Greater Vernon Water Utility

Greater Vernon Water (GVW) supplies water to approximately 71,000 people in the City of Vernon, District of Coldstream, Electoral Areas “B”, “C” and “D” in addition to providing bulk water to the Township of Spallumcheen for the Stepping Stones area.

While the Regional District manages the water sources, operation and maintenance are contracted to the City of Vernon and the District of Coldstream. Each jurisdiction handles billing for GVW customers located within their respective boundaries.

Updates to GVW Development Cost Charges Coming Soon

The RDNO is currently in the process of updating the Developer Cost Charges (DCC) Bylaw for the Greater Vernon Water service. The current DCC rates are 20 years old, and due to increased standards and inflation, rates will increase. The updated bylaw will be sent to the Board of Directors for first reading in the fall of 2024, with the recommendation that a public consultation process be completed after first reading is given. The public consultation process will be advertised through the RDNO Newsletter for Greater Vernon Water subscribers, the RDNO Facebook Page, this web page, and the local paper.

View the current DCC Bylaw for the Greater Vernon Water Utility

GVW Master Water Plan Leak Adjustments Water Leaks & Main Breaks Water Shortage Management Plan Bill Payments & Fees Cross Connection Prevention Program Water Main Flushing

Have operations and maintenance questions?

If you are located in Vernon, Electoral Area B or C, or Stepping Stones (Spall), please contact the City of Vernon.
If you are located in Coldstream or Electoral Area D (Rural Lumby), please contact the District of Coldstream.

How to use the Water Source Map

Determine your water source by following the instructions below:
1. Enter your street address in the address search field below and click Search. Note: Street types are abbreviated, so for best search results, do not enter the street type. Example: 9848 ABERDEEN
2. The street address and water source are displayed in the table below the search field.
3. In order to see your property on the map, you must click on your street address in the table.
4. If the search returns multiple results, you may sort the results by clicking the column headings in the table.
Note: the table and map show what water source you would normally be on (Duteau Creek source shows blue and Kalamalka Lake source shows turquoise on the map).
New developments requiring water servicing from GVW must follow the following standards:
GVW's metering program requires water meters on all services. Please see the Greater Vernon Water Metering - Bylaw No. 2731, 2019 under Bylaws in this section.

Water Treatment Plants

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.

MHWTP Plant Information

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:

DCWTP 2010 Questions & Answers
2019 Media Release - UV Disinfection Facility Official Opening Plant Information
DCWTP Process - Roadmap

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.

Contact(s)

Greater Vernon Water

utilities@rdno.ca

250-550-3700

Updated: Delcliffe Water Quality Advisory Extended

Greater Vernon Water Utility

Updates to GVW Development Cost Charges Coming Soon

Current Water Supply Update

Current Water Restrictions

Water Quality & Standards

Agricultural Water

Fact Sheet on Wildfire Sprinklers (Policy Under Water System Policies below)

Water Conservation

How to use the Water Source Map