Why the Water Issue Will Determine the Future of Silva Bay
Silva Bay wants to move forward with the redevelopment. The plans have been developed, substantial time and resources have already been invested, and we believe the proposed hotel, restaurant, general store and existing marina can once again make Silva Bay an important waterfront destination for Gabriola and the Gulf Islands.
But the project requires a reliable and economically viable source of water. If no lawful way can be found for the existing off-site well to serve the waterfront development, the practical consequences are significant.
The Project Cannot Simply Proceed Without Water
A hotel, restaurant, general store and marina require a dependable water supply. This is not an issue that can be deferred until after construction or solved by reducing water use to zero. A viable water source is fundamental to whether the development can be built and operated at all.
The existing off-site well has historically served the Silva Bay waterfront and has been professionally assessed as part of the current redevelopment planning. The present obstacle is whether that water can lawfully be used for the proposed development under an acceptable regulatory framework.
OPTIONS CONSIDERED
Water Options
Existing off-site well
- Existing source
- Historically served Silva Bay
- Potentially usable with rezoning and safeguards
Desalination
- Technically possible
- High infrastructure and operating costs
- Not economically viable for this project
Imported water
- Requires ongoing deliveries
- High continuing cost and logistical burden
- Not a sustainable primary source
Why Not Use Desalination?
Desalination is technically possible in many coastal locations, but technical possibility and economic viability are not the same thing. A desalination system suitable for a commercial development requires significant infrastructure, energy, ongoing maintenance and treatment, together with the appropriate management of the resulting waste stream.
For the relatively modest scale of the Silva Bay redevelopment, the cost of developing and operating such a system would make the project economically unfeasible. Desalination is therefore not a realistic substitute for the existing well.
Why Not Import Water?
Regularly transporting large quantities of potable water to Silva Bay would create a different set of costs and logistical issues. A hotel, restaurant and commercial waterfront operation require water every day. Relying on trucked or otherwise imported water as the primary source would mean an ongoing transportation system, substantial operating costs and continued dependence on deliveries.
That is not a commercially sustainable long-term water solution for the proposed development.
THE BOTTOM LINE
No workable water source = no viable redevelopment
This is not an ultimatum. It is the economic reality of operating a hotel, restaurant, general store and marina without a viable long-term water supply.
TWO POSSIBLE FUTURES
If a Solution Is Found — Or Isn't
IF A WORKABLE SOLUTION IS FOUND
IF NO WORKABLE SOLUTION IS FOUND
The existing marina can continue, but the proposed hotel, restaurant and general store are unlikely to be built without a viable water solution.
If No Workable Solution Is Found
If the off-site well cannot be lawfully used, and no economically viable alternative water source can be identified, the likely result is straightforward: the proposed redevelopment will not proceed.
That would mean the opportunity to restore the broader Silva Bay waterfront hub would remain unrealized. The marina would remain, but the proposed 16-room hotel, restaurant and general store would not be built as presently planned.
Our preference is not to abandon the project and not to spend years relying exclusively on litigation. We would rather work with Islands Trust, professional groundwater experts and the Gabriola community to establish whether the existing well can serve the redevelopment within clearly defined and environmentally responsible limits. If it can, then a zoning amendment provides a practical mechanism for allowing that to happen.
THE CONSTRUCTIVE PATH
A Regulated Path Forward Remains Possible
Professional groundwater evidence
→
Defined limits and safeguards
→
Zoning amendment
→
Redevelopment can proceed
If Silva Bay can demonstrate that the existing well can serve this modest redevelopment without unacceptable impacts on neighbouring wells or Gabriola's groundwater, should there be a regulated path that allows the project to proceed?
WHY THIS MATTERS NOW
Gabriola will soon elect new Islands Trust trustees
Make sure the candidates understand what is at stake.
Ask
Will you consider the proposed zoning solution on its merits?
Question
What groundwater safeguards would you require?
Engage
Will you work constructively with Silva Bay and the community to find a solution?
Challenge
If you oppose use of the existing well, what viable alternative do you propose?
Whatever position residents ultimately take, we believe the decision should be made with a clear understanding of the consequence of failing to find a workable water solution. Without one, the redevelopment is unlikely to happen.
