Okanagan Lake Project
Okanagan Lake Project - Updated January 12, 2012
The District's contractors are on schedule with the Okanagan Lake Project. As part of the approvals process from the Department of Fisheries & Oceans, and in consideration of fish spawning, work in Okanagan Lake cannot continue beyond September 30th. The Intake Works were deemed substantially complete on September 29, 2011, and the contractors have met the DFO deadline.
The next phase of the project involves completion of the design of the new pumpstation. At this time, the District expects to tender the pumpstation construction later this month, with work to commence by Spring 2012.
May 2011 Announcement
In May, 2011, Glenmore-Ellison Improvement District announced that it has obtained the final approvals from Fisheries and Oceans Canada. Planning began for GEID's Okanagan Lake pump station before 2005, with land acquisition completed in 2009. A contractor was selected in 2010, but since environmental approvals took from December 2009 to May 2011 to complete, construction was delayed from 2010 to 2011. Over the past three years, GEID has completed other portions of the project, including approximately 2 km of large diameter water transmission main (750m or 30 inch) between the pump station site and McKinley Reservoir.
Construction of the pump station began June 2011, with completion expected in late 2012. With the supply of Okanagan Lake water to GEID's McKinley Reservoir, customers in the Glenmore Valley should expect to see less colour and turbidity in their drinking water. Most importantly, by 2013, this should allow GEID to remove the longstanding Water Quality Advisory that has been in place in Glenmore since 2006. "GEID's customers have been waiting patiently for higher quality water, and GEID's Board of Trustees is pleased to announce that the wait is nearly over", said Bob Fugger, Chair of the Board of Trustees.
Once higher quality Okanagan Lake water is available to GEID, ultraviolet (UV) disinfection is planned for the near future as the next step in improving water quality. Subject to meeting Interior Health's filtration deferral criteria, UV disinfection is expected to allow GEID to fully comply with Interior Health's 4-3-2-1-0 drinking water guidelines.
"GEID's intake will be one of the deepest in Okanagan Lake, and is in one of the best locations, distant from local valley creeks and urbanized areas. By utilizing water from deep within Okanagan Lake, along with state-of-the-art UV disinfection, GEID will be able to provide safe, cost effective, high quality drinking water that meets Canadian Guidelines year-round", said Bob Hrasko of Agua Consulting, GEID's engineering consultant.
More information can be obtained from Darren Schlamp, Operations Manager, 250-763-6506.
