River’s Edge Water Quality Improvement Project

Background

The Regional District of Nanaimo (RDN) owns and operates the River’s Edge Water Service Area (REWSA), located off Kaye Road, in Electoral Area G, to the southeast of Parksville, B.C. To address the increasing trend of saltiness in the local groundwater aquifer, the RDN has embarked on the River's Edge Water Quality Improvement Project, a project that involves drilling additional water supply wells and installing transmission mains and related infrastructure. The RDN carried out extensive public engagement in 2024, leading up to a petition process being held to gain electoral assent for the borrowing required to fund the project. The petition received overwhelming support from the residents in the REWSA and the RDN Board of Directors officially adopted Borrowing Bylaw No. 1914 on January 14, 2025.

Well Drilling

Five new groundwater production wells were drilled in 2025 (PW05-PW09) as shown in the image below. The well drilling locations were recommended by the project hydrogeologist based on the thickness of the local aquifer, distance of the wells from each other, groundwater flow direction, and reviewing the available groundwater quality information. Pump testing was completed in early 2026 and the hydrogeologist has recommended that three of the five test wells (PW06, PW07, and PW09) be connected to the River's Edge water system. Once the new wells are in operation, the pumping rate in well PW03 will be reduced from 75-80 USGPM to 20 USGPM, and PW02 will be removed from service.

Construction Expected to Begin in Sept/Oct 2026

Engineered design drawings have been prepared for the water transmission mains, power, and control infrastructure required to bring all three new wells into operation. A construction tender was publicly posted on June 3, 2026, to invite qualified contractors to submit bids for the construction and commissioning work. The contract is expected to be awarded in August 2026, after which the construction start date will be shared with the community.

The RDN plans to register statutory right of ways (SRWs) at each successful well site (PW06, PW07, and PW09). At the locations of PW05 and PW08, where water quality or quantity was insufficient to meet the project objectives, these test wells will be decommissioned as part of the park land restoration process later in 2026.

Costs to Property Owners

The well drilling project is being funded by the 157 property owners in the River’s Edge Water Service Area. The final amount owing will depend on the lending rate in place at the time of borrowing. Lending rates tend to fluctuate from year to year, and the project will take more than one year to complete from its start date. Using an estimated Municipal Finance Authority lending rate of 4.6% and a 25-year amortization period would result in a cost of $15,546 per property, or an estimated annual debt repayment of $1,110 for each of the 157 properties in the River’s Edge Water Service Area.

No project costs will be payable by the River’s Edge property owners until the well drilling and connection mains have been constructed and all costs have been accounted for. Owners will be given the option to pay their share of the project costs as a lump sum (to avoid interest charges) or to amortize the amount on their taxes for 25 years.

Once the debt amount has been added to a property's tax roll, it cannot be removed or paid off early. It will stay as a water quality improvement charge on the property for the stated repayment period of 25 years (i.e., even if the property is sold).

For more information and to Get Involved:

  • Visit our What's New updates that will share information on this page as the project moves forward.
  • Explore the document library on this webpage to find out more about the proposed water quality protection project.
  • Stay informed by clicking on subscribe, to leave your email address and receive email updates as the project moves forward.
  • Check out the FAQ's which provide answers to common questions on the proposed project;
  • Ask a question and we will do our best to answer it and share the information with all.

Background

The Regional District of Nanaimo (RDN) owns and operates the River’s Edge Water Service Area (REWSA), located off Kaye Road, in Electoral Area G, to the southeast of Parksville, B.C. To address the increasing trend of saltiness in the local groundwater aquifer, the RDN has embarked on the River's Edge Water Quality Improvement Project, a project that involves drilling additional water supply wells and installing transmission mains and related infrastructure. The RDN carried out extensive public engagement in 2024, leading up to a petition process being held to gain electoral assent for the borrowing required to fund the project. The petition received overwhelming support from the residents in the REWSA and the RDN Board of Directors officially adopted Borrowing Bylaw No. 1914 on January 14, 2025.

Well Drilling

Five new groundwater production wells were drilled in 2025 (PW05-PW09) as shown in the image below. The well drilling locations were recommended by the project hydrogeologist based on the thickness of the local aquifer, distance of the wells from each other, groundwater flow direction, and reviewing the available groundwater quality information. Pump testing was completed in early 2026 and the hydrogeologist has recommended that three of the five test wells (PW06, PW07, and PW09) be connected to the River's Edge water system. Once the new wells are in operation, the pumping rate in well PW03 will be reduced from 75-80 USGPM to 20 USGPM, and PW02 will be removed from service.

Construction Expected to Begin in Sept/Oct 2026

Engineered design drawings have been prepared for the water transmission mains, power, and control infrastructure required to bring all three new wells into operation. A construction tender was publicly posted on June 3, 2026, to invite qualified contractors to submit bids for the construction and commissioning work. The contract is expected to be awarded in August 2026, after which the construction start date will be shared with the community.

The RDN plans to register statutory right of ways (SRWs) at each successful well site (PW06, PW07, and PW09). At the locations of PW05 and PW08, where water quality or quantity was insufficient to meet the project objectives, these test wells will be decommissioned as part of the park land restoration process later in 2026.

Costs to Property Owners

The well drilling project is being funded by the 157 property owners in the River’s Edge Water Service Area. The final amount owing will depend on the lending rate in place at the time of borrowing. Lending rates tend to fluctuate from year to year, and the project will take more than one year to complete from its start date. Using an estimated Municipal Finance Authority lending rate of 4.6% and a 25-year amortization period would result in a cost of $15,546 per property, or an estimated annual debt repayment of $1,110 for each of the 157 properties in the River’s Edge Water Service Area.

No project costs will be payable by the River’s Edge property owners until the well drilling and connection mains have been constructed and all costs have been accounted for. Owners will be given the option to pay their share of the project costs as a lump sum (to avoid interest charges) or to amortize the amount on their taxes for 25 years.

Once the debt amount has been added to a property's tax roll, it cannot be removed or paid off early. It will stay as a water quality improvement charge on the property for the stated repayment period of 25 years (i.e., even if the property is sold).

For more information and to Get Involved:

  • Visit our What's New updates that will share information on this page as the project moves forward.
  • Explore the document library on this webpage to find out more about the proposed water quality protection project.
  • Stay informed by clicking on subscribe, to leave your email address and receive email updates as the project moves forward.
  • Check out the FAQ's which provide answers to common questions on the proposed project;
  • Ask a question and we will do our best to answer it and share the information with all.
CLOSED: This discussion has concluded.

If you have any questions about the process or project, please add them here and someone will be back to you with a reply shortly.

  • I just need clarification on what happens to the above grant money if the vote is ‘no’ to proceed with the wells as proposed? Murray alluded to the fact that the money would go back to where you wrestled it from and you would have to negotiate it back again for a different well scenario or that it could possibly be lost to us. Is there a possibility that somehow it could be used up first and then go to petition for the rest if productive wells aren’t found?

    George Garrett asked almost 2 years ago

    If the petition results in a “no” vote by property owners, the project in its current form would not take place and grant money earmarked for River’s Edge would no longer be accessible for this project. Grant money is currently available from the Electoral Area G Community Works Fund ($670,000) and Growing Communities Fund ($280,000). Grant money in place for the River’s Edge Water Quality Improvement Project can only be used for the identified project, which depends on petition approval from property owners in the area to move forward. It is not possible to access any grant funds before project approval is gained via petition.

  • What assurances do we have that the budget on this project won’t end up like almost every other municipal run project? Way over budget? Who will be managing it? Indépendant 3rd party with performance clauses or RDN staff. If we basically have to pay for it all, we should have a say in that and RDN staff or any municipal government for that matter has a horrible record for staying on budget. What contingencies have they accounted if drilling is tougher than expected or other infrastructure works aren’t as planned. If it is going to become more expensive, we can drill our own wells so we need assurances.

    Cparcher asked almost 2 years ago

    The RDN would be managing the construction budget for this project if it is approved. We continually monitor the costs and cost trends in our projects. If an event or a trend indicates we may run out of budget prior to completion of the project, we will take steps to adjust the scope to avoid that happening, or temporarily halt the project and seek more cost certainty. All construction work is publicly tendered to attain the lowest cost that the market can provide and to maximize cost certainty once the work is awarded.  

  • Where are additional wells being drilled? As an adjacent property owner with a large well for for over 35 years, what assurance do we have that you will not affect our well

    Jtiglmann asked almost 2 years ago

    Please refer to the Document Library of the project Get Involved page to find a map showing the existing and preliminary proposed well site locations in River’s Edge. Additional wells in the service area would be drilled into the same aquifer that the current production wells access. We are not planning to withdraw any additional water from the aquifer we are currently drawing from, rather the same amount but from distributed locations throughout the aquifer. The provincial government, through the groundwater licensing and protection regulations, has jurisdiction over groundwater allocation.  

Page last updated: 09 Jun 2026, 11:21 AM