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A: Did you know that Canadians use the second highest amount of water per person of all the G8 nations, after the United States? With that in mind, one of Council’s strategic priorities is watershed protection and water management, which includes the responsible management of water resources and water conservation.
The Town obtains its water from two sources -- Holland Lake and Stocking Lake. Our ability to capture winter rainfall and snowmelt in our watersheds for summer use is limited by the capacity of our reservoirs. Summer is when the Town uses the most water, receives the least amount of rainfall, and has the least amount of water in our reservoirs.
Our water supply system has the capacity to provide quality drinking water to our growing population, and we are taking steps to increase our ability to store winter rains by planning to raise the Holland Lake dam. That said, water is a very precious resource and with global climate temperatures forecast to rise significantly in coming years, the Town is encouraging citizens to reduce water consumption now in order to protect our future.
A: In addition to improving the quality of our drinking water, the new facility will also allow us to improve the reliability of our drinking water supply. We will be able to draw water from both Holland and Stocking Lakes, even during high turbidity periods (generally in winter) thus enabling us to better manage our water sources year round.
In keeping with our Sustainability Vision, the new facility will be a piece of modern infrastructure that will help us meet both our current and future needs for clean, safe and reliable drinking water.
A: During winter months, water consumption within the Town of Ladysmith averages around 3200 litres per day. However, in the summer months when water conservation is most critical, even with Stage 2 water restrictions being introduced in early July, Ladysmith’s daily July water consumption increased by 37 per cent over the previous month. This is a concern because the heat creates excess evaporation in Holland and Stocking Lakes. Further, since Holland and Stocking Lakes receive little to no rainfall between May and late October when fall and winter precipitation begins, increases in water usage draws down our water in reserve. That’s why we are encouraging water conservation 12 months of the year.
A: It’s no secret that North Americans tend to waste water. People sprinkle their lawns in the summer months, wash their vehicles, boats and sidewalks, and allow our most precious resource to slip down the drain when they brush their teeth or take baths instead of showers. While water conservation during summer months is critical, we can take small steps to protect our water supply all year long, simply because it is the right thing to do.
Benefits of water conservation include:
A: Water conservation not only protects the environment, it also saves money. Here are some simple tips for conserving water at home and in your yard and garden:
A: Playing fields are often built on a sand base for better drainage, however turf grown on a sand base can die if not watered. Due to the high replacement costs of playing fields, the Town believes it is a poor use of public funds to allow playing fields to die because of lack of watering. That said, we irrigate our fields and gardens overnight, which we know is the most efficient and effective time to water.
Although we do have certain community assets to maintain that need more or more frequent watering, the Town should be leading by example. We encourage you to let us know when you think we could be doing a better job of conserving water. We’re all in this together.
A: Vibrant and resilient communities are dependent on smart growth – development that is carefully and thoughtfully planned allows the burden of new infrastructure, such as water filtration facilities, to be spread among a larger taxpayer base while ensuring that consumption of resources, including water, is done so in a responsible and sustainable manner.