Water Quality Advisory Rescinded for Lakeview/Rose Valley System

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 28, 2020

The City of West Kelowna, in consultation with Interior Health Authority, has rescinded the Water Quality Notice in the Lakeview/Rose Valley System.

The water quality advisory was issued May 19, 2020 after the City’s Reservoir Consultant determined an algal bloom was causing high turbidity, which may affect the performance of the chlorine disinfection process. Once crews completed all the required comprehensive testing and received all mandatory laboratory confirmations that the water was again safe to consume, the Water Quality Advisory was rescinded effective today, May 28, 2020.

The City thanks users for their patience while our Utility Crews worked diligently and according to required best practices to return the system to normal operations as quickly as possible.

Please note, the Water Quality Advisories for the West Kelowna Estates and Sunnyside/Pritchard Systems remain in effect.

To determine which water system you are in you can view our Water Quality Advisory Map at www.westkelownacity.ca/waterquality.

A safe alternate source of water is still available for residents of the West Kelowna Estates and Sunnyside/Pritchard Systems at the bulk filling station at Shannon Lake and Asquith Roads. The water is free throughout the duration of the Water Quality Advisories. Please bring clean bottles for filling. The tap is located on the Asquith Road side of the station. In keeping with COVID-19 guidelines, crews have installed a touch free system for filling bottles at the station. Also in keeping with health requirements during COVID-19 users should wash hands regularly, avoid touching their faces and maintain a safe social distance of two meters between themselves and all other users. 

The bulk filling station receives water via the state-of-the-art Powers Creek Water Filtration Plant. The City is building a similar plant for the Sunnyside/Pritchard, West Kelowna Estates and Lakeview/Rose Valley Systems. Once the new Rose Valley Water Treatment Plant serves these systems, the treatment process will filter away the turbidity. Crews have broken ground on the plant site and anticipate commissioning the facility in summer 2022.

The two remaining Water Quality Advisories will remain in effect until further notice. The City of West Kelowna will advise customers as soon as possible when it is able to end the advisories, through the media, via the City’s eNotification system and its Facebook and Twitter feeds and the municipal website at www.westkelownacity.ca/news.

Residents are encouraged to sign up for City eNotifications at www.westkelownacity.ca/subscribe to receive word on Water Quality Advisories and other city news and events.