West Kelowna residents in Rose Valley are no strangers to water problems, but those woes were supposed to be solved with a new $75 million water treatment plant.

After another mechanical problem at the plant caused water in the Rose Valley area to turn colour this month, staff are still trying to get by with a temporary solution.

“We have been managing, frankly, temporary systems, and we’re looking forward to the formal system coming in here, hopefully to be installed in the coming months,” West Kelowna public works manager Chris Anderson said.

Brown water came out of neighbourhood taps this month and, like the last time in 2024, city officials called it a “nuisance aesthetic issue.”

“This is due to seasonal changes creating operational challenges combined with a minor mechanical issue in the permanganate feed system,” an Oct. 5 City of West Kelowna public notice reads.

It turned from clear to brown because water supplied to taps had a higher-than-normal amount of manganese. It remained below safe federal water guidelines, with the exception of two testing locations over the past two weeks, according to city water reports.

The equipment used to clear up the mineral from Rose Valley tap water first broke down in 2024, Anderson said. When that happened, staff worked quickly to use a backup system and staff are planning to replace it. He didn’t say how much it would cost, but the treatment plant only opened less than three years ago.

“The one that had the mechanical failure is no longer in operation and we defaulted to the redundant option, so that’s where that sits… We are working toward a much more robust system for this very issue,” Anderson said.

Before the treatment plant was built, the area would frequently see boil water advisories and Anderson said he understands why residents are concerned, but he added that his staff are quick to act when issues arise.

“It’s like ripping a scab off an old wound, but at the end of the day we had a mechanical failure and it led to this challenge in our distribution network,” he said.

Residents frustrated with a perceived lack of clarity, concerned with added costs on a new facility, showed city hall their frustration in 2024 by launching a petition calling for an independent audit of the treatment facility.

City officials have previously cited challenges with the water source, opting to aerate the Rose Valley reservoir in an effort to reduce manganese content before getting to the plant.

A 2024 report said the city was wrong to initially refer to discoloured water as merely an “aesthetic concern,” but it did not point to any failures at the plant itself, other than finding it did not “adequately treat” the mineral.

Water in the Rose Valley area is now cleared of the heightened manganese, but the city recommends parents not use discoloured water for baby formula.