By Steve Hubrecht
Canal Flats officials are unhappy at being forced into expensive water system upgrades by the provincial government.
As reported in last week’s issue of The Columbia Valley Pioneer, Canal Flats Water Protection and Conservation Advisory Committee members explained to Canal Flats residents at a public meeting that the B.C. government has mandated improvements to the village’s water system, including a new water treatment plant.
Canal Flats mayor Mark Doherty outlined to the Pioneer that, in his view, it’s not exactly fair.
“For me personally, we are under their threshold,” said Doherty, referring to the village’s water quality, which passes provincial tests. He added that Canal Flats has never had a boil water advisory in the 40 years its current water system has been in place.
“What they (the B.C. government) are doing is mandating, so they don’t have any liability,” said Doherty.
During the water committee meeting, some of the members had explained that Canal Flats may not have much choice about the treatment plant since the village was given direction by the provincial government.
“That’s also the impression that I have, that we have no choice,” said Doherty.
“To me it’s downloading on us (Canal Flats) the cost of that protection. I believe that the cost, if the provincial government wants this, should be their cost. Or at least mostly their cost. I also believe it should be up to us (Canal Flats) what kind of disinfection we want. Chlorination is not the only option.”
Multiple residents at the meeting voiced opinions against chlorination. Committee members outlined that UV treatment and filtration are also options for water treatment, but noted that often chlorination is the cheapest.
Water committee chair Gayle Lake elaborated on why Interior Health has mandated the changes, and referenced the Groundwater at Risk of Containing Pathogens (GARP) report for Canal Flats, which was completed in May 2024.
The report can be found online at canalflats.civicweb.net/document/33068/.
“Our water quality has not changed,” said Lake. “But what has changed is how the provincial government assesses our hazards . . . the mayor is right, we are still meeting the bar when it comes to water quality. But not when it comes to risk.”
The new assessment standards were brought in by the provincial government in 2011. Canal Flats was assessed on 13 hazards across four broad categories.
“Unfortunately we failed seven of the 13,” said Lake. “What they (the B.C. government) are saying is ‘your water is fine now, but the potential risks are high.’”
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Some of those risk factors include relatively shallow wells (some are only 40 feet deep), an aquifer that underlies the entire village, aging and undersized water pipes, and aging sewer infrastructure, said Lake.
“It’s a potential. A ‘what if’. We do not have any problems now. But according to the provincial government there is a potential risk,” said Lake.
The community is “concerned” about the mandated upgrades, said Lake, agreeing with Doherty. “They (Canal Flats residents) don’t want chlorine in their water. I don’t either, to be honest. But there are risks.”
The treatment plant and other upgrades are a “huge challenge, for the village financially, and emotionally for residents . . . I think it’s a fair statement to say that none of us really want it,” added Lake. Elaborating on why it is an emotional challenge, she echoed Doherty’s comments, noting that the village’s current water system has been operating for many decades without any issues.
During the water committee meeting Lake gave the example of another small B.C. town that is in the process of building a new water treatment plant, which was originally supposed to cost $54 million, but which has quickly shot up to a price tag of $87 million.
She clarified, though, that those costs are for an above-ground water system. Lake brought up the $87 million system at the meeting not as an example of what kind of costs Canal Flats faces, but instead “to point out how quickly it (the price) can go up.” Although she couldn’t be sure, Lake said that from what she understands a new water treatment plant in Canal Flats would likely cost somewhere in the neighbourhood of $5 million.
However, that $5 million would be just for the treatment plant, and there will likely be additional costs to replace or upgrade water pipes, she explained. Many of the village’s pipes are only four or six inches in diameter, far narrower than the provincial requirement of 10 inches. This means that some of the village’s fire hydrants do not have adequate fire flow protection.
Canal Flats officials have been searching high and low for grants and have asked provincial authorities for funding to help with the water system upgrades. But Lake said that, as far as she knows, the provincial government “has said ‘don’t ask us for money. Everybody’s (other B.C. municipalities) in the same boat and no one has any money to give’.”
Lake explained that taxes paid by village residents are just enough to cover the costs of running the Canal Flats water system. There’s no surplus to build up a slush fund to pay for big upgrades and major repairs.
“It is the same situation in many B.C. communities. We are not the only ones,” said Lake.
She conceded it’s a conundrum, and said she’s not sure what village officials will do to solve it.
“It’s complicated,” she said, clarifying that the committee is “just a research team. We will put together a report, but the decision on what to do will be made by mayor and council.”
The committee will likely have its report done and presented to council in June.
Lake said she’s not sure what timeline the provincial government wants for the water system upgrades.
“I don’t think Interior Health is expecting this (a new water treatment plant) tomorrow, but at the same time my guess is they will want to see us working toward it,” she said.
Lake also said that even though the water system improvements have been mandated, it’s not necessarily a lost cause for residents to lobby against the mandate.
“Maybe if we do band together, maybe we can change Interior Health’s mind. I’m not sure we can succeed, but we can certainly try. We can certainly pass on our reasons why (the village doesn’t want a water treatment plant),” she said.
The water committee’s next meeting is Monday, March 17 at the Canal Flats Civic Centre at 6 p.m.
There will be another one on Saturday, April 12 at 10 a.m., also at the Canal Flats Civic Centre.
