The City of West Kelowna, B.C., has issued a water advisory for some residents after it was discovered that a nearby reservoir was intentionally damaged.
On Thursday, West Kelowna city workers were notified of an alarm going off at the Tallus Ridge water reservoir, and when they inspected the facility, they found what they believed to be intentional damage.
As a result, the city issued a do-not-consume-water advisory for a portion of the Rose Valley water service area, which includes Tallus Ridge and Shannon Woods and impacts about 300 residents.
Residents in the affected zone are asked not to use tap water for drinking or food preparation until further updates are provided.
“You always have to react based on worst-case scenario,” Patrick Pulak, general manager of operations for the City of West Kelowna, told Global News.
“So it is concerning from that perspective, the fact that there’s the potential that your water supply in that area has been contaminated. So yeah, it’s, we have to treat it as the worst-case scenario, and it’s very concerning.”
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Pulak explained that the intrusion alarm was triggered at the reservoir by the hatch being opened, prompting crews to isolate the reservoir from the distribution system, then notify the city, Interior Health and the RCMP.
Residents were first notified on Thursday night about the water advisory and Pulak said they are advising that residents not consume any of the water, even if it’s boiled.
It can be used for washing and having a shower.
“We don’t know if it’s a chemical that’s been added to the reservoir, then boiling the water isn’t going to remove that chemical,” Pulak added.
Crews are now working to empty the reservoir and disinfect it.
“Interior Health has indicated that the do not consume order will stay in place until we get two samples taken 24 hours apart that come back that have not been contaminated,” Pulak said.
“So those samples, one was taken this morning, it’s sent off to Vancouver, it gets tested. Another sample will be taken tomorrow morning. It’ll be sent to Vancouver for testing, and then it’s just a matter of us waiting for those results to get back.”
If there is evidence of contamination, Pulak said that would be incredibly serious.
“If you’ve been to the area where this reservoir is, it’s not easily accessible,” he said. “So somebody had to have some form of intent to go up there and do that.”
West Kelowna RCMP are now investigating and are asking anyone in the area of Big Sky Drive on Thursday between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. who saw anything suspicious to contact them at 1-250-768-2880.
They say they have identified suspects, but no arrests have been made.
The city has also set up a bulk water station at Shannon Lake and Asquith Roads.
Anyone can also contact the City of West Kelowna at 1-778-797-1000 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS).
Teenagers and they got caught. They all jerked off into it
Did somebody get fired
A holes of the planet moved there from all over Canada and destroyed it.Was a great place to live 50 years ago
You won’t have to go further than the WB First Nations offices to find out who did it.
I would expect to hear shortly that consultation is needed before repairs or more was needed somewhere else where they didn’t get paid.