Up to 80 per cent of boil water notices will be avoided with new temporary measure
The Comox Valley Regional District (CVRD) completed installation of interim ultraviolet (UV) treatment system at its chlorination station on Friday, January 19 which helped avoid a boil water notice over the weekend. The Regional District is now awaiting changes to its operating permit but given the weather forecast, Island Health has granted the CVRD temporary permission to use the system.
“The UV treatment system was not expected to be operational until February, but thanks to the dedication and commitment of our CVRD engineering team and contractors, we were able to complete installation early.” said Director Bob Wells, Chair of the CVRD Water Committee. “This is an excellent example of our dedicated project team working diligently to minimize impacts during an extremely rainy period in the watershed. I would like to thank all Comox Valley residents and businesses for their patience as we worked towards this solution.”
The CVRD collaborated with Island Health to identify this interim solution that will safeguard public health by providing the required disinfection to continuously protect against protozoa (parasites) until the CVRD’s new water treatment system is up and running in 2021. A new water treatment system remains a key priority for the Regional District.
It is expected that Island Health will issue amended operating guidelines for the Comox Valley Water System in the coming weeks, allowing for continued operation of the interim UV treatment system until the new water treatment system is operational in 2021. The interim UV treatment system is expected to reduce boil water notices by approximately 80 per cent. Once the new filtration system is in place, turbidity-related boil water notices will be eliminated.
The UV treatment system and installation are set to be completed under the $1 million project budget. The UV equipment will be moved to the new water treatment facility once it is constructed and will be a critical part of the long term water treatment solution.
Another major step in the process towards a new water treatment system is the upcoming Alternative Approval Process (AAP), where Comox Valley residents will be asked to authorize borrowing to complete this important project. To learn more about the water treatment project and the AAP, please visit the Water Treatment page.
The Comox Valley Regional District is a federation of three electoral areas and three municipalities providing sustainable services for residents and visitors to the area. The members of the regional district work collaboratively on services for the benefit of the diverse urban and rural areas of the Comox Valley.
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Media contact:
Bob Wells, Chair
Comox Valley Water Committee
250-792-1945
Charlie Gore
Manager of Capital Projects
250-334-6092