2014-2016. 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 7, and show a difference of approximately 4,000 m3 to 6,000 m3 between an average summer month and an average winter month, which over four months (May to August) would equal 3-4% of total residential water use or 1% of total treated water use. The difference between summer and winter months was higher in 2014 and 2015, and was lower in 2016, which could be attributed to higher summer precipitation rates in 2016. City of Dawson Creek Water Usage Update 2014-2016 Page 13 of 17

70,000

) 3 60,000

50,000

40,000

30,000

20,000

10,000 Monthly residential (m use waterresidential Monthly 0 2014 2015 2016 Year Summer month average Winter month average

Figure 7: Average monthly residential water use for summer and winter months

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. Assessed (frontage based) fees or taxes were excluded from the water bill calculations, which the City of Dawson Creek administers as fixed, bi-monthly charges. 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 2016 water rates is presented below:

Variable Charges, based on actual water use

Water Usage Charge Rate per cubic Service Type meter Residential $1.68

City of Dawson Creek Water Usage Update 2014-2016 Page 14 of 17

Sample calculation for a 25 m3 monthly residential water bill in Dawson Creek:

$1.68 퐴푛푛푢푎푙 푤푎푡푒푟 푏𝑖푙푙 = 25 푚3 푥 푥 12 푚표푛푡ℎ푠 푚3

퐴푛푛푢푎푙 푤푎푡푒푟 푏𝑖푙푙 = $504

Residential water use in litres per capita per day (lpcd) was plotted against the calculated annual price of 25 m3 per month of water consumption for the surveyed municipalities. Figure 8 presents the findings to which the Dawson Creek data has been added ($504 per year and 194 lpcd in 2015 (Table 4)).

Rate structure

Dawson Creek

Figure 8: Average annual water charge and residential water use in litres per capita day (LPCD) for surveyed municipalities and Dawson Creek in 2015 (Honey-Rosés et al., 2016)

Figure 9 shows the calculated average annual household water bills based on a monthly consumption of 25 m3 for the surveyed municipalities with the addition of Dawson Creek.

City of Dawson Creek Water Usage Update 2014-2016 Page 15 of 17

Average annual water bill for 25 m3/month (estimated)

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 Dawson Creek Prince George Maple Ridge West Vancouver Burnaby Anmore Village Vancouver Nelson North Vancouver District Vernon 0 200 400 600 800 Canadian $

Figure 9: 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) City of Dawson Creek Water Usage Update 2014-2016 Page 16 of 17

The City of Dawson Creek had one of the lowest residential water use volumes per capita and was in the highest 25% for annual water bills of the surveyed municipalities (Figures 8 and 9). 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 8). 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 neighbouring 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 2011-2016 indicated:

 Annual treated water usage in the City has decreased over time from 2.5 million m3 in 2008 to 2.1 million m3 in 2016;  Total treated water consumption in litres per capita per day (lpcd) also decreased from 579 lpcd in 2008 to 465 lpcd in 2016, which met 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 181 lpcd in 2016, and was below 2011 BC and Canadian averages;  Treated water usage fractions have remained relatively constant over time and may be roughly represented as: o Residential – 37% o Commercial – 30% o Private industry – 15% o City operations – 10% o Village of Pouce Coupe – 3% o Unaccounted for – 2 to 16%  Unaccounted water may be attributed to water main leaks, flows to unmetered facilities, and inaccuracies in estimations, and is below or comparable to Canadian averages;  Since 2013, approximately 30-40% of water demand by private industry has been met by the Reclaimed Water Facility;  The Reclaimed Water Facility has been operating below 20% of its designed capacity from 2012 to 2016; and  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 2014-2016 Page 17 of 17

REFERENCES

Environment Canada. 2011. 2011 Municipal Water Pricing Report: Municipal Water Pricing 2009 Statistics. Cat. No.: En11-3/2011E. Retrieved Feb. 16, 2017 from https://ec.gc.ca/Publications/default.asp?lang=En&xml =992156D4-2599-4026-9B4C-47855D26CCB8

HB Lanarc Consultants. 2009. City of Dawson Creek Water Strategy. Prepared for the City of Dawson Creek.

Henderson, Kevin. 2009. Report to Council – Water Strategy Update Aug. 25, 2009. Report No.: ADM 09-195.

Honey-Rosés, J. Gill, D., Pareja, C. 2016. BC Municipal Water Survey 2016. Water Planning Lab. School of Community and Regional Planning, University of British Columbia. Online URL: http://hdl.handle.net/2429/57077

Kerr Wood Leidal Inc. 2008. DCC Technical Memorandum. Prepared for the City of Dawson Creek.

Statistics Canada. 2017a. Census Profile, 2016 Census: Dawson Creek, City. Retrieved March 1, 2017 from https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/dp- pd/prof/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo1=CSD&Code1=5955014&Geo2=PR&Code2=10&Data=Count&Se archText=Dawson%20Creek&SearchType=Begins&SearchPR=01&B1=All&GeoLevel=PR&GeoCode=5955 014&TABID=1

Statistics Canada. 2017b. Census Profile, 2016 Census: Pouce Coupe, VL. Retrieved March 1, 2017 from https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/dp- pd/prof/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo1=CSD&Code1=5955005&Geo2=PR&Code2=48&Data=Count&Se archText=Pouce%20Coupe&SearchType=Begins&SearchPR=01&B1=All&GeoLevel=PR&GeoCode=59550 05&TABID=1

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