We thought you might appreciate a quick update on the happenings of Tofino and our water issue - particularly if you (or others you know) are planning a visit to the west coast this fall and may now be uncertain about your travel plans. (We apologize in advance should you receive multi copies of this message - if you do, please let us know so we may update/correct our files with your contact information)
A quick recap: The summer of 2006 can now be officially dubbed the "drought in a rainforest" summer! The dry summer weather provided many great days on the ocean and at our beaches, but it also impacted our local water supply levels, and with construction yet to commence on our new reservoir, Tofino started to run out of water. During the last week of August, water conservation in Tofino became a top news story across the nation when businesses were asked to close in order to maintain water levels for fire protection and residential use. However, within three days, several strategies had been implemented which allowed businesses to remain open with water restrictions in place. So, contrary to many stories out there, Tofino continues to welcome visitors from across the globe and local businesses are open - albeit with some changes in operations in order to meet water conservation guidelines. (For example, restaurants are not serving tap water with meals, coffee/teas are being made with bottled water and accommodation providers have omitted daily towel