We understand why water is one of the first questions Gabriola residents ask about any new development.
Groundwater is an important resource on an island, and any proposal that depends on it should be approached carefully. That is exactly how we believe the Silva Bay water issue should be considered.
The question is not whether Silva Bay should be permitted to take an unlimited amount of groundwater from a new source. It is whether an existing well that has supplied the Silva Bay waterfront for decades can continue to be used in a measured, professionally monitored and regulated way to support a modest redevelopment.
We believe it can.
This Is an Existing Water Source
The off-site well is not being drilled for the proposed redevelopment. It has existed since 1970 and was developed in connection with the Silva Bay waterfront operation. A water line connects the inland well parcel to the waterfront approximately 600 metres away. The well has supplied the waterfront operation through successive ownerships, and during documented periods it was the operation’s sole water source.
The redevelopment therefore does not begin with the question, “Where can we find a new source of groundwater?” It begins with a water source that already exists and has a long history of serving Silva Bay.
What Has the Well Testing Shown?
Silva Bay has retained professional groundwater consultants and conducted investigations and testing of the water supply. That work has included site investigations, physical measurements of the well, water sampling and work associated with provincial groundwater licensing.
Based on the professional testing undertaken for the project, Silva Bay believes the existing well can provide the water required for the proposed development.
That does not mean the well should simply be pumped without limits. The important question is how the water source is managed. Our proposal is based on matching water use to the capacity of the well, incorporating substantial storage, and allowing appropriate monitoring and controls to ensure that actual use remains within acceptable limits.
HOW IT WORKS
How the System Works
Existing off-site well
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Controlled pumping
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40,000-gallon storage cistern
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Silva Bay waterfront
Storage allows water supply and short-term demand to be managed separately.
STORAGE
A 40,000-Gallon Storage System
Storage matters because the demand for water at a hotel, restaurant and marina does not occur evenly throughout the day.
Rather than requiring the well to respond directly to every short-term peak in demand, substantial storage allows water to be accumulated and then drawn from the cistern when demand increases — allowing the well to operate in a more controlled, measured manner.
THE CORE MESSAGE
Measured, Monitored and Regulated Use
Silva Bay is not asking for an unrestricted right to extract groundwater.
Measured
Defined water use
Monitored
Well performance tracked
Regulated
Conditions and limits can be imposed
A zoning solution can be accompanied by conditions and safeguards designed specifically for the water source and the proposed development. Depending on the regulatory process and professional recommendations, those safeguards could include measures such as:
Withdrawal limits
Limits on the rate or volume of groundwater withdrawal.
Ongoing monitoring
Tracking of well levels and performance over time.
Metering
Water-use metering, including during peak seasonal demand.
Reporting
Regular reporting requirements.
Response thresholds
Requirements to respond if established groundwater thresholds are reached.
Evidence-based limits
Details based on professional evidence and the applicable regulatory process.
Our position is straightforward: if the evidence establishes that the well can safely provide a defined amount of water, Silva Bay should be permitted to use that amount subject to appropriate safeguards.
Protecting Neighbouring Wells
We recognize that one of the most important questions for nearby residents will be whether increased use of the Silva Bay well could affect their own wells. That concern deserves a factual answer, not assurances unsupported by evidence.
Silva Bay’s objective is therefore to establish a water-use regime based on professional groundwater assessment, defined extraction limits and monitoring. If additional testing or monitoring is reasonably required as part of a rezoning process, we are prepared to engage in that process.
The goal is not to ask neighbouring residents to simply trust that there will be no impact. It is to develop a system in which the amount of water being used can be measured, monitored and, where appropriate, limited.
Silva Bay well
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Monitoring
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Defined thresholds
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Response if required
The court case was about land use, not a finding that the Well was environmentally unsafe.
The Court Case Did Not Decide This Question
This is an important distinction. The recent court decision did not determine that the well was environmentally unsafe or that its responsible use would harm neighbouring wells or Gabriola’s groundwater.
The case concerned whether the existing zoning and the law protecting historical uses permitted Silva Bay to continue using an off-site well on a separately zoned parcel. The Court ruled against Silva Bay on that land-use question.
It did not decide whether Islands Trust can now approve a zoning amendment allowing a defined level of water use subject to appropriate environmental safeguards. That remains an open question.
Why Can't Silva Bay Simply Use Another Water Source?
We have examined alternatives. For a development of this type, continuously importing water to Silva Bay or relying on desalination would add costs that make the project economically unfeasible.
That is why the well issue is not simply one technical detail in the development process. Without a viable water source, the redevelopment cannot realistically proceed.
If the existing well cannot lawfully be used and no workable alternative solution is found, the likely result is not a different version of the Silva Bay project. It is that the redevelopment will not proceed.
NOT A FALSE CHOICE
The Choice Is Not "Development or Groundwater Protection"
We do not believe Gabriola needs to choose between protecting groundwater and allowing Silva Bay to be redeveloped.
The more useful question is: can an existing water source be used within professionally established limits, with sufficient storage, monitoring and safeguards to protect neighbouring residents and Gabriola’s groundwater?
We believe that question should be answered by evidence. If that evidence supports responsible use, we believe the zoning should allow it.
