Petition seeks water relief

A petition circulating online is asking the City of West Kelowna take “immediate action” to ensure “clean, safe and accessible” drinking water for everyone in the community.

It comes as the city continues to struggle with issues pertaining to the Rose Valley reservoir and the new $72 million Rose Valley Water Treatment Plant.

The petition, started by West Kelowna resident Olivia Lawson, states members of the community have concerns about the quality and safety of water sourced from the reservoir.

“Contaminated or poorly managed water jeopardizes not only our physical health but also our children’s development, concentration at school and overall quality of life,” the petition states.

“We call for immediate action to explore alternative funding sources to improve water quality and safeguard this fundamental right that impacts every aspect of our lives.”

The petition makes three requests of the city:

Explore alternative funding including general taxation and government transfers to offset the financial levy.

“Ratepayers alone should not bear the financial burden of maintaining and improving water quality, especially given the uncertainties surrounding the current water source.

Independent review of the water utility master plan, specifically the selection of the Rose Valley reservoir as the drinking water source. “It is essential to assess whether there were oversights or negligence in this decision.”

Prioritize public health in water management policies. “The original plan weighted finished water quality at only five per cent of the decision-making process, indicating that it was not considered a significant factor.”

Problems began popping up in July when some resident of the new system, that went online late last year, complained about brown colouration of the water.

The city at the time said the issue was just aesthetic and the water itself was safe and reliable.

In September, Lawson complained of a swampy or chlorinated smell, saying at the time the smell of clean water just isn’t there.

Last week, Mayor Gord Milsom told the community conditions at the plant are improving as the level of manganese within the reservoir continues to drop, meaning there is no longer a need to pre-treat water from the reservoir with chlorine.