North Cedar Improvement District

Summer Newsletter (June 2009)

 

Stage II Watering Restrictions Lifted

When the weather got extremely hot, supply was not able to keep up with demand. Many residents were not following the watering restrictions of odd and even numbered days and were running water during the night, filling up pools, watering lawns which drained supply by morning. Fire flows were compromised with the hot dry weather and with the fire danger already "high" this became a huge issue for the district.

The District must be able to fight fires if the need arises and we do not have an endless supply of water. The first priority is to supply potable water for human consumption and then to have enough water to fight fires.

It is imperative that residents abide by the watering restrictions to ensure that supply can keep up with demand, which did not happen when the temperatures got so high.

The District has been pursuing a new well source on Wilkinson road for the past two years. We have been delayed by the Ministry of Health for the past year, waiting for approval on our new well, which was planned to have been brought on-line this spring. Source approval normally takes around four months and instead we have been waiting fifteen months for approval. This has resulted in supply being an issue when the weather gets extremely hot and water restrictions are not being adhered to.

The District is encouraging residents to conserve water usage as much as they are able to do. We also encourage residents to not wash their cars, but rather use a car wash and to use as many measures as they can think of to reduce consumption. We understand that vegetable gardens and flower gardens need watering, but grass does not and it will come back nice and green in the fall, once it starts raining again.

The District will be adding another storage reservoir at our Barnes road location, in the fall, as well continuing to pursue the approval of our new well on Wilkinson Road. Now that temperatures have returned to a more normal range and we have had some rain, residents may now return to odd and even days for watering. However, if the weather gets extremely hot and residents do not follow watering restrictions, the need to return to stage two will, once again, be a reality. Residents should still actively pursue avenue's to reduce their consumption on an ongoing basis.

Water Conservation Signs

The District is currently having some signs made that will be positioned with our fire danger rating signs. These signs will tell residents what stage we are in for watering, whether it be stage one two or three. Many area's of British Columbia are on stage two after such hot weather and lack of rain so early in spring, so Cedar is not alone in our need for residents to conserve water.

Swimming Pool Registration

The District would like to begin registering the pools that are owned by our residents so that we can create a schedule for filling them. The idea would be to divide the District into four or five quadrants and allow each quadrant a certain week in which to get their pools filled and avoid having the entire district filling them all on the same two days, which is what created much of our supply issue. We are not penalizing anyone for having a pool, however we do need to ensure this does not happen again. We are asking residents to email us or give us a call and tell us if you have a pool. We will create a schedule to be implemented next year which will allow you to enjoy your pool and ensure water supply is not effected, which impacts all residents of Cedar. We thank you for your cooperation in registering your pools.

NCID Board of Trustee's

The annual general meeting was held at the end of April, as per the legislated requirements for an Improvement District.

At that time, Chair Joe Burnett retired his position as a trustee and elections were held for three trustee positions. Both Helen Edwards and Geoff Macaulay were re-elected for a three year term. Rosmy Jean-Louis, who has been a former trustee, but resigned to go out of the country for a year, ran as trustee for the third position and was elected by acclamation.

After the AGM adjourned, the newly elected Board met, in order to elect and appoint a Chair. Trustee Geoff Macaulay was successfully elected as the Chair to the Board of Trustee's. Geoff is very active in the community serving on the volunteer community police board as well as NCID. Cathy Rutti was elected as Vice-Chair and will continue in her role as Finance Chair as well. Trustee Dave Little was given the appointment of fire liaison, Trustee Helen Edwards and Trustee Chad Willick share the waterworks portfolio and Trustee Henrietta Murdoch was given the personal portfolio.

All Trustee's are elected for a three year term and term expiry dates are staggered so that two trustee positions come for election a year and every four years three trustee positions are up for election. This allows for continuity on the Board as the entire Board cannot change in one year, only two positions at a time.

The North Cedar Improvement District provides three services to Cedar those being water, fire and street lighting.

Is Your Home Fire Smart?

Wildland forest fires are capable of spreading at an astonishing rate. Crowning forest fires often spread at up to 5.5 kilometres per hour, with spotting as far as 2 kilometers ahead. Wind blown grass fires can spread up to 8.5 kilometres per hour.

In British Columbia, an average of 48% of all wildfires are caused by human activity. Wildfire is also a natural phenomenon. Nearly 52% of British Columbia's wildfires are caused by lightning strikes. Over the last several centuries, large areas of BC have been burned over repeatedly.

Over the last 10 years, on average, over 2,500 wildfires were started in British Columbia each year, consuming over 25,000 hectares of forested land annually. Thousands of families have been evacuated from their communities and hundreds of homes destroyed.

Many British Columbians live near a forested region and Cedar is no exception. Hopefully we never have to contend with the spread of a wildfire. The best protection against loss, damage or injury, due to wildfire, is prevention. The North Cedar Volunteer Fire Department supports the FireSmart Program. This is a program that tells residents all the steps they can take to make their homes and properties fire smart. Manuals are available at the fire hall for free and contain many simple preventative steps residents can take. The manual also includes a FireSmart Assessment test, which you can complete and it will help determine if your home or property is at risk.

All residents must be in possession of a burning permit, from April 1st to October 31st, and these are available for free at the District office. When we reach "high" on our danger rating, campfires are the only burning permitted and when we reach "extreme" no burning of any kind is permitted.

Fire Danger rating signs are located in front of the fire hall on Yellow Point Road and just before the Cedar Bridge, when you enter the District. Please do your part to be "firesmart" and respect the burning regulations as well as be in possession of a burning permit. The permit outlines what is permissible to burn as well as the size the fire may be and the time frame in which a fire should be put out.

Have a safe and happy summer. Remember to burn responsibly, as well as respect your neighbors. Only burn during permissible times and burn only permissable materials.