Water users to pay more for treatment-plant work

Council gave first three readings to bylaws that will help create one water system, one water rate, one quality of water for all West Kelowna residents.

Users who will benefit from the Rose Valley Water Treatment Plant, construction of which is to begin in 2018, will see increased rates to help cover the City’s portion of the $49-million project as well as related capital infrastructure (the City received a $41 million grant from the governments of B.C. and Canada for plant construction).

Users of the Powers Creek Water Treatment Plant will see increased rates to help pay for capital works to the system to improve upland storage and Àre protection.

The draft bylaws will merge three of its five systems (Lakeview, West Kelowna Estates and Sunnyside) and rename the system to the Rose Valley Water System, while maintaining the Pritchard service area separate.

Council also gave three readings to a by-law to re-label the Westbank system as the Powers Creek Water System.

Council approved the following elements to the water rate structure:

• Uniform rates will be phased in over the next four years

• Residential, industrial, commercial and institutional customers would be charged both a fixed component (operational + capital + debt) and a variable component (consumption)

• A move to a single definition of “agricultural” (BC Assessment - Class 9) and an agricultural rate structure consisting of both a flat per hectare charge and a consumption charge (both effective January 1, 2020)

• The elimination of five non-conforming commercial/institutional rates from our existing bylaw effective Jan. 1, 2019

• The inclusion of a “capital component” to the City’s "unimproved parcel" water flat fee

• An update to our bulk water rates

The City will undertake a variety of communication efforts to inform the public of the changes to water rates. More information is available at westkelownacity.ca/waterrates.

McIver Road Subdivision

Council gave first and second reading to a Zoning Amendment Bylaw for 3545 McIver Rd. in the Glenrosa Neighbourhood to facilitate a sixlot subdivision of the property.

The property, adjacent to Glenrosa Middle School, is zoned Country Residential and the application requests rezoning to Single Detached Residential. The application will go to public hearing once further information regarding the proposed access to the property is received.