Water Quality and Reporting

In the event of a Boil Water Notice or Water Quality Advisory for any of our systems (Lakeview, Pritchard/Sunnyside, Westbank or West Kelowna Estates), information is posted under news.

Residents can also use our Water Services and Advisories Map (we recommend using browsers such as Google Chrome, Safari or Mozilla/Firefox to view this map), or refer to their quarterly utility bill, to determine if they live in the affected system.

Please sign up to receive notifications for information about the start and end of Boil Water Notices and Water Quality Advisories.

During notices and advisories, a bulk filling station at Shannon Lake and Asquith Roads will be opened to the public, as soon as possible, as a courtesy, to provide an option for potable drinking water. Bring your own clean bottles and hoses for filling. The tap is on the Asquith Road side of the facility.

To learn about the City's short and long term quality improvement goals, please visit our FAQs page.

Advisories, Notices and Orders - Know the Difference

Water Quality Advisory (WQA)

An advisory is issued in situations where the public health threat is modest, due to slightly higher than normal turbidity or a greater degree of substances or organisms in water than what is normal. Since some level of risk exists in this situation, a Water Quality Advisory (WQA) is issued for the public health of the most vulnerable populations such as newborns, infants, breastfeeding mothers, children, the elderly and people with chronic illnesses and immune deficiencies. Pets may also be vulnerable. The recommendation for these populations is to use water that has been boiled rapidly for no less than one minute and allowed to cool or to find an alternative safe source for brushing teeth, drinking, making baby formula, beverages, food and ice and washing fruits and vegetables.

Boil Water Notice (BWN)

A notice is required in situations where the public health threat is significant due to high turbidity or higher than acceptable levels of organisms or substances but where the risk can be resolved by boiling water.

During a Boil Water Notice (BWN), everyone, including pets, should use water that has been boiled rapidly for no less than one minute or use an alternative safe source for brushing teeth, drinking, making baby formula, beverages, food and ice and washing fruits and vegetables.

Do Not Consume Order (DNC)

An order is the highest-level notification. A Do Not Consume Order (DNC) is used in situations where the water can make you sick if you consume it because chemicals, organisms or other substances in water cannot be resolved through boiling water. Everyone, pets included, must use a safe alternative source for brushing teeth, drinking, making baby formula, beverages, food and ice and washing fruits and vegetables.

Do Not Use Order (DNU)

An order is the highest-level notification. A Do Not Use Order (DNU) means the tap should NOT be turned on for any reason. It is used in situations where a significant public health threat exists from chemicals, radiation or other public health concerns where water is a danger to human health. People MUST, under EVERY circumstance, use a safe alternative source of water for ALL purposes including consumption, irrigation, laundry, showering/bathing, etc.

What Causes Advisories, Notices and Orders?

Drinking water suppliers must make public health their highest priority. The supplier must constantly monitor the system and supply samples to the health authority for testing. If monitoring and testing produce a concerning result, the supplier works with the health authority to advise customers when to implement the necessary safety precautions - an advisory, notice or order. Triggers can include, but are not limited to:

Bacteria and parasites such as cryptosporidium, E. coli, giardia and other fecal coliforms in the system.
Chemical and substance contamination in reservoirs or within the distribution network.
Crossed connections.
Reports of water-borne illnesses in the community.
System tampering.
Treatment disruptions and failures.
Water main breaks.

The health officer advises the supplier when they are satisfied (through testing or other safeguards) that the water is safe to drink without boiling. The water supplier must inform all users when the advisory is lifted.

A change in water colour, murkiness, smell and/or taste often indicates a problem and in such cases, customers should notify their water supplier about quality concerns.

Annual Reports

Combined Annual Water Quality Reports for all systems are published online once they become available. Historic reports are available by calling 778-797-2246.

Drinking Water Requirements

Interior Health requires that all water providers have long term plans to reach the following goals:

• 4 log (99.9%) inactivation of viruses

• 3 log (99.9%) removal or inactivation of giardia lamblia and cryptosporidium

• 2 treatment processes for all surface drinking water systems

• Less than 1 NTU of turbidity with a target of 0.1 NTU

• 0 total and fecal coliforms and E. Coli

The City of West Kelowna achieves these goals in the Powers Creek System and is actively working toward the construction of a water treatment plant by Summer 2022 to meet these objectives in the Rose Valley/Lakeview System. Once the Rose Valley Water Treatment Plant is constructed and commissioned, then the City of West Kelowna plans to connect the Sunnyside/Pritchard and West Kelowna Estates Systems.

Helpful Links and Resources

If you have questions about the content on any of the above web pages, please contact the respective authority via the contact information on their website. If any of the above links are not working, please email us.

New Water Treatment Plant for Rose Valley

For updates on the status of the Rose Valley Water Treatment Plant, please go to the project web page.

Operation and Distribution Conditions

The Medical Health Officer for the Interior Health Authority developed 10 conditions that all water utilities within the region with more than 300 connections must meet in the operation and distribution of the public water supply:

Provide a certified operator to operate the system
Operate according to an established Water Quality Sampling Program
Provide continuous online turbidity monitoring of well water for each surface source
Provide continuous online monitoring of the water disinfection process
Operate according to an established Cross-Connection Control Program
Review the Emergency Response Plan annually
Update the Emergency Response Plan annually
Provide long-term plans for source, treatment and distribution system improvements
Report monitoring results
Provide an annual summary of monitoring results

Permit to Operate

Under the Safe Drinking Water Regulation of the Health Act and the Drinking Water Protection Regulation of the Drinking Water Protection Act, all public water utilities are required to obtain a Permit to Operate from the local health authority. The regulations also allow health officials to place conditions on this operating permit that the utility must meet. For information on these permits, please call the Engineering Department at 778-797-8840.