Rose Valley Water Treatment Plant

Update: March 2021

In March 2021, the City of West Kelowna awarded the General Contractor contract to Maple Reinders for the Rose Valley Water Treatment Plant. The $45.1 million contract to Maple Reinders is within the project budget and will benefit the West Kelowna community through their proven infrastructure expertise locally and the Okanagan region.

Site and civil construction began in spring 2020 and the project completion schedule for 2022 remains unchanged. Read the full news release for more details.

About the project

Construction of the Rose Valley Water Treatment Plant will be the single largest construction project the City of West Kelowna has ever undertaken. Once complete, the water treatment plant will initially provide clean drinking water to 12,000 residents living within the Lakeview Water System. The City plans to connect a further 6,500 people living in the Pritchard/Sunnyside and West Kelowna Estates Water Systems once interconnections to the new plant can be constructed.

The City of West Kelowna originally planned to start design of Rose Valley Water Treatment Plant in 2021 with construction to start in 2022, subject to funding availability. A federal and provincial grant of $41 million was awarded to the City in March 2017 and with this additional funding, the project will be complete by 2022.

For more information, read the latest project update.

Background

An unprecedented algae bloom in the Rose Valley Reservoir led to a 14-week water quality advisory in summer and fall of 2016. As a result, the construction timeline for the Rose Valley Water Treatment Plant was advanced.
The federal and provincial governments launched the Clean Water and Waste Water Fund in British Columbia in September 2016, giving the City of West Kelowna the opportunity to apply under the program in the hopes of advancing construction timelines.
In March 2017, a federal and provincial grant of $41 million was awarded under the Clean Water and Wastewater Fund.
The Lakeview System gets its water from Rose Valley Reservoir. The Pritchard/Sunnyside and West Kelowna Estates Systems receives water from Okanagan Lake and must be pumped up to houses.
The chlorine only facilities that serve the Lakeview, Pritchard/Sunnyside and West Kelowna Estates Systems were built in the 1970s and do not meet modern, federal and provincial drinking water requirements.
After the Rose Valley Water Treatment Plant is built, the Lakeview System will be connected to it immediately. Then, as soon as additional funding is available, Pritchard/Sunnyside and West Kelowna Estates will be connected to the treatment plant and the Okanagan Lake pump houses and chlorination facilities for those systems will be decommissioned.

Photo Gallery: RVWTP will appear here on the public site.

To determine if you are located within the Local Area Service (LAS) that will be serviced by the Rose Valley Water Treatment Plant click here or use the map below. Please use Google Chrome to view map.

For questions about the Rose Valley Water Treatment Plant, please contact the numbers below:

Project/construction updates

Engineering: 778-797-8840

Legislative process

Legislative Services: 778-797-2250

Water bill or taxes

Finance: 778-797-8858

We're committed to keeping residents informed on progress of the Rose Valley Water Treatment Plant.

For more information, see the following updates:

February 23, 2021: Council Highlights - Rose Valley Water Treatment Plant update provided
January 12, 2021: Council Highlights - Rose Valley Water Treatment Plant update provided
October 14, 2020: Council adopts local area service and long-term borrowing bylaws for Rose Valley Water Treatment Plant
October 13, 2020: Council was presented with a snapshot of the RVWTP Legislative and Non-Legislative Communication and Engagement that occurred from January through to Oct. 2, 2020.
October 2, 2020: Unofficial results indicate long-term borrowing is preferred for Rose Valley Water Treatment Plant
September 16, 2020: Subject to Petition Against process for Rose Valley Water Treatment Plant reaches mid-way point
September 3, 2020: Rose Valley Treatment Plant construction requires temporary no outdoor use and Boil Water Notice
September 2020: Subject to Petition Against - Notice of Intent
September 2, 2020: Your Subject to Petition Against package explained on video
August 31, 2020: Your Subject to Petition Against package explained
August 26, 2020:Important information for Rose Valley Water Treatment Plant Local Area Service property owners
July 29, 2020: An information document was delivered to all property owners who will be served by the plant.
July 14, 2020: Council Initiative – Subject to Petition Against process proceeds for Rose Valley Water Local Area Service
July 13, 2020: Rose Valley Water Treatment Plant Report to Council moves forward to recommend establishing Local Area Service and long-term borrowing
May 27, 2020: Advertisement (Westside Weekly) providing information on water rates
March 31, 2020: Blasting permit issued for 2010 Bartley Road
March 20, 2020: Blasting letter sent to residents adjacent to the Rose Valley Water Treatment Plant area
March 24, 2020: Information to Council presentation
March 2020: Civil works tender is awarded to Hall Constructors.
The City of West Kelowna awarded its first civil works tender to Hall Constructors in March 2020. Construction activities at the Rose Valley Water Treatment Plant, located at the end of Rosewood Drive, began in March 2020. This work includes activities such as excavation and blasting, roadworks, utilities and other site works.

Construction is scheduled to take 20 to 24 months to complete, with the plant scheduled to be commissioned by summer 2022.

Special thanks to Canada's Infrastructure and Communities Minister François-Philippe Champagne, British Columbia Premier John Horgan and Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Selina Robinson, Kelowna Lake Country MP Stephen Fuhr, Central Okanagan Similkameen Nicola MP Dan Albas and Kelowna Westside MLA Ben Stewart for their support in providing an extension under the Clean Water Wastewater Fund until March 31, 2023 to access more than $41 million in grant funding to assist with the plant's construction.
February 7, 2020: City invites bidders for Rose Valley Water Treatment Plant civil works
RVWTP at-a-glance information sheet: Details on project timeline and cost.
September 18, 2019: Letter to residents adjacent to the Rose Valley Water Treatment Plant area
September 10, 2019: Canada and BC award grant extension for water treatment plant
March 25, 2019: Site secured for Rose Valley Water Treatment Plant
September 7, 2018: Parkland purchased in West Kelowna

As part of our commitment to serve you and keep you informed on this project, we have released multiple video communications with residents in recent months.

These past videos can be found below:

With the land for the new plant secured in March 2019, the City began full, detailed design of the plant.

Site clearing began in September 2019. It will be followed by groundwork and then construction.

Plant construction begin in spring 2020. The project is scheduled to take at least 20 months to complete, allowing the plant to be commissioned and fully operational by late spring of 2022.

The Government of Canada will contribute $24.7 million and the Province of British Columbia will provide $16.3 million.

The City of West Kelowna will contribute the remaining funds through a combination of sources, including water rate increases, water reserves and borrowing.

In March 2019, the City of West Kelowna confirmed purchase of a 24-acre portion of 2010 Bartley Road, at a cost of $915,000, for the purpose of building the Rose Valley Water Treatment Plant. Mayor Milsom and members of Council made the announcement publicly on March 25, 2019 at an official sign unveiling near the site (photo above).

The City had applied in fall 2017 to obtain rights to use Crown land immediately north of Rose Ridge Park and approximately 1.5 kilometres south of the existing chlorine-only water treatment facility, built in 1977.

On March 26, 2019, Council withdrew its application to the Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resources Operations and Rural Development for tenure on the parcel of the Crown land, located adjacent to District Lots 503, 2685 and 2188, Osoyoos Division Yale Land District.

Since the application process was still ongoing after nearly 18-months, the City had chosen instead to make the nearby property purchase at 2010 Bartley Road, in order to meet its grant obligations. Crown land tenure was therefore no longer required.