Overview
For water quantity, there’s a kind of budget – a balance – to ensure there is enough to supply our needs. However, these needs come also from flora, fauna, and the whole ecosystem on our island and the surrounding ocean.
There are things that we can do to help reduce the demand on water, and/or increase the supply.
Xeriscaping
Drought-tolerant plants are readily available and beautiful. Try them. Local nurseries stock them. Here’s an example brochure of possibilities.
Rainwater harvesting
Is this viable? You betcha. It’s kind of an obvious point, but Hornby gets a lot of rain in the winter, and sometimes hardly anything at all in the summer. So, some people put in multiple, large cisterns to carry them through. Others use simple rain barrels and collect water that way, easing the demands on the well as much as possible. Here are some ideas from Nanaimo.
Slowing water down
A key principle for sound freshwater management includes “slowing water down” to increase its ability to sink into the ground, replenishing the water table. Areas of the island overflow during the rainy season and water rushes to the sea through streams and ditches.
Reducing demand
Please, go easy on the water
After thirty years, we thought it would be fun to show this poster. It was created by Donna L. Baker, a long-time resident of Hornby. In her design she took inspiration from the work of Sa Boothroyd, in Gibsons, who graciously gave her permission.
