The Cost of Drinking Water

260219 – Short and not so sweet. I moved a Motion by Director Carson – North Westside Regional Water System Project to end the Pipeline from Valley of the Sun to supply Killiney Beach and Westshore with groundwater from that aquifer. 5.2 North Westside Regional Water System – 2026 Budget Discussion and 5.3 Motion by Director Carson – North Westside Water System Project discussions are here for you to see.

My argument was simply the Project since inception a few years ago has gone from 8 million to 12 million then 21 million and now 30 million! We have not established a suitable right of way, turned a shovel of dirt or applied for any of the necessary 2/3 funding from senior levels of government. The BC Government has just announced a 13.4 Billion dollar deficit in their Budget and the Federal Government is in worse shape. I don’t believe that either governments will pony up 10 million each for a rural project that benefits 600 homes.

Reality is RDCO is a municipally dominated government that sees the big party’s first at the funding trough. The chair is Kelowna with no interest or empathy for the smaller communities that he swore an oath to represent. My concern is that the understanding that the project will not move forward without the 1/3 1/3 and 1/3 contributions will be forgotten or just plain rammed through with municipal votes as this decision was. Both EA Directors opposed this project and people that will never draw a drop of water nor contribute a dime have moved forward. Again the EA’s have been robbed of their Stakeholder Voting Privileges by this Tyranny of the Majority supported by an outdated and oppressive Local Government Act.

260118 – I will be moving a motion that the Board remove all funding for the pipeline project from the Budget. This represents 30 million dollars currently in the RDCO 2026 Budget. This would include study’s or work related to this pipeline project. It is important to continue with any work applicable to eligibility for future grants and funding to upgrade and renew the existing ( 1960’s for Killiney and 1970’s for Westshore ) older infrastructure (mains, reservoirs, pumps etc. ). Asset renewal has been the prerequisite for senior government level funding. How can we renew older assets if government keeps adding costly requirements like centralized filtration when current technology allows for a  more cost effective method with Point of Entry Filtration.

I asked GROK for information on RO systems/costs and this is what I got.

In BC, most single-family homes go for an under-sink reverse osmosis system for drinking water, and those usually run about three hundred to six hundred bucks for the unit itself. With professional installation, you’re looking at four hundred to a thousand CAD total.

Whole-house systems are way less common—they’re pricey and overkill unless your water’s really bad—and they start around two thousand five hundred and go up to five thousand or more, including install.

For a typical under-sink reverse osmosis system, filter replacements cost around fifty to a hundred CAD for a full set—pre-filter, post-filter, and membrane—and you swap ’em every six to twelve months, depending on usage. The ultraviolet light bulb, if your setup has one, runs thirty to eighty bucks and needs changing yearly for best results. Whole-house systems? Filters might hit two hundred yearly, UV bulbs same ballpark as above, every twelve months too. Keep an eye on your water quality though—it can speed things up.

We spent 3 million in Killiney a decade ago replacing an upper revivor and about 1/3 of the upper main infrastructure. 2/3 of the funding came from the Federal Government of the day. The other 2/3 of the system needs renewal and this is where ratepayers money should go. We had a Water Quality Advisory (WQA are one step before a boil water notice) from mid April to mid October and it had little impact as most home already rely upon their home RO Systems already.

In Westshore we replaced the reservoirs at the same time as the work in Killiney (mid 2010’s)  was done. The funding for this was from the Community Works Fund (called the Gas Tax Fund at that time). The mains in Westshore are larger than Killiney and in less need of replacement.

Any future funding should also address the communities wish for emergency power generation so the water systems can remain an asset to the crews trying to protect our homes from wildfire threats instead of something else that needs protection.

251216 – Interior Health sets tough rules for surface water pushing small systems under five hundred connections to use advanced filtration, whose cost even the bigger growing municipal setups barely manage without breaking the bank. Building a mini plant? We are talking seven figures minimum—permits, land, tech, maintenance, all brutal for tiny budgets. Reverse osmosis at the point-of-entry, though? Way cheaper systems cost at a few hundred dollars per home, filter algae toxins and crypto like a champion, and you reuse that wastewater for non-drinking stuff. Total win for affordability and dodging health regs in rural spots. Centralized’s overkill; RO’s practical.

Reverse osmosis for drinking water strips out almost everything—salts, minerals, bacteria, viruses, chemicals, you name it, by forcing water through a tiny-pore membrane. It removes up to ninety-nine percent of contaminants, including nasty bacteria like E. coli., blue-green algae toxins,  cryptosporidium and cyanotoxins like microcystin do not slip through the membrane. But it also yanks out healthy minerals like calcium and magnesium, which might leave water tasting flat. Some reintroduce minerals to correct this.

Sure, centralized filtration in big cities—like sand filters and chlorination are good at managing massive volumes efficiently but it struggles with specifics like crypto or algae toxins unless upgraded, which costs millions. Reverse osmosis for rural setups? It is compact, packs a punch against diverse contaminants, and skips the need for giant plants, but it uses more water—up to four gallons per drinkable one—and strips minerals, needing remineralization. Central wins on scale and cost per capita; RO shines for precision in small, isolated spots where hauling water is not practical. Trade-offs all around.

Wastewater from reverse osmosis—called concentrate—can actually be reused instead of flushed. Gardens love it for irrigation if it’s not too salty, or you could collect it for flushing toilets, cleaning floors, even topping off car radiators if the minerals are not an issue. Some folks hook it into greywater systems. Just check local regs, cause dumping it down drains can mess with septic tanks or pipes over time. Saves resources too.

Reverse osmosis fits rural spots perfectly: portable, knocks out toxins, and that wastewater? Central’s still king for scale; RO wins for flexibility and fixing the waste issue. Makes a solid case for smaller systems going that route.

Centralized filtration—like in big cities—works well for scale, treating tons of water fast with sand filters and chlorine, but it often misses blue-green algae toxins unless you shell out for extras. Interior Health rules on surface water demand tighter controls, especially where algae blooms hit hard; their regs push for advanced stuff since standard filters let cyanotoxins sneak past. Reverse osmosis steps up: it zaps algae toxins, cryptosporidium, and more, perfect for rural spots dodging those health concerns. Plus, that wastewater—usually tossed—can irrigate gardens or flush toilets, saving resources. Centralized keeps costs low for crowds; RO’s pricier but nails precision for small systems under strict rules. Makes sense for places hugging surface water with algae risks.

251215 – I explained where we were at in a previous post on Water Systems and I urge you to read this for back ground on where we are at and the costs we face moving in the current direction the RDCO has taken. To plan and push projects unaffordable for the taxpayers is what government at all levels excel in you need look no further than their budgets for proof.

I believe that I was on track in finding a more affordable and comprehensive plan that would have addressed both of the Interior Health’s potable water filtration standard as well as the Type I septic failures. Simply, filtration can be done cheaper and more effectively by making it a point of entry or reverse osmosis system. This allows individual household decide the placement and extent of their potable water. Most home in Killiney and Westshore already have POE due to the numerous and lengthy Boil Water and Water Quality Advisories(WQA). Killiney Beach saw more than six months with a WQA in place.  The filtration options whether centralized or a switch to ground water are unaffordable for the limited and finite number of users to pay the bills.

In his usual sign of disdain RDCO Board Chair Wooldridge saw something good for the electoral areas and crushed it as quickly as possible. This is a chair elected by the residents of Kelowna as a councilor. He then gets appointed to the RDCO Board and steps away at the chair position ($50,000 on top of his Kelowna councilor pay) at the first opportunity he saw to move up in politics. So not about his community or local government it is all about himself. He has used his position of chair to advance himself at the expense of the electoral areas Central Okanagan West in particular. His leadership has cost us millions of dollars and numerous lost opportunities.

Moving forward I will be working to see the 13 million for Killiney and the 17 million capital line items are removed from the current budget. The RDCO has made a commitment that they would not move forward without provincial or federal grants for funding. That is a nice commitment but unenforceable for your representative as the set up at RDCO allows the municipalities that do not use the service nor pay anything toward operations yet they can and will outvote me and move this forward. The municipalities tend to be very generous with EA taxpayers money. If you don’t used the service or pay for it WHAT DO YOU CARE!

As for the Federal and Provincial governments coming through for us I have trouble putting my hopes on either as they are both broke and in major debt as well as unlikely to provide the millions this pipeline project will cost. I watched this project theoretical costs  skyrocket and within a year and a half the cost has quadrupled from 8 million to 12 million to 23 million and now sits at 30 million. and no route has been established and not a shovel load of dirt has been moved and. This is going to be a 50+ million dollar project.

I sent this email to the CAO to try and end this project before we throw good money after an project we can not afford.

“After careful consideration, I can no longer support the proposed pipeline project connecting the Valley of the Sun, Killiney Beach, and Westshores water systems. Project costs have escalated from $8 million to $30 million, with no established route, construction plan, or secured funding. Given the limited growth potential and financial constraints of our water systems, this project is neither viable nor affordable. Past experiences, such as the Star Place project, reinforce the need to avoid repeating similar challenges.

My removal from the OBWB has eliminated alternative, affordable solutions. The prospect of senior government funding is highly uncertain. Recent communications from both provincial and federal governments indicate that significant funding is unlikely, and there is no indication that our project would be prioritized over larger municipal initiatives. Historically, funding for electoral areas has been limited, with priority given to larger municipalities. For example, while Killiney Beach received federal support, Westshores did not, resulting in the use of gas tax funds for its water project—a decision I did not support.

The Regional District’s commitment to proceed only with two-thirds established funding is, in my view, unenforceable. I have been outvoted, without due regard to my stakeholder voting privilege, too many times to believe differently. Without secured external funding, the financial burden would fall on local ratepayers, potentially resulting in unsustainable increases to water rates and property taxes. This approach is neither responsible nor equitable for our communities.

Therefore, I formally request the removal of $12,227,000 from the Killiney Beach water budget and $16,126,000 from the Westshore water budget capital funding. I also recommend the cancellation of the pipeline connector project and the cessation of any further funding.

I urge the Board to act promptly to remove these allocations and discontinue the project, ensuring fiscal responsibility and protecting our communities from unsustainable financial commitments.”

Castanet Article

Colin Dacre - Nov 24, 2024 / 4:00 am

A long-discussed proposal to improve drinking water quality on North Westside of Okanagan Lake has gotten a lot more expensive.

The Regional District of Central Okanagan board will hear Thursday that planning work is expected to start next year on a unified drinking water system for the chain of small communities on Westside Road.

Killiney Beach and Westshore Estates are now serviced by separate water intakes from Okanagan Lake that sees water chlorinated and not treated any further. Neither system meets B.C.’s water quality standards.

The RDCO also owns and operates the Fintry/Valley of the Sun water distribution system, which draws from two groundwater wells in the Fintry delta. That system meets drinking water objectives without additional treatment, due to its groundwater source.

The regional district is proposing to supply the Killiney Beach and Westshore Estates systems with clean drinking water via a pipeline from the Fintry system.

The project had a cost estimate of $13M in 2022, which has since ballooned to $23M due to inflationary pressures.

Next year, $200,000 has been set aside for the RDCO to advance regulatory approvals and secure a right-of-way for the pipeline. Another $250,000 will be spent in 2026 to complete field investigations and advance design work.

It is hoped grants will be secured to offset some of the spending while the RDCO works to get the project to “shovel ready” status.

The Killiney and Westshore water systems are currently underfunded, and to help pay for the project, annual water rates are expected to increase by $304 and $608, respectively, in 2027.

There are currently 425 parcels serviced by the water system in Killiney and 525 in Westshore Estates.