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Businessman Who Donates $50,000 Says Water Already Being Pumped in Tofino

Posted on: Friday, 1 September 2006, 00:00 CDT

By DIRK MEISSNER

TOFINO, B.C. (CP) - The Tofino water crisis is over, says a local businessman who contributed $50,000 to start trucking fresh water to the West Coast community known more for its three metre annual rainfall than dry taps.

Tanker trucks from the nearby community of Ucluelet arrived in Tofino Thursday evening to start pumping hundreds of thousands of litres of water into the community's dangerously low reservoir, Chris Le Fevre said. Earlier Thursday, Tofino's council approved a water pumping plan during an emergency meeting, pending approval by health officials. Tofino Mayor John Fraser said he will make a statement Friday at 11 a.m. Pacific time.

Health officials have yet to officially endorse the water plan, but Le Fevre was adamant the system works and he was moving water with full approval.

"I don't care what city hall says, I care what a practical resolution is and I'm a positive thinking guy," said Le Fevre. "I know we can satisfy health authorities. We haven't been doing anything without authority."

Le Fevre, who owns resort properties and residential developments in the area, said Tofino, Ucluelet and health officials witnessed the first trucks pumping water from Ucluelet.

Tofino Coun. Peter Ayers said he wouldn't be surprised if the water was already being moved from Ucluelet to Tofino.

"That's entirely possible," he said, adding that health and community officials had been working much of Thursday on a water transfer plan.

The plan proposed by local business people called for water from Ucluelet, located about 40 kilometres north of Tofino, to be trucked to the community and pumped directly into the fire hydrants.

During the council meeting, residents gathered outside the community hall waiting for answers from the mayor and councillors.

Some residents banged on the windows of the council chamber while the politicians debated the water issue inside.

The water shortage has pushed the tiny West Coast community to take action on a problem that many knew needed fixing.

Everybody in Tofino, even the mayor, said they knew the town would one day run out of water.

It was only a matter of time before the growing Vancouver Island community, with its high-end resorts, trendy bistros and new subdivisions, would tap the water reservoir dry, they said Thursday.

"It was great 25 years ago, but I don't care what utility you have, if you don't put any money into it you won't get the results," said local contractor Keith Gibson, who was part of the water truck brigade.

"We've got the second highest rainfall in the world and we don't have the ability to store it," he said.

Fraser said earlier Thursday Tofino, located about 425 kilometres northwest of Victoria, was in danger of becoming a community that will have bottled water as its only supply within 10 days.

Some businesses were planning to truck in their own water in an effort to stay open.

The water trucking plan debated by council would see at least four trucks rumbling back and forth 24 hours a day and dumping their loads directly into Tofino's water supply - providing they meet health regulations.

It's estimated they could ship about 750,000 litres of water a day that way.

Le Fevre said the $50,000 he offered was a pittance compared to what Tofino would lose if it shut down due to a lack of water.

"The amount of money to move the water is nothing compared relative to what you would lose if you shut your business down," he said.

"I know how much money comes in at this time of the year and trucking water is a peppercorn relative to the overall volume of money that you'd be kissing goodbye to."

The mayor said he'd cancel the earlier council order that would have forced businesses to close Friday if the trucking plan was approved.

Long-time Tofino resident John Nadeau said the extreme water shortage finally forced the community to confront its serious water supply problem.

"It's always been a question of money and politics and I guess now it's going to be serious and they're going to have to talk about it," he said. "It's been swept under the carpet for years."

Nadeau, who's lived in Tofino for more than 30 years, said most of the community's 1,800 full-time residents spent the summer silently hoping the area's steady rains would arrive to top up the reservoir before it got too dry.

Tofino, located in a West Coast rain forest, averages more than three metres of rain annually. But summers are usually dry and this summer's been extra dry.

"We've always been bailed out by rain," said Fraser, prior to the council meeting.

"I guess you get a little lackadaisical," he said. "You need a wake up call sometime and this is it."

But Fraser sidestepped concerns by many locals that the community pushed development without ensuring its infrastructure could handle the extra load.

"The issue is the fact it hasn't rained in two months," he said.

Andrea Arnet says the community's failure to properly handle the water issue cost her a job.

She was laid off after working 22 years at Schooner's Restaurant, which is closing Friday. Arnet said she's weathered seasonal layoffs, but she's never been laid off before Labour Day.

"Last week I was told don't water my lawn and this week I'm told they're going to close the restaurant that I work at," said Arnet, who's lived in Tofino for 25 years.

Others, including fish plant workers and hotel staff, were also laid off. Some hotels, had already posted closed signs on Thursday.

At Deb's Hair Boutique, the water shortage resulted in cuts of a different kind.

Adriana Lefrancois said the boutique can only offer dry hair cuts until the shortage subsides.

"Spray and go that's it," she said.

Lefrancois also blames the water shortage on the community's inability to build infrastructure that can handle recent development.

Tourists were aware of the water shortage, but most said it had yet to hit them directly.

Two women from Bangkok said they were leaving Friday after spending several days in Tofino.

Suganda Pirsuchpen said the hostel where the women stayed asked them to take a quick shower.

Tofino is a remote tourist town just outside the breathtakingly beautiful Pacific Rim National Park. It is home to some world-renowned resorts, including the beach-front Wickaninnish Inn.

It borders on a UNESCO Biosphere and Clayoquot Sound and draws visitors for a variety of natural attractions from whale watching to surfing.

Tofino's population is estimated to grow to up to 20,000 people in the summer months.

Source: Canadian Press

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