About the System
The CRD is the bulk (wholesale) water supplier for Greater Victoria. The Regional Water Supply System provides drinking water to approximately 370,000 customer across the region through municipal or CRD water distribution systems.
The Regional Water Supply Service was established as a CRD service in 1997 and is administered by the Regional Water Supply Commission, which is made up of elected representatives from the member municipalities in the region.
Water Conservation Bylaw 4099
Effective May 10, 2023 all municipalities within the Greater Victoria area serviced by the Regional Water Supply are required to comply with Bylaw 4099. Please read and familiarize yourself with the bylaw and ticketing information. For additional information, please refer to Bylaw 4099 frequently asked questions.
Current Conservation Level: Stage 1
Water conservation bylaws are in effect from May 1 to September 30. By following these practices and using water wisely, you are helping protect your community from drought conditions. Every drop counts!
Learn more about the Regional Water Supply lawn watering schedule here.
Source Water
Water for the Regional Water Supply System is currently provided from the Sooke, Goldstream and Council watersheds. Together these watersheds comprise 10,921 hectares (26,985 acres). Approximately 98% of the land that drains directly (catchment area) into the Sooke and Goldstream water supply reservoirs is owned and managed by the CRD.
Sooke Lake Reservoir is the primary source water reservoir within the Greater Victoria Water Supply Area. Sooke Lake Reservoir has a total volume of 160.32 million cubic metres (35.3 billion gallons), of which 92.7 million cubic metres (20.4 billion gallons) are useable for water supply. The reservoir provides about 90% of the total water storage in the supply system.
The Goldstream Water Supply Area, consisting of four surface water reservoirs, is the secondary water supply source for the Regional Water Supply System. The catchment area for the Goldstream Water Supply Area is 2,109 hectares. The combined storage capacity of the four reservoirs is approximately 10 million cubic metres (or approximately two months of water supply for the Greater Victoria area depending on time of year).
The future water supply area, known as the Leech Water Supply Area, will be available in the coming decades to supplement water flow into the Sooke Lake Reservoir. The Leech Water Supply Area includes 9,628 hectares of land. Read more >>
Water Treatment Process and Transmission System
Learn more about the process to disinfect the region's drinking water, and key elements of the system's infrastructure, in the video below: