Team WaterSmart
Welcome to the Team WaterSmart Get Involved RDN page!
Check out all of the great upcoming initiatives being offered throughout the Regional District of Nanaimo. We will keep our community calendar up-to-date with where to find Team WaterSmart - whether it's fun community events, educational workshops, or adventurous outdoor activities.
Water conservation and environmental protection are values shared by all of us so come get involved and help to appreciate our water...because every drop counts!
Fall / Winter 2025:
- Team WaterSmart in your community - Check out our events calendar to see when Team WaterSmart will be in your community with our interactive booth. Ask us for information and resources on water stewardship rebates, irrigation advice, water saving techniques, water restrictions, and more!
- Go on a self-guided tour of Rain Gardens in your community! Do you want to learn more about Raingardens and visit some in your community? Check out this brochure and then go and see some in action!
- Fall Outdoor Water Conservation - Ensure you are aware of watering restrictions in your area. Every drop counts! Click here to learn more.
- Water Stewardship Rebates- rebates are nearing the deadline to apply and close December 15 2025. Do not miss out and get pre-approved today!
For all RDN residents (electoral area and municipal residents) new for 2025 the Irrigation and Soil rebate is now open to Strata groups
- Irrigation Upgrades and Soil Improvements - up to $875
- Rainwater Harvesting - up to $1,000
- Wellhead Upgrades - up to $650
- Well Water Testing - up to $300
- Students! Do you have water-friendly landscape design ideas to share? Check out our ideas board.
- Grade 4 and 5 teachers in SD 68&69- Watershed Field Trips are back this year and have already been filled! Email us to get first pick of Spring Field Trip Dates! Also, check out Freshwater Connections - Water Where We Live school modules for Grades K-7.
Welcome to the Team WaterSmart Get Involved RDN page!
Check out all of the great upcoming initiatives being offered throughout the Regional District of Nanaimo. We will keep our community calendar up-to-date with where to find Team WaterSmart - whether it's fun community events, educational workshops, or adventurous outdoor activities.
Water conservation and environmental protection are values shared by all of us so come get involved and help to appreciate our water...because every drop counts!
Fall / Winter 2025:
- Team WaterSmart in your community - Check out our events calendar to see when Team WaterSmart will be in your community with our interactive booth. Ask us for information and resources on water stewardship rebates, irrigation advice, water saving techniques, water restrictions, and more!
- Go on a self-guided tour of Rain Gardens in your community! Do you want to learn more about Raingardens and visit some in your community? Check out this brochure and then go and see some in action!
- Fall Outdoor Water Conservation - Ensure you are aware of watering restrictions in your area. Every drop counts! Click here to learn more.
- Water Stewardship Rebates- rebates are nearing the deadline to apply and close December 15 2025. Do not miss out and get pre-approved today!
For all RDN residents (electoral area and municipal residents) new for 2025 the Irrigation and Soil rebate is now open to Strata groups
- Irrigation Upgrades and Soil Improvements - up to $875
- Rainwater Harvesting - up to $1,000
- Wellhead Upgrades - up to $650
- Well Water Testing - up to $300
- Students! Do you have water-friendly landscape design ideas to share? Check out our ideas board.
- Grade 4 and 5 teachers in SD 68&69- Watershed Field Trips are back this year and have already been filled! Email us to get first pick of Spring Field Trip Dates! Also, check out Freshwater Connections - Water Where We Live school modules for Grades K-7.
- WaterSmart News
- Raingarden Tour 2025
- Watershed Demo & Virtual Field Trip
- Watershed Wonders
- 2025 Water Saver Contest
- More
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CLOSED: This survey has concluded.
Please download or pick up a copy of the Raingarden Self-Guided Tour handout and get out to visit a raingarden in your community. After you have visited a raingarden and learned about how raingardens work, come back here and enter to win a rainbarrel prize pack. Contest is open from March 22-April 22.
Share Raingarden Self-Guided Tour Entry on Facebook Share Raingarden Self-Guided Tour Entry on Twitter Share Raingarden Self-Guided Tour Entry on Linkedin Email Raingarden Self-Guided Tour Entry link -
CLOSED: This survey has concluded.
Show off your water-saving talents and tips by entering Team WaterSmart's 2024 Water Saver Contest! You can win a Rainbarrel Prize packWe want to hear how you do your part to conserve water, our most important shared resource.
During the dry summer months, outdoor water use doubles! We need to actively conserve water for more important things such as fisheries, fire fighting storage and human consumption.
Share Water Saver Contest-(copy) on Facebook Share Water Saver Contest-(copy) on Twitter Share Water Saver Contest-(copy) on Linkedin Email Water Saver Contest-(copy) link -
CLOSED: This survey has concluded.
Show off your water-saving talents and tips by entering Team WaterSmart's 2024 Water Saver Contest! You can win a Rainbarrel Prize pack
We want to hear how you do your part to conserve water, our most important shared resource.
During the dry summer months, outdoor water use doubles! We need to actively conserve water for more important things such as fisheries, fire fighting storage and human consumption.
Share Water Saver Contest on Facebook Share Water Saver Contest on Twitter Share Water Saver Contest on Linkedin Email Water Saver Contest link -
Complete Form
Please answer the following questions to have your WaterSaver yard sign delivered to your house.
Please note:
- This is a contactless delivery.
- Team WaterSmart will drop the sign off right in your yard.
- Deliveries happen Thursday afternoons throughout the summer (Aug 22, Sept 5, Sept 19)
If you prefer to pickup from the RDN Administration Building please contact: watersmart@rdn.bc.ca or 250-268-5104 to arrange a time
Share Water Saver Yard Sign on Facebook Share Water Saver Yard Sign on Twitter Share Water Saver Yard Sign on Linkedin Email Water Saver Yard Sign link -
Complete Form
Teachers, if you have reviewed or used our Freshwater Connections Toolkits in your classrooms please let us know what you think by completing this short survey. Thank you!
Share Freshwater Connections- School Toolkits Feedback on Facebook Share Freshwater Connections- School Toolkits Feedback on Twitter Share Freshwater Connections- School Toolkits Feedback on Linkedin Email Freshwater Connections- School Toolkits Feedback link
Community Calendar
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December 04 2025
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March 20 → April 22 2026
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March 25 → April 15 2026
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April 19 2026
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April 22 2026
Drinking Water & Watershed Protection Educational Video Series
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Click here to play video
Video 1 - Watershed Wonders
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Click here to play video
Video 2 - The Incredible Journey
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Click here to play video
Video 3 - Water Connections
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Click here to play video
Video 4 - Water Challenges
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Click here to play video
Video 5 - Water Science and Stewardship
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Click here to play video
Video 6 - The Water Sustainable Future
Document Library
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Raingarden Tour W2E 2025 (15.8 MB) (pdf)
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Team WaterSmart Outdoor Brochures
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TWS Outdoor Brochure - Alternatives to Pesticides (3.29 MB) (pdf)
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TWS Outdoor Brochure - Healthy Lawn Care (3.29 MB) (pdf)
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TWS Outdoor Brochure - Top 10 Irrigation Tips (2.33 MB) (pdf)
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TWS Outdoor Brochure - Utilizing Rain Barrels (2.59 MB) (pdf)
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TWS Outdoor Brochure - Water Wise Gardening (1.24 MB) (pdf)
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Team WaterSmart Handouts
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Groundwater Factsheet - Know the Climate Reality.pdf (904 KB) (pdf)
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Groundwater Factsheet - Know your Well.pdf (624 KB) (pdf)
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Community Watershed Monitoring Network fact sheet (705 KB) (pdf)
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TWS FAQ Handout - May 2018 (1.06 MB) (pdf)
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Toilet Leaks - Identification and Repair Guide (840 KB) (pdf)
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TWS How To Check For A Leak - May 2018 (136 KB) (pdf)
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TWS Irrigation Scheduling Guidelines - May 2018 (579 KB) (pdf)
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TWS Landscape Guide to Water Efficiency - May 2018 (5.4 MB) (pdf)
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TWS Pesticide Recipe Cards - Updated May 2018 (978 KB) (pdf)
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TWS Handout Native Plants - May 2018 (590 KB) (pdf)
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TWS Handout Rain Gardens - May 2018 (777 KB) (pdf)
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TWS Handout Xeriscaping - June 2019 (1.49 MB) (pdf)
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Climate Change in our Region - Impacts and Response (317 KB) (pdf)
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Team WaterSmart Indoor Brochures
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Information on Groundwater
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Arsenic in Groundwater (1000 KB) (pdf)
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Bacteria in Groundwater (179 KB) (pdf)
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Best Practices for Dug Wells (1.24 MB) (pdf)
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Flowing Artesian Wells (2.04 MB) (pdf)
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Fluoride in Groundwater (959 KB) (pdf)
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Guide to Conducting Pumping Tests (1.13 MB) (pdf)
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Hardness in Groundwater (170 KB) (pdf)
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Iron and Manganese in Groundwater (167 KB) (pdf)
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Licensing Groundwater (136 KB) (pdf)
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Nitrate in Groundwater (967 KB) (pdf)
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Sodium in Groundwater (940 KB) (pdf)
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Upgrading Wells in Pits (1.03 MB) (pdf)
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TWS What Is Saltwater Intrusion - May 2018 (376 KB) (pdf)
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Water Sustainability Act (104 KB) (pdf)
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Well Disinfection (3.42 MB) (pdf)
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Team WaterSmart Presentations
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TWS Wetland Workshop Presentation (9.63 MB) (pdf)
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TWS WellSMART Workshop Presentation (6.3 MB) (pdf)
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TWS Soil is a Sponge Presentation (3.35 MB) (pdf)
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TWS Detox Your Home Presentation (699 KB) (pdf)
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TWS Rain Garden Presentation (3.24 MB) (pdf)
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TWS Irrigation Inspection Workshop Presentation (3.79 MB) (pdf)
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TWS Rainwater Harvesting Workshop Presentation (29.1 MB) (pdf)
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Water to Earth Month 2021
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W2E Virtual Passport Checklist 2021 (1.59 MB) (pdf)
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Crossword Puzzle - Watershed Words (3.22 MB) (pdf)
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Word Search - RDN Rivers, Creeks and Streams (103 KB) (pdf)
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Scavenger Hunt - Waterway Wonders & Streamside Searchables (1.33 MB) (pdf)
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Water Sustainability Movie Marathon (7.5 MB) (pdf)
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Make Your Own Compost (90.9 KB) (pdf)
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Vocabulary List - Watershed Words (1.1 MB) (pdf)
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City of Nanaimo's Water Supply Strategy (2021) (4.31 MB) (pdf)
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TWS FireSmart and WaterSmart Brochure (1.94 MB) (pdf)
City of Nanaimo's Water Supply Strategy
Have questions? Contact Mike Squire (City of Nanaimo) at Mike.Squire@nanaimo.ca
Videos
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Click here to play video
Rainwater Management Workshop April, 2022
Join local Landscape Architects Jamie Wallace from JAAN Designs and Chris and Kate from Kinship Designs as well as local stewardship groups as they show you some of the best rainwater management practices for your property and give you some examples from their work.
Questions? email watersmart@rdn.bc.ca
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Click here to play video
WellSmart Webinar 2020
For several years, the Regional District of Nanaimo’s Drinking Water and Watershed Protection Program, with the help of the Vancouver Island Health Authority (VIHA) and the Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development (FLNRORD), have been providing educational workshops aimed at helping private well owners protect the quality and supply of their drinking water.
As groundwater and surface water are interconnected, protecting our aquifers not only ensures the health of families and communities but protects fish and the rest of the environment too.
In the workshops, residents learn about groundwater aquifers, well maintenance and operation, drought management, water testing and treatment and RDN rebates relating to private wells.
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Click here to play video
A Journey to the Nanaimo River Watershed - with Team WaterSmart!
Water is very special. It's home to fish and animals. It nourishes plants and helps trees grow. It quenches our thirst and supports our communities. Have you ever wondered where your drinking water comes from?
Join Team WaterSmart as they take the journey of a water droplet through the Nanaimo River Watershed to the drinking water source of the City of Nanaimo and surrounding communities.
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Click here to play video
Regional District of Nanaimo Action for Water (2008)
This video was developed in 2008 as a communication tool with the original Drinking Water and Watershed Protection Action Plan.
The quality and amount of water in the ground and in our rivers is directly affected by what we do on the land. Land development, resource extraction, water consumption, and discharge of pollutants all affect water and are on the rise in the RDN. We have already seen negative changes in many areas. This not only affects the health of our local ecosystems but also the social and economic stability of the Region. Land use planning and development standards cannot be effectively modified without a clear understanding of our water resources, where they are changing, and why.
Who's listening
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Stewardship Coordinator - Drinking Water & Watershed Protection Program
Regional District of Nanaimo
Email CBrugge@rdn.bc.ca -
Special Projects Assistant - Drinking Water and Watershed Protection Program
Regional District of Nanaimo
OTPhone 2502685915 Email othoms@rdn.bc.ca

