Metro Vancouver Watersheds

Metro Vancouver watersheds
Metro Vancouver watershed boundaries
Location	Lower Mainland, British Columbia, Canada
Nearest city	Vancouver
Area	Capilano watershed 19,545 hectares, Seymour watershed 12,735 hectares, Coquitlam watershed 20,461 hectares
Governing body	Metro Vancouver

The Metro Vancouver watersheds, also known as the Greater Vancouver watersheds, supply potable water to approximately 2.4 million residents in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia. They provide tap water to a land area covering more than 2,600 km², including cities such as Vancouver, Langley and Richmond. From west to east, the watersheds are the Capilano (19,545 hectares), the Seymour (12,375 hectares), and the Coquitlam (20,461 hectares). They are located in the North Shore Mountains and Coquitlam Mountain, respectively. Each watershed possesses a reservoir for water storage purposes, under the control of Metro Vancouver. The reservoirs are supplied by about 3.5 metres of rain and 4.5 metres of snowpack annually. Two additional off-catchment areas (Lower Seymour Conservation Reserve and Or Creek watershed) under control of Metro Vancouver contribute to the water supply. The watersheds have a long history of controversies surrounding logging, highway development, and salmon run conservation.

The Vancouver area began to grow rapidly in the late 1880s. In April 1886, two entities, the Vancouver Water Works Company and the Coquitlam Water Works Company, were established with the goal of finding and providing good, reliable sources of water for the growing population.

In 1887, the Capilano River was selected as the source of water supply for the City of Vancouver. An intake pipe was constructed 11 kilometers upstream of the mouth of the river, and a pipeline carried this water across the First Narrows of Burrard Inlet and into the City of Vancouver.