A former municipal councillor is questioning why a $21-million water system upgrade approved in 2022 has taken so long to come together in Ucluelet.
The district’s Water Capacity and Infiltration Project was approved during Lara Kemps’ last year on council in 2022 when a $7.04 million grant and a $13 million municipal loan was approved to cover the project’s estimated cost.
Information about the project can be found at ucluelet.ca/community/district-capital-projects.
“The District of Ucluelet has experienced decades of water quality challenges. Residents and visitors of the community have concerns ranging from objections of the aesthetics of the often-discoloured water to more serious questions about the potential health impacts of consuming Ucluelet’s water,” the district’s website reads, in part.
“Ucluelet’s existing treatment processes and water quality do not meet current regulatory requirements as defined by the Guideline for Canadian Drinking Water Quality. The community’s water sources are high in iron, manganese and turbidity.”
Construction is currently expected to be complete in 2026.
Kemps chose not to run for re-election in 2022 and is now the assistant general manager of Black Rock Oceanfront Resort, which is being hit hard with ruined linens from discoloured laundry water and offering discounts to irate guests grossed out by what’s filling their cups and bathtubs.
“We approved this grant in 2022 and we’re still waiting for it. It just feels like there’s no support for businesses,” Kemps told the Westerly News. “We need it prioritized. This should have been completed way before a lot of other projects.”
During their Sept. 3 meeting, council reviewed a letter from Kemps suggesting the ongoing water woes are wreaking havoc on the resort’s business as well as the town’s reputation as an attractive tourist destination.
“I am writing to bring to your attention a critical issue that Black Rock Oceanfront Resort has been repeatedly facing concerning the water, which has significantly impacted our operations and guest experience,” Kemps wrote.
“Over the past year and beyond, we have been experiencing persistent problems with the water supply at the resort. This situation has not only inconvenienced our guests but has also resulted in substantial financial losses for our establishment. Specifically, we have incurred losses exceeding $20,000 in damaged linens due to the poor water quality. Additionally, in our efforts to ensure guest satisfaction and safety, we have distributed hundreds of dollars’ worth of bottled water and the purchase of extra cleaning supplies. The quality and reliability of the water supply are fundamental to the operation of any hospitality business. The ongoing issues have not only strained our resources but have also put us at risk of receiving negative reviews.”
One of those reviews was included in council’s agenda with the names redacted.
“We drank water at our unit during the evening unaware until we began filling the bathtub the water was polluted. With the tub half full, the water was a medium to dark brown with a heavy layer of oily looking stuff on the surface,” the review reads, adding that the water smelled “off.”
“We drained the tub, then refilled it with the same result. We went to bed, as we had an early day ahead. During the night my wife began vomiting, which continued for some time, and I experienced stomach pain that lasted much of the night.”
It adds that the discoloured water continued the following day and that they would not be recommending the resort.
“Our impression is that this is an ongoing situation at your hotel. If it is, I’m surprised you haven’t been shut down by health authorities,” it reads.
Kemps said the experience outlined in the review is not unique and that the resort is frequently having to give discounts to visitors and hand out bottles of water, which “100 per cent” impacts experiences and turns tourists off from return visits.
“That letter mirrors a whole bunch of responses that we’re getting from our guests,” she said. “This is very important. We’ve been complaining about this for years.”
Kemps has written several letters to council urging them to get going on the water project and has become frustrated by what she believes to be too slow a pace of progress.
“Additionally, we would like to understand the plans for business support in the meantime. Is there financial assistance available for businesses that have been adversely affected by the current water situation?,” her letter reads. “We kindly request the District of Ucluelet’s immediate attention to this matter. It is imperative that we find a prompt and effective solution to the water issues to prevent further damage and financial loss.”
She told the Westerly that the water turns discoloured about twice a week and is impossible to predict, meaning any linens in the resort’s laundry machines are ruined and guests are grossed out without warning.
“We don’t get any notice that the water’s going to turn, so we can’t let our guests know. We’re doing a lot of guest recovery and we’re also losing a lot of linens and going through a lot more cleaning supplies,” she said. “It feels like we’re just a tourist business so there’s not really support, but 90 per cent of the businesses in our community are tourism based whether directly or indirectly and it just feels like there’s no support for us.”
She added that she has first-hand knowledge of how hard the town’s mayor and council work, but she’s disappointed that the water project has not seemed to be prioritized.
“When it comes down to it, we’re a small community and we should be supporting every business,” she said. “I would love to see some financial help, but I know that’s not going to happen. We need to have this (project) prioritized.”
After council reviewed Kemps’ letter, Mayor Marilyn McEwen asked district staff for an update on the Water Capacity and Infiltration Project and the town’s director of engineering James MacIntosh said it is currently in a concept and preliminary design stage after a recently completed site analysis.
“I’m happy to share that we’re making progress and making our way through our design and we’ll continue to update the community through the website as we make milestones and also provide council with updates on significant milestones along the way,” MacIntosh said.
Coun. Shawn Anderson said he knows of some residents who have installed their own private filter systems and asked if that strategy could possibly help the resort’s issue.
MacIntosh confirmed some residents and businesses have installed filters, with varied results.
“There’s pros and cons and successes and challenges to having small filters upstream on the system, like a residential or commercial service line. Anecdotally I understand some of that is happening in the community to various levels of success. For example, some people put them in and then replace their filter every couple of months and when there’s a disruption in the line, they find that their filter goes black immediately,” he said.
“I would offer that if folks want to take it into their own hands and have a filter in their system, that’s something that others are doing to various levels of success. But, a municipal wide solution is to have a big filter at the junction.”
McEwen pushed further on whether it would be possible for the resort to install a water filter.
“They certainly could, of course it’s up to their capital budgets,” MacIntosh said. “We’re aware that Black Rock is a sensitive location in the infrastructure. It’s a low spot and it seems to get hit often with black water.”
He noted that Kemps was on council when the project was approved and suggested she was “gently reminding us to hurry up and build the plant.”
Anderson referenced the review’s claim that a guest became sick after drinking the water.
“Would that be a flushing event and someone drank some of the water, the high level of manganese would make you feel ill?” he asked.
MacIntosh said he could not speak to the specific Black Rock concern, but said Ucluelet’s water is tested by Vancouver Island Health Authority and is controlled under the B.C. Safe Water Drinking Guideline.
“Our water is within the provincially and federally mandated criteria that we follow. If it wasn’t we would, of course, be under a boil water advisory,” he said. “I’m happy to report that our water is safe to drink, it’s meeting the guidelines and if it wasn’t, we wouldn’t be drinking it.”
