COWICHAN VALLEY REGIONAL DISTRICT
SOUTH COWICHAN WATER PLAN STUDY
V19830100 : Rev B : 11 February 2009
Page 45
4.2.4
Land Use Analysis and Wa ter Consumption Rates
One of the first steps in determining water use in South Cowichan was to identify how people use the land.
Land use for individual parcels in the Study Area was mapped using BCAA Actual Land Use data for
2007-2008.
The data were compared to CVRD zoning bylaws to correct anomalies or gaps in BCAA
individual parcel information. No field checking was conducted as part of this mapping exercise.
BCAA groups land use types in the province into more than 150 categories. Approximately 120
categories are represented in the Study Area (e.g. grain and forage, dairy, small fruits, campgrounds,
duplex, hotels, sawmills, railway etc.). It was necessary to further aggregate BCAA categories to support
the needs of this water study. The eleven land use types represented in the Study Area and the terms
used in this study to describe each group include:
Urban residential;
Suburban residential;
Rural residential;
Attached housing;
Commercial;
Industrial;
Institutional;
Playing fields (including golf courses);
Agriculture – livestock and poultry;
Agriculture – forage and grains; and
Horticulture – berries, fruits, and vegetables.
Water consumption rates, per household unit and per hectare of land for other land use types, were
determined by reviewing historical withdrawal data for water utilities in the Study Area, consumption rates
by land use type used to estimate water use in the Cowichan Basin, and research from other parts of
Canada. The annual water consumption rates used to estimate commercial, industrial, institutional,
playing fields, agricultural, and horticultural water use in South Cowichan, are the same as those used to
estimate water consumption in the Cowichan Basin as part of the Cowichan Basin Water Management
Plan preparation in 2005.
Water consumption rates by land use type are described in Table 17 below. The water consumption rates
should be considered as broad estimates. Actual levels of use are affected by a number of factors,
including climate and weather, types of plumbing fixtures, conservation measures, density of
development, and water pricing mechanisms.
A review of Shawnigan Lake community water supply annual consumption rates for residential use
(
December 2002) indicates that consumption rates range from 370 m
3
to 900 m
3
per household per year
(
Bryden et. al, 2002). The potential for large variations in water consumption between households should
be taken into consideration when reviewing overall water use estimates.
Agricultural Land Use
‘
Urban’ Water
Uses
Residential Land Use
‘
Other’ Land Use
