Mission Hill Water Treatment Plant
The Mission Hill Water Treatment Plant (MHWTP) was commissioned in 2006. Plant capacity is 60ML, or 16 million gallons, per day. The Plant utilizes ultraviolet and chlorine (sodium hypochlorite) treatment on water sourced from Kalamalka Lake.
Duteau Creek Water Treatment Plant
The Duteau Creek Water Treatment Plant (DCWTP) was commissioned in 2010. Construction of the RDNO’s innovative UV Disinfection Facility, built adjacent to the core DCWTP, was completed in early 2019, and is a key component of Greater Vernon Water’s (GVW) Master Water Plan (MWP), which provides a road map to meeting the water needs of our growing population as well as Provincial water treatment guidelines to protect health.
The following link provides background on the plant as it was originally constructed including construction costs:
Water Treatment Goals
Interior Health, the provincial organization responsible for monitoring drinking water, has laid out a 4-3-2-1-0 Drinking Water Objective which provides water suppliers with a performance target to ensure safe drinking water is delivered.
| 4 log or 99.99% reduction or inactivation of viruses, (GVW achieves this via Sodium Hypochlorite disinfection) |
| 3 log or 99.9% reduction or inactivation of Giardia and Cryptosporidium (provided by UV light) |
| 2 treatment processes for all surface water (GVW has 3 processes: Sodium Hypochlorite, DAF and UV) |
| 1 less than or equal to 1 NTU of turbidity leaving the treatment facility (confirmed with on-line monitoring) |
| 0 E.coli and fecal coliform (confirmed with sampling program) |
Learn more about the Water Treatment Plants
Virtual Tour of Duteau Creek Water Treatment Plant
The following video was produced by a local teacher with help from students in School District #22 in 2013. It provides a detailed tour of the Dissolved Air Floatation system still effectively used in the treatment plant. Ultraviolet treatment has since been added to the facility to further protect our community from waterborne illness risks. It is interesting to note the long-term plan for filtration at this treatment plant and that staff have ensured space and capacity to include a filtration system on site.
GVW now uses the unique combination of UV Disinfection and Dissolved Air Flotation at the DCWTP. A monitoring plan is being developed in partnership with Interior Health and the Provincial Regulatory Enforcement Agency to ensure continuing compliance.
Through the Canada-British Columbia Clean Water and Wastewater Fund, the Federal and Provincial Governments awarded the RDNO $5.81 million to fund the installation of the UV Disinfection Facility. The total project cost was approximately $7 million.
UV disinfection is an effective treatment process used to inactivate protozoan pathogens that are found in water. As water passes through the reactor, UV light is absorbed by the DNA of protozoa, changing its structure and making it incapable of replicating (i.e. it can no longer cause disease).
Refer to Master Water Plan for more information about future and completed infrastructure projects.
