City opens the tap on water improvement projects

The City of Kelowna will be spending $35 million on water, wastewater and stormwater protection projects this year.

Rod MacLean, the city’s infrastructure delivery project manager, said their water and wastewater utilities operate and maintain infrastructure that ensures what’s underground is in shape.

“This year, a number of capital projects across the city will improve the function of our water, wastewater, drainage and flood protection systems,” said MacLean.

Highlights of these projects include:

• The Guy St. wastewater lift station in the North End is housed in an old building and has reached the end of its productive life. The $2.3 million project will upgrade the station to service the area for the next 35 years, and installation of new, deeper sanitary collection in the Manhattan Drive and Flintoft Avenue areas. The lift station and pipeline installations are slated to be completed by early summer 2022.
• Downtown sanitary sewer mains and services on Lawson Avenue, as well as tributary lanes between Ethel St. and Gordon Dr. will be upgraded. The work involves replacing 750 meters of sewer pipe installed in 1948 and is anticipated to take place from the spring to summer 2022.
• Water, sewer and facility renewal projects on Raymer Ave. from Gordon to Ethel and around the Wastewater Treatment Facility will also be constructed and completed by 2023.
• Following two years of operating the new potable water supply improvements for the City south end and into south east Kelowna, the City is now completing some projects to optimize the system performance. This work, to be completed by the end of 2022, provides added protections and resiliency in place to assure a clean water supply. Improvements include higher capacity pumping to the Crawford neighbourhoods, added reliability to the non-potable irrigation supply, and added water metering to improve water management.
• The Frazer Lake Dam in Upper Mission is getting an upgrade in early 2022. $700k of work is needed to upgrade the dam to meet Provincial dam safety requirements and maintain a nice water feature in the area for years to come.
• Residences historically on septic in the Rutland and Rialto neighbourhoods can soon expect a new sewer connection and opportunity to connect to the City’s sanitary utility. The City’s utility conveys, treats, and discharges high quality effluent safely back to Okanagan Lake. The City will be spending over $12 million on these projects, and be designed and constructed over three years with the help of funding from the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program. Construction will start in the fall of 2022, and is expected to be complete by fall, 2025.
• Mill Creek Flood Protection Project is a multi-year, multi-projects initiative to reduce the risk of flooding throughout the City and creating conditions to pass a one in 200-year flood event. In 2022, improvements are already underway at the diversion structure located next to the Okanagan Rail Trail east of Dilworth Dr., as well as replacement of the bridge at Old Vernon Rd. In 2023, expect improvements to several sections between the diversion and Okanagan Lake. The work is funded in part through the Disaster Mitigation and Adaptation Fund through the Government of Canada.