Project to end water woes in West Kelowna fast-tracked

It was the source of frustration for thousands of residents in West Kelowna this summer. But now the city is hoping to find a faster fix.

“This is important to the public, it’s important to council,” said City of West Kelowna Chief Administrative Officer Jim Zaffino.

The City of West Kelowna has submitted an application for a major B.C. government grant to build a new water treatment plant. The news comes following a public outcry over poor water quality and a three-month-long water advisory that impacted about 11,000 residents. The water advisory went into effect on Aug. 4 due to higher than normal turbidity levels in the Rose Valley Reservoir and wasn’t lifted until Nov.10.

The City of West Kelowna’s water master plan called for a new water treatment plant but not until 2022.

“Council moved up the priority to this year because of the opportunity of a possible 83 per cent grant that equates to $45 million,” said Zaffino.

If granted, the city would be left to borrow another $9 million for the project.

The City of Kelowna is expected to find out if it will be approved for the funding in spring of 2017. Construction of a new water treatment plant would take around two years.