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Greater Vernon Water

Water interruption for some Greater Vernon Water customers

VERNON – The water will be turned off for some Greater Vernon Water customers this Sunday. A valve will be replaced at a pressure reducing station at the corner of Grey Road and Buchanan Road in Coldstream on Sunday, Nov. 18, according to a media release from the Regional District North Okanagan. The water for...

Boil water notice from 2012 lifted in North Okanagan

NORTH OKANAGAN - Water users in the Okanagan Landing area can finally have water straight out of the tap. A boil water notice was issued by Interior Health in 2012 for the Claremont Water Utility area, which includes properties on Longacre Road and Apollo Road, and since then work was done to connect the water...

How people are stealing water in Greater Vernon

VERNON - The regional district is cracking down on water thieves. It’s come to the North Okanagan Regional District’s attention a number of people on the Greater Vernon Water system are bypassing water meters.  The water utility keeps track of how much water goes into the system, and how much is used by consumers, and...

Why Vernon fields are being watered daily despite water restrictions

VERNON - A number of people are complaining about watering restrictions in Vernon, but it’s not quite what you think.  Greater Vernon Water manager Zee Marcolin says most people are getting the message about stage one restrictions and have reduced their water consumption accordingly — no big objections there. What people are complaining about is...

Water board wants more control over what people do in watersheds

OKANAGAN - In an effort to put a stop to mud-bogging and pit toilets near reservoirs, the local water board is supporting a call for greater control over source watersheds. “The board wants our members to have more control and the province to give more support to water utilities to protect the quality of their...

Elevated watering restrictions in effect for Greater Vernon Water customers

VERNON - Heavier water restrictions are being imposed on Greater Vernon residents. The North Okanagan Regional District announced stage one restrictions for Greater Vernon Water customers Tuesday, July 7. Water reservoirs filled early this year and stopped spilling on June 10, water sustainability coordinator Jennifer Miles says in a media release. “This means we are...

UPDATE: Water quality advisory rescinded for Delcliffe area

VERNON - A water quality advisory issued for customers in the Delcliffe Road and Cameron Road area earlier this week has been rescinded. Greater Vernon Water along with Interior Health issued the advisory, June 24, for customers supplied by the Delcliffe Water Utility. Increasing water levels had increased turbidity resulting in cloudy water and a...

Mud bogging, hill climbs jeopardize North Okanagan water security

VERNON - Efforts are being stepped up to educate and enforce when it comes to the rules of the road in and around Vernon’s drinking water reservoirs. An increasing number of off-road vehicles in areas like the Aberdeen plateau are causing concerns for water quality, and security, says regional district Water Quality Manager Renee Clark....

Why Vernon has issued far fewer boil water advisories recently

VERNON - Vernon residents have likely been noticing fewer boil water notices, but what they might not be aware of is that their water was switched to a different source many times over the last five years. Greater Vernon Water has changed how it responds to poor water quality events, and that means customers see...

Low snowpack prompts Greater Vernon water warning

VERNON - Greater Vernon residents are being advised to go easy on the water in light of a lower than normal snowpack this year. Recent snowpack readings at three monitoring stations near the Duteau Creek Watershed suggest the region could be in for low water levels this summer, water sustainability coordinator Jennifer Miles said in...

Kalamalka Lake source water back online

COLDSTREAM - Water quality testing shows the Kalamalka Lake water source has returned to safe parameters and the tap is back on. Greater Vernon Water made the announcement Monday, March 9, 2015. They caution customers water quality may have changed, and to expect differences such as increased hardness. Those with in-home water treatment systems or...

Kal Lake water shut off due to increased turbidity, milfoil removal

VERNON - The Kalamalka Lake water supply has been shut off due to increased turbidity and milfoil removal. The Greater Vernon Water Utility turned the water off Monday, Feb. 16. Until it’s back on, water will be supplied through the Duteau Creek Water Treatment Plant to avoid issuing a boil water advisory. “The decision to...

Here’s the repair bill for Vernon’s broken water mains in 2014

VERNON - Fixing aging water mains in the City of Vernon last year didn’t come cheap. The Greater Vernon Water Utility, which operates the system, was billed approximately $370,000 by the city in 2014. That was for a total of 28 water main break repairs, or about $13,214 per break.  That’s in addition to the...

The high cost of waiting to replace Vernon’s aging water system

VERNON - Costs of aging water pipes are beginning to pile up in the City of Vernon with 86 water main breaks in just the last three years—four of them this month.  And the costs are not just in dollars and cents. Breaks on Nov. 25 left over 100 residents without water. Earlier in the year,...