Ribbon cut for West Kelowna’s new water treatment plant

West Kelowna’s new, state-of-the-art, Rose Valley Water Treatment Plant has been unveiled.

A ribbon cutting ceremony was held Friday, May 31, to celebrate the opening of the new plant, which provides water to more than 19,650 residents.

“The official opening of Rose Valley Water Treatment Plant is a tremendous milestone for our community,” Gord Milson, Mayor of West Kelowna, stated.

“We thank all previous and current West Kelowna Council members who worked diligently to overcome significant challenges and successfully deliver a project of this magnitude. We are very proud to celebrate this priority project together with our community and we sincerely thank the Governments of Canada and B.C. for their incredible support. We also thank all the staff and contractors who worked so hard to deliver this state-of-the art facility that provides clean, safe, and reliable drinking water to our residents, businesses, and visitors.”

The city said the plant on Rosewood Drive was its “largest infrastructure project ever,” with a budget of $75-million. The plant was supported by the upper levels of government, with Canada contributing $24.7-million and B.C. adding $16.3-million for the plant.

“We are proud to have been a partner in bringing the Rose Valley Water Treatment Plant to fruition. It will not only ensure clean, reliable, safe drinking water for local communities today, but also for decades to come,” Sean Fraser, the federal Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities said.

“The Rose Valley Water Treatment Plant will provide more clean water to meet the current and future needs of people in West Kelowna. This investment will not only provide clean, safe, and reliable drinking water for the communities served, but it will also raise the local standard of living. It’s a great example of what can be accomplished when all orders of government work together,” Anne Kang, B.C.’s Minister of Municipal Affairs, added.

The City of West Kelowna noted work to recover the systems from the 2023 McDougall Creek Wildfire had been completed ahead of the ribbon cutting ceremony, though added there would be intermittent watermain flushing through the spring.

The new plant uses a multi-barrier treatment process to provide drinking water to area residents. The facility is currently capable of treating up to 70-million litres of water daily, though it was designed so it could be increased to a capacity of 115-million litres daily to meet future needs.