Kelowna Capital News / Lake Country Calendar – January 29, 2018
West Kelowna water users can expect to see rate increases this year as the City of West Kelowna prepares to fund significant upgrades and improvements to bring the municipal water systems into compliance with government regulations.
These improvements are part of the city’s Water Master Plan, which calls for system-wide improvements to harmonize the water quality in all five of the municipal systems by 2021.
City of West Kelowna communications supervisor Kirsten Jones says that currently only one of West Kelowna’s five water systems has a treatment plant—the Westbank system—and that only the Westbank system’s water meets government requirements.
“The other four systems aren’t treating the water in a way that satisfies the provincial and federal regulations. That’s not atypical of municipalities of our size. But we were fortunate enough to receive a $41 million grant last year to put toward a new water treatment plant, and we’re absolutely thrilled.”