Do Not Consume Water Notice issued for Clifton Rd. area

A break-in at the reservoir led to a Do Not Consume Water Notice being issued in Kelowna.

The city said a person broke into the reservoir on the morning of Monday, August 19, and though there were no initial indications of the water being contaminated, the notice was still issued for the roughly 1,500 customers out of an abundance of caution.

“We have evidence of a break-in at our reservoir on Grainger Road that was discovered [Monday] morning. There is currently no physical evidence that our water system has been contaminated, and the reservoir was isolated by Operators,” Andy Weremy, Kelowna’s Water Operations Manager, said.

“Initial testing has not indicated anything unusual, and our emergency protocols and automation have reduced many of the risks to the public through immediate isolation of the incident. Additional water testing, which will take at least two days to complete, are required by regulation to assure that the reservoir and pumping systems can be brought back online and water is again safe to consume by meeting Canadian Drinking Water Quality Guidelines. We expect the test results to be finalized on Wednesday, August 21.”

Customers using this water source are advised to bring their tap water to a roiling boil for a full minute before drinking, using to wash or prepare food, using to make ice, drinks or baby formula, and for using to brush their teeth.

The water can still be used for basic sanitary and outdoor watering purposes.

The break-in was being investigated by Kelowna RCMP, and anyone with information on the incident is asked to contact the detachment at 250-762-3300, or to report it to Crime Stoppers online or at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS).