Water tests ‘incredible’

Richard Rolke - Vernon Morning Star Published: August 28, 2010 12:00 PM

A multi-million-dollar upgrade to Greater Vernon’s water system is exceeding expectations. The first test at the Duteau Creek treatment plant saw the true colour unit drop from 33 on raw water to to one on treated water. In terms of cloudiness, it dropped from 1.6 nephelometric turbidity unit to 0.65. “Those are incredible results,” said Al Cotsworth, utility manager. “That effectively means the water is clear. You never know how the process will react with the water so this is very good news.” Construction on the $29 million facility in Whitevale began in early 2009, and it’s anticipated that testing of the water will continue until late September. “After that, we will put the water into the water system,” said Cotsworth. Duteau Creek provides water to parts of the BX, Coldstream and Vernon.

But even once the plant is fully on line, managing the equipment will be a learning experience. “Because we’re on a live creek, the water chemistry can change,” said Cotsworth. “A rain storm can change the chemical composition so it will take the operators a while to learn how to adjust to chemical shifts.” Cotsworth is confident that the new treatment process will address widespread public concerns about turbidity and colour. “I believe it will be the preferred source of water because it’s softer (than Kalamalka Lake),” he said. However, he will not give an absolute guarantee that boil water advisories will completely disappear. “There will be days when it’s very challenging (to operate) but this will significantly reduce turbidity issues and problems of colour,” he said. Cotsworth says a boil water advisory could still be triggered by unexpected circumstances like a water main break or a landslide into the creek. “It’s difficult to design a plant to work against all conditions.” The water currently being tested at the Duteau Creek plant is being used to irrigate farm land in Whitevale.