WHISTLER2020
Whistler 2020 Strategy: Water
Whistler 2020 Priority: Protecting the Environment

Water Use

Why monitor this indicator?

Water is one of Whistler's important assets, supporting natural areas, wildlife, residents and visitors. Using water resources wisely is fundamental to an environmentally-responsible approach to living. This issue relates not only to the availability of the resource; it is also a municipal infrastructure priority that can translate into millions of dollars spent or saved. This indicator provides an important snapshot of whether demand management of water resources are resulting in overall resource conservation.

What does this indicator measure?

Water use measures the total of water extracted then delivered from RMOW water plants and non-potable systems to end users. Water uses that are not captured within this measure include private purpose uses such as for Whistler's golf courses and Whistler/Blackcomb’s mountain operations. To account for the large influx of visitors to the community, the per capita measure uses Whistler's population equivalent as the total community population.
Indicator DefinitionTotal water consumption (potable and non-potable RMOW water flows)
CalculationSum the water flows entering all RMOW water treatment plants and the flows used for RMOW non-potable uses.
Time PeriodYear
Collection FrequencyMonthly
SourceRMOW
1 year trend
Up away from vision
3 year average trend
Up away from vision
Latest Analysis
  • In 2008, Whistler treated and sent out approximately 5.16 billion litres of potable water , while RMOW irrigation with non-potable well water represented .183 billion litres or 3.4% of  water use reported in this indicator.
  • The three year average results increased 3.2% while the year over year results increased by 8%.  Results for 2008 reported the 2nd highest water use in the past ten years and the 3rd highest per capita water use results.
  • Per capita daily water use reporting 575L/person/day in 2008 is above Whistler’s recommended target of 425 L, and represent an increase from 2007. On the three year average however the results have improved slightly over the sasme period.
What You Can Do
At Home
  • Replace old toilets with ultra-low-volume toilets. Fact: Ultra-low-volume toilets use 3-6 litres of water per flush compared to regular toilets that use up to 21 litres.
  • Landscape with drought resistant plants, follow sprinkler restriction bylaws and utilize rain barrels.
 
At Work
  • Install low-flow restrictors and aerators, as well as automatic shut-off valves on taps to reduce unnecessary water flow.
Links to Related Strategies
Links to Related Priorities
Links to Whistler's Sustainability Objectives:
(click on icon to find out more)
1. To reduce and eventually eliminate our contribution to ongoing build-up of substances taken from the earth's crust (e.g. renewable energy)2. To reduce and eventually eliminate our contribution to ongoing build-up of substances produced by society (e.g. non-toxic, biodegradable materials)3. To reduce and eventually eliminate our contribution to ongoing degradation of natural systems by physical means (e.g. sustainably harvested fish)4. To reduce and eventually eliminate our contribution to undermining the ability of other people to meet their needs (e.g. providing fair wages, access to information etc)
Document Downloads

Check out the 2020explorer

Whistler 2020 explorer