Rutland Waterworks Says Amalgamation Would See Customers Suffer

Rutland Waterworks is sounding off about the proposed plan to amalgamate Kelowna’s water districts, saying the idea would be a loss for customers.

At the latest State of the City Address, Mayor Colin Basran discussed plans to integrate the water system for the whole city, but that idea is not sitting well with the water districts. In a media statement, the Rutland Waterworks District says it hopes to “clear the water” in the debate.

“Unlike other Kelowna water providers, who access surface water from Okanagan Lake or other local bodies of water, RWD utilizes deep water wells. These deep water wells supply water to 6,480 dwelling units in the Rutland area. As the water is sourced from the groundwater supply, Rutland Waterworks is able to provide water that is free from potential surface pollutants,” reads the statement.

Rutland Waterworks says that its customers receive the best quality water in the city as well as a high level of service from the staff. The statement goes on to say that an amalgamation of Kelowna’s five water districts would mean that Rutland customers would lose out on the benefits they have been receiving for the past 65 years.

“There is nothing more that the city can do better than us,” said Rutland Waterworks Chairman Garry Zarr. “We just look after water, we don’t look after a bunch of other things. I feel that we just provide a better service than the city could provide to our ratepayers.”

But the mayor disagrees with this sentiment and says that by integrating the water systems, it will ensure water security in Kelowna for the years to come.

“Drinking water is our number one priority for our residents so we think it’s time now to start getting the message out that we believe one integrated system is the way that this needs to go,” said Basran. “It’s something that council is unanimous on and we believe it’s time to let the city know about that.”

According to Basran, 35 per cent of Kelowna citizens are on frequent, or almost constant water advisories and have been for the past 10 years.

Right now, Kelowna has five main water purveyors supplying water to residents in different parts of the city. They include the City of Kelowna water utility (City), the Black Mountain Irrigation District (BMID), the Glenmore-Ellison Improvement District (GEID), Rutland Waterworks District (RWD), and the South East Kelowna Irrigation District (SEKID).