It’s been through the COVID-19 pandemic, a wildfire, supply chain interruptions, and numerous delays but the Rose Valley Water Treatment Plant (RVWTP) was finally celebrated with a ribbon cutting on Friday (May 31).
The “state-of-the-art” facility already services more than 19,650 residents in West Kelowna, but the celebration offered members of the public a behind-the-scenes look at the plant.
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The facility is the largest project ever undertaken by the city at a cost of $75 million, including $16.3 million in federal contributions.
“It’s an amazing asset for the community,” Allen Fillion, director of engineering and operating. “We’re so thankful that we were able to deliver on this project for them and that they were patient with us.”
Before the plant was completed, approximately 50 per cent of residents did not have access to potable water, and raw water was only treated with chlorine and distributed.
“It didn’t have the redundancy and robustness of this system,” Fillion said.
The RVWTP provides reliable drinking water that exceeds federal and provincial regulations, he added.
Mayor Gord Milsom noted the project was a long time coming, including delays caused by the pandemic.
“Then we endured extreme project challenges with last year’s wildfire. Now with the most significant wildfire recovery efforts completed, it is time to cut the ribbon and celebrate the new Rose Valley Water Treatment Plant.”
In August 2023, significant efforts were taken to protect the facility from the McDougall Creek wildfire.
“With the wildfire, we had some never before seen velocities brought through those pipes to aid in firefighting, and that drew in material,” Fillion explained.
Intermittent water main flushing will continue through the spring, necessitating water quality advisories which Fillion said will be short term.
The RVWTP, which is expected to meet the needs of the community for the next 25 years, serves customers formerly connected to the Lakeview, West Kelowna Estates, Sunnyside/Pritchard systems.
Public tours were provided throughout the day so residents could see the facility in operation.
More information about the RVWTP is available on the City of West Kelowna website.
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