Water decision looms

Council set to receive recommendations for delivery of water throughout Kelowna

A long-awaited report on the future of Kelowna’s water systems comes before council on Monday.

Somewhat unusually, the “Water Value Added Planning Study” is not attached to the meeting agenda that was released by the city on Thursday afternoon.

“The report is still being worked on, and (study) lead Don Stafford will be at council to present it,” city clerk Stephen Fleming wrote in an email.

Normally, all documents associated with Monday agenda items are included in files attached to the city web page.

The city commissioned the study directly from Strategic Value Solutions, a consultancy, in early December rather than put the project to tender.

“Time is of the essence for the city to complete the value planning of water infrastructure plans and strategies in order to qualify for federal/provincial grants,” the city said on Dec. 6.

On Monday’s agenda, the study is said to “outline recommendations for the best, lowest-cost, citywide solution for delivering both domestic and agricultural water in Kelowna.”

The city-run water system serves about half of Kelowna’s 130,00 residents.

Separate, independently run systems, such as Black Mountain Irrigation District, Glenmore Ellison Irrigation District, SouthEast Kelowna Irrigation District and Rutland Waterworks, serve the rest.

The operators of those systems fear Kelowna wants to take over the entire water distribution network.

For their part, Kelowna officials say it is no longer acceptable for many residents of the city to live with the kind of water advisories that are frequently issued by some of the independent systems.

“The City of Kelowna believes these challenges cannot be addressed under the century-old system of separate and independent utilities,” municipal officials said in a statement released last year. “We believe an integrated system is the best investment for Kelowna, and that’s why a governance review is important.”