West Kelowna offers free access to bulk water as Lakeview water-quality advisory continues

Originally posted on October 13, 2016

 

Free water is being offered to Westsiders who don’t entirely trust what comes out of their taps.

West Kelowna water customers can fill containers for free at a bulk water station at the corner of Shannon Lake Road and Asquith Road.

For months, the Lakeview system has been under a water-quality advisory. Tap water should be boiled for at least a minute before it is used by children, the elderly and those with weakened immune systems, the City of West Kelowna says.

This week, city council instructed staff to begin offering free water from the bulk filling station. Water available there comes from the municipality’s Westbank treatment plant, which uses filtration, radiation and chlorination.

People using the bulk water station must bring their own container and hoses, and should ensure both are clean and suitable for potable water.

The Lakeview system’s drinking quality has been compromised by an unprecedented algae bloom in the Rose Valley reservoir that has increased organic material in the water.

The algae bloom is expected to dissipate as colder weather sets in, city spokesperson Kirsten Jones says.

A treatment plant for water taken from the Rose Valley reservoir wasn’t planned until 2022, but city council has told staff to look at ways the costly project might be undertaken sooner.

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