West Kelowna Council approved spending $2.5 million to fix source water quality problems in the Rose Valley Reservoir (RVR).
A vote to give a $50 credit to the 8,500 customers of the Rose Valley Water System failed. The credit would have refunded them for water used to flush the system. The credit amounted to approximately $425,000. Both the $2.5 million and the rebate were to come from the Rose Valley Water Reserve.
Council unanimously supported spending $2.5 million. However, the vote on the credit was tied, which meant it failed under local government rules. Councillors Rick de Jong, Carol Zannon, and Garrett Millsap opposed the credit. Councillor Tasha Da Silva missed the Tuesday (Nov. 26) meeting.
De Jong said he wasn香蕉视频直播檛 against refunds but wanted to seek government grants instead. 香蕉视频直播淭hat香蕉视频直播檚 a true way to offset these costs for local residents,香蕉视频直播� he said. 香蕉视频直播淩ather than taking it from their pocket, giving it back now, and then taking it from their pocket again later.香蕉视频直播�
Chief Financial Officer Warren Everton said the Rose Valley Water Reserve has enough funds. 香蕉视频直播淲e can easily handle this expenditure,香蕉视频直播� he told the council.
De Jong said spending the $2.5 million was the right decision for public safety. Mayor Gord Milsom agreed but supported the rebate as well. 香蕉视频直播淚 see no reason why it can香蕉视频直播檛 be done,香蕉视频直播� he said. 香蕉视频直播淚t cost them money to help us do the job in flushing out those systems, so I香蕉视频直播檓 in favour of it.香蕉视频直播�
A staff report noted growing problems in the reservoir, including algae, turbidity, iron-related bacteria, and manganese. These caused brown, foul-smelling water for customers in recent months. The Rose Valley Water Treatment Plant tried several fixes with mixed results.
The $2.5 million will be spent on adding potassium permanganate, an oxidizing agent, to the water after it is drawn from the reservoir. This will allow the manganese to oxidize while the water is travelling to the treatment plant where it can be removed.
Council also heard about ongoing water quality problems in RVR. Heather Larrat, from Larrat Aquatic Consulting, explained the reservoir has a high risk of manganese levels exceeding acceptable limits every summer.
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She said can also rise in March due to long ice cover, algae, and bacteria. Larrat also spoke about damage to the watershed from the McDougall Creek wildfire.
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She urged council to renovate the reservoir香蕉视频直播檚 aeration system, which helps reduce manganese levels. However, she cautioned that aeration alone might not fully solve the problem. 香蕉视频直播淣o one can guarantee that restoring aeration will solve 100 percent of the manganese problem,香蕉视频直播� she said.
Larrat recommended correcting the aeration issues by the summer 2025. This would cut treatment costs and reduce the length and intensity of manganese spikes. She also warned that a heavy snowpack this winter could worsen spring runoff from burned areas around the watershed.
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Larrat estimated it would take five years to recover from the wildfire damage. 香蕉视频直播淚t will still affect water quality but not as badly as we香蕉视频直播檙e experiencing now.香蕉视频直播�
City staff promised to closely monitor manganese levels, especially in spring and summer.
