Right now, K’ómoks has a small allocation of water from the Puntledge River to the Puntledge Reserve #2, but this is not enough to ‘service’ any significant development. K’ómoks has come to agreement with the City of Courtenay and the Regional District to provide adequate water to develop Puntledge IR#2.
In Treaty Negotiations K’ómoks has negotiated treaty protected water reservations:
Puntledge River – 1,408 cubic decametres; Trent River 3,362 cubic decametres; Oyster River 3,807 cubic decametres; Hart Creek (Washer Ck.) 1,668 cubic decametres – totalling 10, 245 cubic decameters (10. 245 billion litres) annually. Additionally, KFN has access to an additional 5,000 cubic decametres for 25 years through an agreement with B.C. Hydro which we would like to turn into a Constitutionally protected treaty water reservation. We are also close to concluding a further water reservation on the Salmon River. One of the limitations to water reservations is the seasonable availability of water from the streams on which these reservations apply. This is enough water to provide the annual water needs of over 30,000 people.
Groundwater:
KFN has just completed year one of a 2-year groundwater study to support negotiations of groundwater reservations for each of our TSL parcels. In 2020, KFN drilled two wells to monitor the aquifers (underground lakes/rivers) to bolster the KFN water supply. Groundwater, along with water storage facilities could form part of the solution to the required supply of water for K’ómoks TSL.