Tag Archives: Cortes water issues

Water

Harvesting Rainwater on Cortes and Quadra Islands 

There have been many droughts in Vancouver Island’s history. A University of Victoria study of tree ring data found that some were worse than anything in modern records, but also predicted a mega-drought is coming. This year’s wet Spring may make a difference, but there have been reports of wells running dry every summer since 2014. Consequently, increasing numbers of people throughout the Gulf Islands, Vancouver Island, Quadra and Cortes Islands have turned to rainwater harvesting.

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Water

Environmental design: learning to work with the natural water balance

In a previous interview, Bernie Amell said that development could take place in a manner that respects  the natural water balance. Amell is a co-owner of the environmental design firm Source2Source and a recognized authority in the design of constructed wetlands for water treatment, and in the restoration of streams and riparian habitats. He has presented his work at national and international water management professional conferences. One of his firm’s projects received national recognition from the Canadian Society of Landscape Architects last year. Amell lives on Quadra Island and in today’s interview, he talks about learning to work with the natural water balance.

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Water

Cortes Island’s impending water shortage

Cortes Island is experiencing a wetter than normal Spring this year, but some of Cortes Island’s shallow well owners experience water shortages every summer. Scientists appear to agree that there will be more severe shortages in the future. 

This is a global phenomenon and there appear to be many causes: the depletion of forest coverage, growth of human infrastructure, natural drought cycles and, on top of all that, the transition to a warmer global temperature.

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Water

All about the Island Aquifers

This is the third in a series of articles about island aquifers. First, we spoke to the Quadra ICAN water security team members Jude McCormick, Kris Wellstein, Bernie Amell and Mike Gall about evidences that the groundwater supply is diminishing on Quadra Island. Then we reviewed some previous stories about this issue on Cortes Island.  Now we return to Quadra ICAN, where the water security team delve deeper into the issues affecting island aquifers.

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Water

Cortes Island aquifers: Rainwater, wells, salinization and climate change

CKTZ News, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

As the level 4 ‘drought’ continues and some shallow well owners are concerned about their water supply, CKTZ News asked an expert about Cortes Island aquifers.

Dr Diana Allen is the head of the Groundwater Resources Research Group at Simon Fraser University. While she has not been to Cortes, Allen has been working on islands like Hornby, Mayne, Saturna and Salt Spring since 1996.

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