Immerse yourself in watershed tours

Get to know how the water you drink or bathe in is delivered to your tap at a Get To Know Your H2O tour, Friday and Saturday at the Sooke Lake Reservoir, which is usually off-limits.

The Capital Regional District throws open its locked gates to give the public a behind-thescenes look at the more than 20,500 hectares that make up the district’s watershed and reservoir.

The property is a place of unspoiled wilderness on the outskirts of the city, with a forest dominated by Douglas fir, along with stands of western red cedar, white pine and alder.

Access and activities in the area are tightly restricted.

The watershed includes the 8.3-kilometre-long Sooke Lake, which serves as the primary reservoir, with nearby Goldstream Lake available as a backup.

The property, which includes a former logging area complete with a sawmill, has served Victoria’s water needs since 1915.

During the tour, visitors will travel along a road once used by stage coaches to ferry travellers between Sooke and Leechtown.

There are two tours to choose from: • Get to Know Your H20 — Behind the Red Gate is a threehour tour that focuses on the surrounding forest, Sooke Lake and Goldstream Lake reservoirs. Register to join either a morning or afternoon tour on Friday. • Get to Know Your H20 — Source to Tap Tour is a more comprehensive 5 1/2-hour tour on Saturday that follows the flow of water from Rithet Creek (the lake’s main tributary) to the water-supply facilities and finally the treatment process it undergoes before it flows from the tap.

Both tours are recommended for ages 12 and up. The tour does not include the disinfection facility, due to active construction at the site.

Joining either tour is free, but registration is required. The Behind the Red Gate tour runs 9:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. and 1:15 to 4:15 p.m. Friday.

The Source to Tap Tour runs 9:15 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday.

Tours start from the CRD Field Office parking lot, 2955 Sooke Lake Rd. (near Goldstream Park campground).

To register, or for more information, go to crd.bc.ca/service/ public-tours/watershed-tours.