City of Kelowna takes over major water system

Ongoing efforts to bring water systems throughout Kelowna, B.C., under one roof have made progress.

The Glenmore Ellison Improvement District, one of the four main water suppliers in Kelowna, will transfer its operations to the City of Kelowna over the next three years, which aligns with both the city’s integrated water supply plan and provincial policies that call for improvement districts to transition to local governments over time.

“It’s the right time for an orderly and seamless transition,” Steven Bonn, board chair of GEID, said in a press release.

“GEID is in a strong financial position and over the past several years we have completed all major capital projects required to deliver high-quality drinking and agricultural water. The Board of Trustees and GEID staff are extremely proud of the legacy we leave, that has allowed the Glenmore-Ellison valleys to grow and prosper.”

The city said the agreement sees the Glenmore Ellison system running as a separate business unit within the city for the next three years, to allow time for an orderly operational transition. The integration will see all GEID and City of Kelowna water utility customers continue to receive the same level of service while efforts are made to enhance reliability, resiliency and value in the face of climate change.

A financial and asset audit was completed to ensure City of Kelowna ratepayers do not take on any undue risk and it found the Glenmore Ellison operation is in a strong financial position and rates will not increase for ratepayers of either utility due to the transition.

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Projected benefits to both GEID and city water utility customers in unifying the systems include improved supply and resiliency through better interconnectivity and integration of operations; more effective and efficient emergency response across both systems, especially with a larger pool of trained water operators; and better co-ordination with city infrastructure projects, including water, road, sewer, and stormwater projects.

With the changeover, the city said GEID ratepayers will now have access to provincial grants for major capital projects along with lower interest rates through the Municipal Finance Authority.

The next step is for the province to consider an Order in Council and share information with ratepayers. For more information, visit geid.ca or kelowna.ca/water.

The Glenmore-Ellison Improvement District’s boundaries extend across 3,787 hectares. Of this, 1,922 hectares are serviced with water, with 841 hectares of agricultural land. GEID supplies water to approximately 9,600 residential service connections, serving an estimated population of 24,000.

Water supplied from Okanagan Lake supplies potable water for both domestic and agricultural use. The GEID drinking water supply system is pumped from the lake to the McKinley UV Treatment Plant, where it is treated before being delivered by gravity through a pipeline distribution network like the City of Kelowna’s water utility. The district also supplies treated potable water from Okanagan Lake and non-potable water from Mill Creek to irrigated areas in the Ellison area, generally east of Kelowna International Airport.