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 wasn91裸聊视频檛 against refunds but wanted to seek government grants instead. 91裸聊视频淭hat91裸聊视频檚 a true way to offset these costs for local residents,91裸聊视频� he said. 91裸聊视频淩ather than taking it from their pocket, giving it back now, and then taking it from their pocket again later.91裸聊视频�
Chief Financial Officer Warren Everton said the Rose Valley Water Reserve has enough funds. 91裸聊视频淲e can easily handle this expenditure,91裸聊视频� 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. 91裸聊视频淚 see no reason why it can91裸聊视频檛 be done,91裸聊视频� he said. 91裸聊视频淚t cost them money to help us do the job in flushing out those systems, so I91裸聊视频檓 in favour of it.91裸聊视频�
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.
91裸聊视频淲hen you have a warm water layer on top and a deep water layer underneath, the deep water can91裸聊视频檛 access the atmosphere,91裸聊视频� Larrat said. 91裸聊视频淒ecomposition breaks down and consumes oxygen, which can91裸聊视频檛 get replenished.91裸聊视频�
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.
91裸聊视频淚t will take years to recover,91裸聊视频� she said. 91裸聊视频淟iterally, it91裸聊视频檚 a worst-case scenario. The water treatment plant was incredibly timed -- without it, the community would have been exposed to the full force of this disaster.91裸聊视频�
She urged council to renovate the reservoir91裸聊视频檚 aeration system, which helps reduce manganese levels. However, she cautioned that aeration alone might not fully solve the problem. 91裸聊视频淣o one can guarantee that restoring aeration will solve 100 percent of the manganese problem,91裸聊视频� 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.
91裸聊视频淲e will be in uncharted territory once again,91裸聊视频� she said.
Larrat estimated it would take five years to recover from the wildfire damage. 91裸聊视频淚t will still affect water quality but not as badly as we91裸聊视频檙e experiencing now.91裸聊视频�
City staff promised to closely monitor manganese levels, especially in spring and summer.
