Police are investigating after hydrants in the Saltair area were opened on Sunday, releasing about 300,000 litres of water in what the Cowichan Valley Regional District is calling “a criminal act of vandalism.”
The loss of that much water from the hydrants near Chemainus and Olsen roads will have a serious impact on firefighting capacity, the district said, adding similar incidents occurred in January and in September 2023.
CVRD staff were alerted through alarms triggered by a lowered reservoir level and were able to stop the flow of water.
Tampering with a potable water system is a criminal offence under the Drinking Water Protection Act.
Anyone with information related to the incidents, or who sees someone operating a hydrant that is not in a clearly marked CVRD or fire department vehicle, is asked to immediately contact the CVRD utilities division, the district said.
The CVRD utilities division can be reached by phone at 250-746-2530, or by email at [email protected]. An emergency phone number is also available at 1-888-453-0148.
