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Tofino's Water Situation
Tofino’s tap water is collected with gratitude from the rainforests protected by Tla-o-qui-aht Tribal Parks in the Hahuulthii of the Tla-o-qui-aht Ha'wiih.
Tofino's water infrastructure was designed decades ago to meet the needs of a much smaller resident and visitor population. In recent years, challenges including increased summer demand, and longer, drier summers have pushed Tofino's water system to its limits requiring the implementation of staged Water Conservation measures.
The District of Tofino monitors the water consumption of large, commercial users and works with accommodation providers to engage their guests in the conservation of one of Tofino’sContinue reading
Tofino's Water Situation
Tofino’s tap water is collected with gratitude from the rainforests protected by Tla-o-qui-aht Tribal Parks in the Hahuulthii of the Tla-o-qui-aht Ha'wiih.
Tofino's water infrastructure was designed decades ago to meet the needs of a much smaller resident and visitor population. In recent years, challenges including increased summer demand, and longer, drier summers have pushed Tofino's water system to its limits requiring the implementation of staged Water Conservation measures.
The District of Tofino monitors the water consumption of large, commercial users and works with accommodation providers to engage their guests in the conservation of one of Tofino’s greatest, but surprisingly limited, natural assets.
On March 27, 2023, Council authorized Staff to engage consulting experts to create a Water Master Plan to explore developing additional water capacity for Tofino and the Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation. This report is due by Dec 31, 2023.
Water System Components
Water Sources: The District obtains its drinking water from four rain-fed creeks on Meares Island, piped across the seabed to our 2 treatment facilities in Tofino.
Source Reservoirs: Two creeks have reservoirs: Ahkmahksis Reservoir (23,000 m3) and Sharp Creek Reservoir (2,000 m3). These source reservoirs are intended to bridge the gap between the District’s demand for water and the volume available from the four creeks during dry conditions.
Treatment: The four creeks are piped into two treatment locations: Bay Street Chlorination Station and Ahkmahksis Water Treatment Plant. From this point on, the water is potable.
Distribution: The water is then distributed throughout the district through roughly 38 km of watermains.
Potable Water Reservoirs: The distribution system includes water storage at three potable water reservoirs: Stump Dump, DL 117, and Barrs Mountain. Altogether they store 7,400 m3. These reservoirs primarily provide storage to meet peak day demands, provide emergency storage, and meet fire flow demands
Major Water Consumers
The District of Tofino is educating the the top major water users in an effort to conserve water for Summer 2023. Education campaigns and 1v1 meetings have begun to target the leading water consumers in all major sectors:
Accommodation Sector
Industrial & Commercial Sector
Residential Sector
The District of Tofino is challenging businesses, residents, and visitors to curb water consumption by 20% this summer compared to last year. By relaunching the successful “20% Challenge,” the District is hoping to minimize the impacts of low water flows during increasingly hot and dry summers.
