Oyama Water Quality Issues Addressed

In recent weeks we have received a number of inquiries from Oyama residents about the quality of their water and the Boil Water Notice in effect for their area. In particular, they wish to know when the Boil Water Notice will be lifted and what has been done to date and what is going to be done to improve and solve water quality issues in their area. In response to these inquiries, our Engineering Department has issued the following information:

"The District of Lake Country will be building a new $5 million pipe line, reservoir and chlorination station in Oyama which will improve water quantity and quality to customers on the Oyama Lake Source, east of Wood Lake. In addition to water being sourced from Oyama Lake, as is currently the case, a UV treatment system, pipe line and interconnect will be installed to draw water from Kalamalka Lake and supplement the Oyama Lake source. The design and planning of this project has started and is expected to be completed in stages by the spring of 2013. These upgrades are some ongoing steps towards meeting the Canadian Drinking Water Guidelines and Interior Health Authority’s filtration requirements.

Installation of the new reservoir and chlorination station is one of several actions undertaken to address ongoing drinking water quality issues. The District has been improving water infrastructure to the community on a priority basis, including improvements in quality monitoring and operations both in terms of our people and our systems. In addition, the District is in the process of completing a Water Master Plan which is expected to recommend preferred options this coming fall with a presentation to Mayor and Council in November 2010.

In the meantime, an ongoing Boil Water Notice on the Oyama Lake Source originally issued by the District and Interior Health Authority this spring, with renotification on May 20th and July 4th, remains and will continue to remain in effect at least until the Kalamalka Oyama Lake Interconnect project is complete. The District will be installing roadside signage to serve as notification for users entering the Boil Water area.

The District of Lake Country water system includes other water sources: Beaver Lake, Okanagan Lake and Kalamalka Lake all of which are currently on a Water Quality Advisory due to a turbidity rating of “Fair”. Turbidity is a measure of how clear or cloudy the water is. The Coral Beach Water System (Okanagan Lake source) turbidity is rated as good and does not have an advisory.

The District of Lake Country advises that all customers in both the Boil Water area and the group of people at higher risk in the Water Quality Advisory area to drink boiled water or a safe alternative. For further information please refer to the Engineering section of the District of Lake Country web site. www.lakecountry.bc.ca

For more information, contact the District of Lake Country: Greg Buchholz (Operations Manager) or Patti Hansen (Water Quality Technician) at 250‐766‐6677 or www.lakecountry.bc.ca or Interior Health at 250‐549‐5714 or www.interiorhealth.ca"