COWICHAN VALLEY REGIONAL DISTRICT
SOUTH COWICHAN WATER PLAN STUDY
V19830100 : Rev B : 11 February 2009
Page 49
Table 22 Water Consumption Rates for Agricultural and Horticultural Land Use
Use Type
Water Use by Type (m
3
/
ha/yr)
Agriculture - Livestock-poultry
7,700
Agriculture - Forage and grains
7,700
Horticulture - Berries, fruits, vegetables
5,600
The total volume of water used for agriculture and horticulture was estimated by multiplying the total area
of each land use type by its corresponding annual water consumption rate. Table 23 below presents
current annual water consumption estimates by agricultural and horticultural land use type and watershed.
Table 23 Water Consumption Estimates, by Land Use Type and Watershed - 2008
Water Consumption by Watershed (m
3
/
yr)
Use Type
Shawnigan
Saanich Inlet
Cowichan Total (m
3
/
yr)
Agriculture - Livestock-poultry
4,369,000
32,000
5,275,000
9,675,000
Agriculture - Forage and grains
1,055,000
15,000
4,297,000
5,368,000
Horticulture - Berries, fruits, vegetables
98,000
0
306,000
404,000
Total (m
3
/
yr)
5,522,000
47,000
9,878,000
15,447,000
Table 24 below provides a summary of overall water consumption in each watershed based on the
calculations in Tables 20 to 23.
Table 24 Present Water Consumption for all Land Use Types, by Watershed – 2008
Water Use by Watershed (m
3
/
yr)
Land Use Type
Shawnigan
Saanich Inlet
Cowichan
Total (m
3
/
yr)
Residential
3,845,000
821,000
2,690,000
7,356,000
Other urban land use types
1,639,000
451,000
1,279,000
3,369,000
Agriculture and horticulture
5,522,000
47,000
9,878,000
15,447,000
Total
11,006,000
1,319,000
13,847,000
26,172,000
4.3
Future Water Demand Forecasts
Forecasting regional population growth, and the resulting water demand, was undertaken to help identify
likely spatial changes in water use. An understanding of the possible changes to development and
density patterns and the way that people will use water in future is necessary to forecasting water use and
helping to sustainably manage the South Cowichan area’s water supply.
