West Kelowna Mayor Gord Milsom, centre, cuts a cake to celebrate the opening of the Rose Valley water treatment plant.

Image Credit: City of West Kelowna

West Kelowna residents want more transparency in their drinking water and from city hall.

Hundreds of residents have signed a petition asking the city to fix what they consider poor drinking water from the brand new Rose Valley water treatment plant, and a council meeting Tuesday, Nov. 12, one of those residents express their concerns.

“One thing is clear, the people of West Kelowna are not willing to pay a premium for water that they don't feel safe using. It's time for accountability, it's time for transparency, and it's time for the community to demand better water for our children and for future generations,” Scott Beaton told council.

Beaton’s comments, and the petition, come less than a year after the grand opening ceremony for the new $75 million Rose Valley treatment plant was held in the spring. The Rose Valley plant, which came on line at the end of 2023, services roughly 19,500 residents.

Since then, customers have reported discoloured, smelly and strange tasting water. This past summer the city reported high levels of manganese and eventually added chlorine to remedy the problem.

In the summer of 2023 there were problems with the drinking water in West Kelowna due to the McDougall Creek fire. The city said the wildfire still affected the colour of the water and the high levels of manganese a year later.

READ MORE: West Kelowna issues Do Not Consume Water Order for Rose Valley residents

Drinking water with high levels of manganese may harm brain development in infants and kids, according to HealthLinkBC. Manganese also causes discolouration but it has no taste.

Another contaminant Beaton pointed to is a group of organic contaminants called trihalomethanes.

“The test results from the outset showed that the source water exceeded safe targets,” Beaton said. “Those lower safety limits have been exceeded frequently in our water. Where were the advisories? Despite the new treatment plant, we've been seeing levels of trihalomethanes exceed the Canadian drinking water quality guidelines, maximum allowable concentration since February. Where was the follow-up testing?”

The petition calls for an independent review of the water utility system, increased transparency from city hall about what is going on with the water and alternative funding sources for water utility improvements so that service fees don’t increase dramatically.

“Access to clean, reliable water that consistently meets and exceeds the Guidelines for Canadian Drinking Water Quality, and is aesthetically acceptable to residents, is a fundamental human right that impacts every aspect of our well-being. Contaminated or poorly managed water jeopardizes not only our physical health but also our children’s development, concentration in school, and overall quality of life,” Olivia Lawson wrote in the online petition.

READ MORE: New $75M West Kelowna water treatment will only cost users $34 more annually on tax bill

The issue of transparency from city hall is something Beaton addressed while speaking to council.

He pointed to the fact that the city was slow to take action when residents reported problems with the water in the summer. He said the city took six weeks to test the water after complaints came in, and another three weeks before the city told residents it was manganese.

“When we spoke with staff about that, they had mentioned that they were waiting for follow-up testing to ensure that that's what it was. But in the meantime, they felt that they were comfortable telling the community that the water was safe,” Beaton said.

“We need more transparency.”

City staff told the council it was working towards being able to publicize water testing reports.

Councillor Rick de Jong said he wasn’t having issues with his water quality in recent years.

“I'm enjoying an improved water quality but I understand and I appreciate and I know that there are other areas of the community on the Rose Valley system that are not experiencing that at this point,” de Jong said.

Other West Kelowna customers get their water other systems drawing from Okanagan Lake and Powers Creek. 

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