Faulder & Meadow Valley

April 8, 2024 - update from Liisa Bloomfield, Sr. Manager of Utilities RDOS

As a quick update for the Faulder Water System customers, the Regional District received the final document on the Faulder water system infrastructure assessment last week. Prior to staff providing the full report to the community, a summary document is being prepared that highlights the key information. 

 

The information in the report will be presented to the community in a meeting to be scheduled for a date in May or June 2024 pending required staff and venue availability. Once a date has been determined, an information letter will be sent to each water system user with pertinent details.

 

The chlorination of the Faulder water system continues to be required by Interior Health Authority (IHA). Background bacteria are still appearing in random samples from the well or within the treatment system. Analysis of the results do not indicate a specific cause or location of the background bacteria. As a result, the RDOS is conducting additional analysis looking at the specific type of bacteria appearing in the samples in efforts to determine their origin. 

 

At this time, chlorine dosing will continue as per IHA’s instructions. Further updates will be provided to the community at the meeting scheduled for May or June. 

If anyone has any questions, please get in touch with me (rgettens@rdos.bc.ca), 250-488-0246 or Liisa Bloomfield, RDOS (contact info above).

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Feb 21, 2024 - Chlorine email

I asked the RDOS Sr. Utilities Manager if Faulder has more chlorine/litre than the West Bench Water System.  Here is Liisa's response,

 

"From IHA we are required to have a free chlorine residual between 0.2 mg/L and 2.0 mg/L in the distribution system.  
In Faulder, we have been targeting approximately 0.70 mg/L free chlorine leaving the Plant.  The average distribution free chlorine for West Bench in 2023 was 0.77 mg/L."

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Feb 11, 2024 - FAULDER WATER SYSTEM

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Several Faulder Water System concerns were expressed at the budget meeting. Below are the most recent emails from Liisa Bloomfield, Engineer and the RDOS Sr. Utilities Manager.   ​There has been no new information since the last email. The review/study is anticipated to be completed at the end of Q1 2024.

 

When the infrastructure report is complete and/or there is new information to share on the periodic bacteriological results from the supply well, the RDOS Utilities and Communications teams will update citizens on the Faulder Water System.  The next steps, if any, depend on the outcomes and the study's direction.

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For the quickest updates, please sign up for  Voyent Alert.   You can opt-in to Faudler Water System Updates. If you need help with Voyent Alert, call the RDOS at 250-492-0237 and ask to speak to the Communications Department. ​

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2024 FEB 08 RDOS Fees and Charges report (see image). In the first reading of the RDOS 2024 budget, there is no increase in the parcel tax that each Faulder Water System user pays. Faulder is the only water system that has remained, so far, at a 0% increase. That is in large part due to the outstanding RDOS Utilities team working very hard on this system and my decision to use the Federal Gas Tax Fund to support the water system where I can. For example, in 2022, a $140,000 gas tax grant was committed to the water system upgrade (ongoing) and the development of safe uranium procedures. The recent Meadow Valley Aquifer study was also covered by the Gas Tax Fund ($80,000).   

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Increases to keep this system updated are inevitable, but the RDOS and I are doing everything we can to keep the costs as consistent as possible.   

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• I was asked for an IH contact at the budget meeting to discuss the chlorination. If you go to this link,  there is a portal to Interior Health to report a problem. I don't think that will get anyone the results they are looking for. I would suggest reaching out to Liisa Bloomfield at lbloomfield@rdos.bc.ca with your questions. 

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• I was also asked about the debt servicing on the Faulder Water System. The debt will be paid off on October 5, 2036.

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If you have any questions/comments, you can reach me at rgettens@rdos.bc.ca or 250-488-0246.

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December 20, 2023

Here is a copy of an email from Liisa Bloomfield, RDOS Senior Manager of Utilities, to a Faulder citizen concerned with chlorinated water.  Until Interior Health must ok the removal of the chlorine. If you have further questions, please email Ms. Bloomfield at lbloomfield@rdos.bc.ca or call 250-492-4229.  The RDOS cannot remove the chlorine until Interior Health authorizes the removal. From Ms. Bloomfield:

As the uranium treatment system is functioning normally again, the water is safe to drink. Chlorine is being added as a disinfection requirement at the moment due to the periodic bacteriological results we receive from the supply well. We are hoping that the bacteria appearing from the well will disappear soon and is not the result of aquifer contamination from an upstream source.

While I agree that chlorine doesn’t taste great, the water is safe to drink. 

I have attached information from Interior Health on Drinking Water Chlorination. 

Chlorine is easy to remove from drinking water by using a carbon filter (i.e. Brita) or, let the water stand uncovered for a few hours, or pour it back and forth from one clean container to another several times.

At this time, we do not have a timeline for when we can remove the chlorination. I appreciate your frustration as the chlorine addition is unusual for the Faulder water system but right now it is required to provide safe drinking water for the users. 

The RDOS will provide updates when the situation changes.

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Oct 19, 2023 Board Update:Draft report of the water system infrastructure review was received by RDOS staff for comment.  The report is back with the consultants.  Staff anticipate the report will be received during Q1 2024.   Once the board has received the report, the findings and the recommendations will be shared with citizens. This work has been paid for by the community gas tax.

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