Swollen budget, delayed delivery

The budget for this massive yet-to-be-completed project has swollen from $600 million to $820 million. Fraught with difficulties, the original 2009 completion date has been pushed back to 2013. Read on to find out what this means for you.

Know your source water*
Metro Vancouver supplies water to 18 municipalities** from 3 wilderness reservoirs in the North Shore Mountains – Capilano, Seymour and Coquitlam (see second map). Water from snowmelt and rain runoff is captured in these reservoirs.

• Seymour (yellow) reservoir  typically supplies eastern Burnaby, South Surrey & western New Westminster.

• Capilano (purple) reservoir normally supplies western North Vancouver, Vancouver, Richmond & western Burnaby. See exception below.

• Coquitlam (green) reservoir supplies Port Coquitlam, Pitt Meadows, Maple Ridge, Langley, eastern New Westminster & Coquitlam. Its water is treated with ozone and chlorine and is not part of the Seymour-Capilano Filtration Project.

Delivered by gravity
Because these 3 reservoirs are situated at higher altitudes, gravity is the most cost-effective means to deliver water downhill to your municipality (see purple, yellow & green areas on map).  Typically, your water will come from the reservoir above (directly north of) your municipality (rather than cross-pumping from another reservoir).  The exception is the Capilano area (purple).

Water quality challenges close Capilano reservoir during winter months
Until the Seymour-Capilano Filtration Project is completed (2013?), those of us in the purple area will get unfiltered Capilano water (via gravity) during the summer months and filtered Seymour water (via cross-pumping) during the winter months (approximately late September to late April). The geological conditions surrounding the Capilano reservoir introduce an excessive amount of sediment into the water in the winter rainy season. This condition is called turbidity.

Why Twin Tunnels?
The tunnels are Metro Vancouver’s intended answer to this Capilano  water quality dilemma. When completed, one of these tunnels will pump water from the Capilano reservoir to be filtered at the Seymour Filtration Plant. Once filtered, the other tunnel will shunt water back to the Capilano reservoir for downhill (gravity) distribution to the Capilano (purple) area.

Schematic from Metro Vancouver publication about the S-C Filtration Project

Chlorine added to all sources
No matter which reservoir your water comes from, chlorine is added before water is sent into the distribution system.

SFP Filter Gallery - photo by Mary Johnston, Nov 2011

Seymour water filtered then chlorinated
The Seymour Filtration Plant uses a process called coagulation and flocculation to remove sediment from the incoming source water. Water then goes through a massive UV (ultra violet) treatment ‘gallery’. (See photo) Finally, chlorine is added before sending the finished water into the distribution network.

Fortunately, fluoride is NOT added to water in Metro Vancouver.

*The colour coding referred to in this article is based on the 2006 map supplied courtesy of Metro Vancouver. Delineations are not precise and changes may have occurred since the map was created. To verify the source of your water, contact your municipality’s water quality department.

**The 18 municipalities to which Metro Vancouver supplies water are as follows:
Anmore
Bowen Island
Burnaby
Coquitlam
Delta
Langley (City)
Langley (Township)
Maple Ridge
New Westminster
North Vancouver (City)
North Vancouver (District)
Pitt Meadows
Port Coquitlam
Port Moody
Richmond
Surrey
Vancouver
West Vancouver

***The aerial view of Seymour-Capilano Water Utility Projects (with red scematic overlay) and the Cross-section of the Twin Tunnels are from Metro Vancouver’s online publications about the project.

Yellow area – Seymour: your water is coming from the Seymour Filtration Plant and is filtered year round. It is also chlorinated. Details here.

Purple area – Capilano: from approximately late September through late April your water is coming from the Seymour Filtration Plant and is filtered and chlorinated. Until the tunnels are hooked up to the filtration plant and the Seymour-Capilano Filtration Project is completed in its entirety (2013?), during the summer months your water will come from the Capilano reservoir. This water is unfiltered however chlorine is added. Details here are most relevant to you. Certain parts of West Vancouver supplied by Eagle Lake  are the exception. Eagle Lake has its own treatment process.

Green area – Coquitlam: your water is coming from the Coquitlam reservoir. It is ozonated and then chlorinated before being distributed to your municipality. Plans are underway to add UV (ultra violet) to Coquitlam’s treatment process (preliminary plannning targeted for 2013). Coquitlam’s water is not part of the Seymour-Caplilano Filtration Project.

*The colour coding referred to in this article is based on this 2006 map supplied courtesy of Metro Vancouver. Delineations are not precise and changes may have occurred since the map was created. To verify the source of your water, contact your municipality’s water quality department.

Drinking colour energized and solarized water

Place the Miron violet glass bottle on a sunny window sill for two hours (or all day if overcast) to infuse the contents with the violet ray imparted by the Miron glass. The water will become noticeably more silky and sweet.

Miron glass containers for food and water

Miron glass containers have unique properties that offer optimal protection against the aging and degeneration typically caused by exposure to light. This makes them the ultimate container for high quality foods, dry goods and cosmetics, leagues beyond other glass jars for the protection and preservation of organic compounds.

Cherry Tomato Test

Life force & longevity preserved in Miron Glass

The dark violet glass helps contain the life force of the contents of the bottle and maximize the longevity of their energetic and nutrient value. It filters out the damaging range of the light spectrum, allowing only the beneficial violet spectrum (specifically UV-A and Infra-red ) to penetrate.

A cherry tomato was stored for 7 months in a clear glass jar and in a MIRON violet glass jar. Both jars were kept at room temperature and exposed to sunlight. The photo (left) reveals the result after 7 months of storage. The tomato stored in MIRON violet glass shows no loss of color and no signs of drying out.

Made in Germany and the Czech Republic.

Sediment in water interferes with disinfection processes and consumes chlorine. The Seymour Filtration Plant removes sediment from water, making chlorination more effective.

Chlorine has a ‘residual’ effect that continues to disinfect water as it moves through the distribution lines to your tap. Now that our water is filtered, more residual chlorine is able to successfully reach your tap without being consumed before it gets there.

Consequently, you turn on the tap and get a better dose of chlorine.

*This applies to those of us in Metro Vancouver whose water comes from the Seymour Filtration Plant.
Sign up for the watermatters newsletter for updates about your local water quality.

Electrodes within the water reservoir convert ions into a current strong enough to power the water clock for approximately 4 months. A built in memory chip remembers the time during refills.
Features a daily or hourly alarm and choice of 12 hour or 24 hour time setting.

Demonstrating alternative energy at work… time powered by water.

Choose from two styles – ‘Wink’ in 6 colours and ‘Squirt’ in 5 colours.

Call 604-733-7888 to purchase.

Wink – Blue     $35
Water powered clock.
Large easy-to-see display.
2 ½” (6.5cm) high x 9¼” (23.5 cm) wide x 6 1/4” (16cm) deep

Wink – Olive    $35
Water powered clock.
Large easy-to-see display.
2 ½” (6.5cm) high x 9¼” (23.5 cm) wide x 6 1/4” (16cm) deep

Wink – Raspberry    $35
Water powered clock.
Large easy-to-see display.
2 ½” (6.5cm) high x 9¼” (23.5 cm) wide x 6 1/4” (16cm) deep

Wink – Shadow    $35
Water powered clock.
Large easy-to-see display.
2 ½” (6.5cm) high x 9¼” (23.5 cm) wide x 6 1/4” (16cm) deep

Wink – Orange    $35
Water powered clock.
Large easy-to-see display.
2 ½” (6.5cm) high x 9¼” (23.5 cm) wide x 6 1/4” (16cm) deep

Wink – White    $35
Water powered clock.
Large easy-to-see display.
2 ½” (6.5cm) high x 9¼” (23.5 cm) wide x 6 1/4” (16cm) deep

Squirt – Blue    $26
Water powered clock.
Large easy-to-see display.
3½” (9cm) high x 4”(10cm)  wide x 3½”(9cm) deep

Squirt – Green    $26
Water powered clock.
Large easy-to-see display.
3½” (9cm) high x 4”(10cm)  wide x 3½”(9cm) deep

Squirt – Grey    $26
Water powered clock.
Large easy-to-see display.
3½” (9cm) high x 4”(10cm)  wide x 3½”(9cm) deep

Squirt – Orange    $26
Water powered clock.
Large easy-to-see display.
3½” (9cm) high x 4”(10cm)  wide x 3½”(9cm) deep

Squirt – Purple    $26
Water powered clock.
Large easy-to-see display.
3½” (9cm) high x 4”(10cm)  wide x 3½”(9cm) deep