Gillies Bay is a small residential community of approximately 550 people on the northwest coast of Texada Island in the Powell River Regional District.  The Gillies Bay Improvement District (GBID) owns and operates the water system.  The system draws water from Cranby Lake and conveys water through ~10km of distribution piping with associated valves and hydrants.

The GBID retained Kerr Wood Leidal Associates Ltd. (KWL) to develop a Master Water Plan to improve the water treatment, storage and water distribution system as funding became available over a 20-year period. The objectives of the Master Water Plan were to:

• ensure proper treatment and optimized disinfection
• ensure sufficient storage for fire flows, balancing, and emergency storage
• increase system capacity and pressure
• reduce water wastage and operating costs
• provide the GBID with a “road map” to assist them in setting budgets for priority improvement projects and to get the best value for money during emergency expenditures through reference to the Master Plan.

The Master Water Plan was developed in consultation with GBID staff.  The report first identified the basis for design with relevant design criteria and then identified recommendations to allow the GBID water system to address existing system deficiencies and meet the specified criteria.  Finally, it summarized the identified recommended improvements in a concise manner that could be readily used by the GBID in the planning, design and construction of water system upgrades to improve drinking water quality, increase fire protection capabilities, and decrease water loss.