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Water treatment upgrades coming to West Kelowna

Grants from federal and provincial government earmarked for new Rose Valley Water Treatment Plant
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A $41 million grant from federal and provincial governments will be used upgrade outdated water treatment methods for 18,000 people in West Kelowna

A $41 million federal and provincial grant under the Clean Water and Wastewater Fund will make the construction of the Rose Valley Water Treatment Plant a reality at least five years ahead of schedule.

“The City of West Kelowna is grateful beyond words for this generous contribution, which will put us on the fast track to building a state of the art facility with the aim of bringing water quality assurances to the entire northern half of our city,” said Mayor Doug Findlater.

The current Rose Valley facility is a small plant that was built in 1977 and provides chlorination – single barrier treatment – which no longer meets federal and provincial guidelines for drinking water. The new treatment plant will provide multi barrier treatment including processes such as flocculation, sedimentation, filtration and chlorination and guarantee, clean, clear, safe drinking water for nearly 12,000 people living in the Lakeview System.

The City of West Kelowna also plans to connect West Kelowna Estates, Pritchard and Sunnyside systems to the new treatment facility.

“Once the plant and the connections to the three other systems are completed, the highest possible quality of drinking water will be distributed to more than 18,000 residents, over 300 businesses, seven schools, City Hall, our future public works yard, our two arenas, and Interior Health’s Brookhaven Extended Care Facility,” stated Findlater.

The Clean Water and Wastewater Fund is providing approximately $310 million to 144 projects throughout the province, including $43,907,000 to the City of Kelowna. See details here.

Background

• Construction of the $49 million Rose Valley Water Treatment Plant will be the largest single construction project the City of West Kelowna has ever undertaken.

• Majority funding, $41 million, will come from Government of Canada (50%) and Province of British Columbia (33%) via the Clean Water and Wastewater Fund.

• The City of West Kelowna will contribute $8 million (17%) through a combination of funding sources, including reserves and potential borrowing.

• The City of West Kelowna originally intended to start construction on Rose Valley Water Treatment Plant in 2022, as outlined in the 10-year financial plan.

• A 14-week water quality advisory, which was the result of an unprecedented algae bloom in Rose Valley Reservoir and led to increased turbidity, generated public requests for the construction timeline to be advanced.

• The federal and provincial governments launched the Clean Water and Waste Water Fund in British Columbia in September enabling the City of West Kelowna to apply under the program in the hopes of advancing construction timelines.

• The City of West Kelowna will issue a request for proposals within the next month seeking a qualified project management firm to oversee the design-build process.