Victoria’s watershed is a place of stunning scenery on the outskirts of the city. It’s also a former logging area, one-time home to a sawmill and a past thoroughfare for stagecoaches heading out from Sooke and Leechtown.
Capital Regional District officials from the Integrated Water Services Department are again inviting the public to have an up-close look at the watershed in a weeklong series of free bus tours during B.C.’s Drinking Water Week.
The response to the popular tours, in their 25th year, has been “overwhelmingly positive,” said Annette Constabel, senior manager of watershed protection.
The tours, which are three or 51Ú2 hours, give participants a glimpse of the 20,549 hectares that make up the watershed.
The 8.3-kilometre long Sooke Lake — a reservoir since 1915 — provides the bulk of the water for 340,000 residents in the region, while Goldstream Lake serves as a backup.
Tour-goers will see forests dominated by Douglas fir, along with stands of western red cedar, white pine and alder. Recent sightings of elk and black bear could mean an added glimpse of nature for a lucky few.
Water services general manager Ted Robbins said it is important to raise awareness about such things as the cost of water and how demand affects operations.
The tours are a “unique opportunity in that the watershed is normally not accessible to the public,” he said.
What goes on in the watershed has over the years caused a considerable level of debate. The acrimony over whether to raise the Sooke Lake Reservoir dam is a prime example, with the project proceeding in 2002 after a decade of talk and close to 100 studies.
Robbins said the tours have become increasingly popular with high schools.
“It’s becoming part of their curriculum, so that’s exciting for us,” he said.
This year’s tours run Monday through May 10 and leave from the main parking lot at Thetis Lake Regional Park.
Advance registration is required by calling 250-940-0200, from 8 a.m.-7 p.m. weekdays and 8 a.m.-8 p.m. today and Sunday.
Tours are not recommended for children younger than 12.
