The water supply system for Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, now operated by the Capital Regional District (CRD), served in 2010 over 330,000 people with clean drinking water from a catchment area of centered on its main reservoir at Sooke Lake.Capital Regional District: Facts and Figures: Greater Victoria Water Supply System, May 2009. hxtp://www.crd.bc.ca/water/documents/factsfigs_2009.pdf The CRD's ownership and complete control of its entire watershed assures its customers of a supply that is secure in both quantity and quality. The main reservoir and its subsidiary reservoirs are estimated to contain 93 billion litres of water, enough to meet the needs of its customers for two years without any rainfall. The history of this remarkable system is sketched below.
Beginnings (1842–1843)
In 1842 Sir James Douglas led an expedition from Fort Vancouver on the Columbia River to find a suitable location for a Hudson's Bay trading post on southern Vancouver Island. He examined three harbours: Sy-yousung (now Sooke), Is-whoy-malth (now Esquimalt), and Camosack (now Victoria). Of these he picked Camosack as "the most advantageous." He rejected the first two for various reasons, which for Esquimalt included the scarcity of fresh water. "There are several good Runs in Winter," he wrote, "but we found them all dried up, and we could not manage to fill a single Beaker in the Harbour." But for all its other advantages, Camosack, which became Fort Victoria, had the same problem. Lieutenants Warre and Vavason of the Royal Engineers noted on their inspection of the place in 1845: "This fort has lately been established; it is badly situated with regard to water and position, which latter has been chosen for its agricultural advantages only."Robinson, Leigh Burpee: Esquimalt: Place of Shoaling Waters. Victoria, B.C.: Quality Press, 1948, pp. 26-27.
Spring Hill and Harris Pond (1843–1863)
Of course the newly established Fort Victoria could not exist without a water supply. Exploration of the surrounding area located two sources, both about east of the fort at what became known as Spring Hill and Harris Pond (near the present location of Victoria High School). At first, water was transported to the fort in barrels. Eventually the trail became a road over which wagons could be driven. As the town developed around the fort, private operators took over the operation and provided customers with two buckets a day for the equivalent of fifty cents a week.Capital Regional District: Greater Victoria Water Supply System: Historical Development and Future Improvements (no date, ca. 1990).
The Coe-Martin pipeline (1863–1875)
By the late 1850s, especially with Victoria's growth as a port in response to the gold rushes on the Fraser River in 1858 and in the Cariboo in 1861, transport of water by wagon was becoming impractical."The Question of Water Supply," The British Colonist (Victoria), Oct. 31, 1862, p. 2. In 1863, entrepreneurs John Coe and Thomas Martin undertook to dig a shaft at the spring that greatly increased the flow of water."The petition of Thomas Martin and John Coe," The British Colonist (Victoria), Jan. 13, 1863, p. 3. They contracted with J. P. Cranford to build a pipeline into town. The pipes were -long logs that were hollowed out and attached end to end to extend from the spring to the San Francisco Bathhouse on Government Street, from where deliveries were made to customers by wagon. The resulting increase in the water supply made it possible to fill four cisterns, ranging in size from 25,000 to 60,000 imperial gallons (114,000 to 276,000 L) to provide a reserve of water for fire protection. Coe and Martin formed the Spring Ridge Water Works Company in 1864, serving the city until 1875.
The Elk Lake/Beaver Lake Reservoir (1875–1915)
By 1869 it was evident that the spring and pond would soon be incapable of supplying Victoria's growing population."Important if True," The British Colonist, Oct. 22, 1869, p. 3. Concerns were also expressed about the business practices of the Spring Ridge Water Company."Serious Defalcations," The British Colonist (Victoria), Jan. 11, 1870, p. 3. The city engineer, Mr. Buckley, was asked to investigate the possibilities. He submitted a report in May 1872 recommending the use of Elk and Beaver Lakes that lay about north of the city. One result of his report was passage of the Victoria Waterworks Act of 1873 by the Provincial Legislature giving the City of Victoria disposal over all water sources within a radius of ."Victoria Water Works," The British Colonist (Victoria), Feb. 25, 1873, p. 2.
Debentures were issued raising the money needed, and work began in 1874. Beaver Lake was the smaller and lower of the two lakes. A dam and filter bed were built at its southwest corner where its water flowed into Colquitz Creek. This raised the water level to that of Elk Lake, forming a single larger lake. A pipeline ranging in diameter from was laid along what is now Pipeline Road to a distribution point known as Fountain Square at the intersection of Government Street, Douglas Street and Hillside Avenue, from which water was supplied to customers in the city.
The quality of this water was problematic from the start. The filter beds were altered and enlarged four times between 1876 and 1883 with only minimally noticeable effect, while demand was constantly increasing. Connections to users outside the city were cut off in 1885, and use within the city for lawns and gardens was banned. Between 1887 and 1889 a 16-inch main was added, which for the moment solved the availability problem but exacerbated the quality problem, as the increased flow rate carried more sediment through the filters. Additional modifications to the filter beds provided only temporary relief.
In 1900 the North Dairy pumping stationNorth Dairy pumping station was established on Quadra Street at Reynolds Road. This improved the quantity but not the quality. In August, 1904, a fire in downtown Victoria devastated several city blocks because despite increased quantity there was still insufficient water for such a large fire."Victoria Scene of Destructive Fire," The Victoria Daily Colonist, Aug. 10, 1904, p. 1. A separate high-pressure system was built in the city using saltwater solely for fire protection. Work was also begun on a balancing reservoir on Smith's Hill, which was completed in 1909 and is now the location of Summit Park.
Despite these improvements, the supply and quality of water remained problematic until 1915. Between 1909 and 1915 the Water Department was constantly dealing with complaints about quality and low pressure. Water had to be rationed during this period. At one point the Water Commissioner, Charles Henry Rust, noticed an unusually heavy usage at the Empress Hotel. Investigation revealed that the hotel, which was owned by Canadian Pacific, was washing all the laundry for the CP steamships that came into the harbour. He warned that the hotel would be shut off completely if it did not cease this practice immediately.Water Commissioner's Correspondence, 1913-1915. Victoria City Archives.
Sooke Lake and Humpback Reservoir (1915–1970)
It was understood already in 1905 that the supply from Elk and Beaver Lakes would not be adequate in the long term. The city brought in a consulting engineer from San Francisco, Arthur L. Adams, to study the problem and recommend solutions.Crockford, Ross: "A Drop to Drink," Monday Magazine, Apr. 16-22, 2009, p. 7. He recommended that the city continue to use the then existing source but with extensive improvements, and if possible to acquire the Esquimalt Water Works Company which was then drawing water from Thetis Lake but also held the rights to the Goldstream Lakes. Adams considered Sooke Lake as a possible source, but members of city council thought it too expensive.”Expurgated Report on the Waterworks Improvements,” The Daily Colonist, Jun. 23, 1905, pp. 1-3. Over the next three years, several attempts to claim Goldstream water and/or expropriate or purchase the Esquimalt Water Works failed.E.g., “City Loses the Waterworks Case,” The Daily Colonist, Aug. 1, 1907. Adams was called upon for advice again in 1907. This time he put greater emphasis on Sooke Lake. Early in the following year, the council put the question of Sooke Lake to the ratepayers in a referendum.”The Referendum Bylaw,” The Daily Colonist, Jan. 12, 1908, p. 23. Going to Sooke Lake was supported by a two-thirds majority of those voting.”Hall Elected to Mayorality,” The Daily Colonist, Jan. 17, 1908, p. 1 It was, however, not until November 1910 that council finally passed the bylaw authorizing the development of Sooke Lake as a source of water supply.”No Opposition to Sooke Lake Bylaw,” The Daily Colonist, Nov. 29, 1910, p. 3.
The engineering of the project was contracted to the firm of Sanderson & Porter, with offices in New York and San Francisco.Sanderson & Porter, Engineers: The New Water Supply System of Victoria British Columbia. New York, 1915. The responsible design engineer was Wynn Meredith of San Francisco, who had overseen several significant recent engineering projects in British Columbia. Initially, the resident engineer was Harry Hartwell, but he was replaced in July 1912 by Boyd EhleBoyd Ehle from Sanderson & Porter's New York Office."Leaves Victoria for Larger Field: Mr. Harry Hartwell, Resident Engineer on Sooke Lake Work, Accepts New Position," The Daily Colonist, Jul., 1912, p. 4. The firm established an office in Victoria in the Drake Block at 1414 Douglas St.
Aside from acquiring ownership of the lake and surrounding watershed, Meredith's plan involved constructing a flowline of from a dam at Sooke Lake to a holding reservoir to be constructed at the Humpback Road near Goldstream. From there a pipeline would run about through the Helmcken Fields and along Burnside Road to a distribution point in the city at Fountain Square.”Gives Details of Sooke Work,” The Daily Colonist, Nov. 14, 1911, pp. 1-2.
The initial contract for the construction work was awarded to Solomon Cameron and Parker Clarke of the Westholme Lumber Co. in December, 1911. The work began in January, 1912. Problems with the Westholme company led to two significant moves in 1912. First, Charles Henry Rust, who had been the City Engineer in Toronto and had a reputation for getting things done, was brought in as City of Victoria Engineer and was soon appointed to the additional position of Water Commissioner, replacing J. L. Raymur who had held that position in addition to serving as City Comptroller, a position that he retained."To Ratify Change in Civic Offices," The Victoria Daily Colonist, Oct. 13, 1912, p. 22. Second, the City cancelled Westholme's contract in April 1913, and took over the project as a public work."Notify Company City Will Complete Work," The Victoria Daily Colonist, Apr. 24, 1913, p. 3.
The watershed was secured through purchase by the City of the surrounding Sooke Lake. The consulting engineer recommended that the neighboring Leech River watershed also be acquired and connected to Sooke Lake by a conduit, but this was not undertaken at the time. Sufficient land was acquired around the planned reservoir at Humpback, and a right-of-way for the flowline from Sooke Lake to Humpback, as well as the necessary right-of-way for the water main to the city, were added to the package.
The concrete dam at Sooke Lake raised the water level , expanding the surface area from and creating an available storage capacity of 3.355 billion imperial gallons (15,240,000 m3). The balancing reservoir at Humpback was created by building a concrete dam to a height of , closing off a sloping valley that would fill with the water piped down from Sooke Lake. The resulting reservoir would cover and hold up to 136 million imperial gallons (612,000 m3).