The City of Kelowna Water Utility, in consultation with the Interior Health Authority, has lifted the Water Quality Advisory for residents and businesses located north of and including K.L.O. Road. The Water Advisory for City of Kelowna Water Utility customers south of K.L.O Road remains in place.
The advisory was originally issued on Friday, May 12, for all residents and businesses on the City of Kelowna Water Utility, after elevated turbidity levels were noted at city water intakes.
Turbidity refers to fine suspended particles of clay, silt, organic and inorganic matter, plankton and other microscopic organisms that are picked up by water as it passes through a watershed.
“We’ve been monitoring turbidity levels and the Poplar Point intake now has consistently low levels allowing us to lift the advisory for the north part of our utility area,” said Ed Hoppe, water quality customer care supervisor. “We’ve also seen an improvement in the water intakes that feed the south part of Kelowna but lake levels are still high and turbidity has been fluctuating. We’ll lift that part of the advisory as soon as we are confident turbidity levels have returned to normal.”
Businesses and public facilities on the City Water Utility north of K.L.O. Road can now remove notifications that were posted at all tap and sink locations. A Water Quality Advisory map has been created to further define where the advisory has been lifted, and where it remains in place.
“This is the first time we’ve needed to issue an advisory in over 20 years,” said Hoppe. “With the extraordinary spring we’ve been experiencing, we certainly appreciate the patience and understanding of those within the City of Kelowna Water Utility and we expect to be able to lift the advisory for all city utility customers soon.”
Kelowna residents are served by one of five water providers throughout the city. A number of Water Quality Advisories remain in place in the Central Okanagan. Check with your water service provider for the most up-to-date information. Residents can use the find your water provider tool at kelowna.ca/water.